I think I've managed to live up to my blog's name pretty well this year, by my count, I've managed to have first time visits to 31 different brewery tap rooms this year. I decided it might be cool to do a top 10 of sorts, but realized quickly it would leave quite a few good experiences out.
So this list is of the "next 10", breweries who provided me with an overall positive experience, good vibes, good conversation, but otherwise who didn't quite make the top 10.
In no particular order:
Pike Brewing Company
Seattle, Washington
Recently, it was announced that the Pike Place Market location for this O.G. Seattle brewery would be closing. Fortunately, my friend and I got to visit this location this past February, one of the 10 brewery taprooms we visited in the Seattle area.
Pike Brewing has some of your classic brewpub style fare, which makes sense since the brand has been around since 1989, my friend and I each tried a flight at 11 am after several cups of coffee and breakfast at the nearby "Biscuit Bitch", which was quite an experience in itself. I'll describe it succinctly as a walk up only breakfast place with an attitude.
While the beers were good, the most striking thing about the place was how it was a veritable craft beer museum, in the most touristy area of Seattle. Every room was packed to the brim with memorabilia relating to beer, displays with old beer bottles, even a sculpture made out of their packaging.
Outer Planet Brewing
Seattle, Washington
A brewery that does space themed beers, on holographic stickers using art deco fonts... Sound familiar? Welcome to my "spirit brewery" as a neighborhood brew pub in Seattle.
When I saw "Outer Planet Brewing" in the Capital Hill neighborhood, I knew immediately we had to make a stop. It turned out by happy accident that my friend and I would be there on Outer Planet's 10th anniversary weekend, so they had special "anniversary flights" of prior year's releases. Meaning, they were all strong ales, imperial stouts, etc. Unfortunately, that means I didn't get to try too many of their normal space themed beers, though I did insist on getting a taster of their Oyster Stout, just because that's something I don't see too often anymore.
Of course, the real connection came for me in the branding, to the point where when I left one of my stickers for their sticker wall, the bartender thought it was one of theirs at first.
The owner / brewer and I had a good long conversation about old world beers, and our obviously common instincts in branding, and he even gave me a bonus free t-shirt. Later on, back in Wichita, when I was talking to a bartender who mentioned she used to live in Seattle and used to go to Outer Planet. Small world!
I had to try No Shucks Given, but was most entertained by "Ground Control to Major Pom"
Core 4 Brewing
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
My visit to Core 4 was brief, I was in a bit of a time crunch to check into my hotel and get to a concert later that night. As I recall, I didn't even end up eating dinner that night. Oops. This ties in to another entry on the list, but more on that later!
Core 4 is the kind of place I'd really like to spend more time, I had a good conversation about music with another bar patron, who also had his dog.
From the beer list, what drew me was that they had a Tropical Stout, something I don't come across too often, at least not since the one I made with Central Standard Brewing several years ago, Shadow Snakes.
Beer Notes:
Barnacle Chronicles
Tropical stout
Dry, molasses, bittersweet. Going off memory here, was too busy chatting with folks about music
Kohaku
Red rice lager
Very smooth, don’t remember much else beyond that, easy drinking
One thing I have to love is the mural of former Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams outside the nearby Paramount theater:
Urban Family Brewing
Seattle, Washington
The Ballard neighborhood has a staggering number of breweries, bars, etc within walking distance of each other, to the point where is there is a "Ballard Brewery Passport" with 13 stamps on it. My friend and I did four of them in one afternoon.
This Ballard neighborhood brewery was on the list, but was not even the highest priority stop. But as it happened, while walking from Obec to Fair Isle, it started to rain. Rain, in Seattle? I know, right?!
And so Urban Family presented itself as a perfect respite between those two stops. I think the rain made this a good photo, too.
I enjoyed the beers I tried there, I had half pours so i could try a few different things:
Star Party: Pretty classic Schwarz, light body but roasty, bitterness is there, smooth, unobtrusive, nice balance. Dark fruit finish. Very nice
Shadow Spire: Oatmeal stout. Nutty, very smooth, velvety.
High Noon Hopscotch: Dank, citrus, peach notes. West coast IPA, as advertised.
Skydance Brewing
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
There's always something magical about rolling into a different city during the day, and pulling up to the first brewery of the brew tour.
This past May, I decided I wanted to go to an Oklahoma City Thunder playoff game, so that turned into a mini beercation with my friend before the game. The first place we went after getting to town was Skydance Brewing.
I've bought Skydance beers before, and usually enjoy them, I particularly enjoyed the name of their Czech Dark Lager "Czech Your Self" - I've definitely joked about how there should be a brewery that makes Czech beers with names based on puns like that.
39th Street Brewing
Kansas City, Missouri
Years ago, I'd always stay at a hotel in the Westport neighborhood of Kansas City when I'd go there. There was even a brewpub down the street, the now closed McCoy's Public House, which I understand took over a former brewery space when it opened.
It was nice to see some new brewing blood in the area with my visit to the 39th Street Brewery. I was there during an off time so I got to chat with the bartender quite a bit, but I stayed for some of the different beers they offered, including a Czech Amber Lager. I'm always willing to try a Czech Amber Lager / Polotmavy Lezak.
By the time I left, I had purchased several four packs of different beers.
Beer Notes:
Czech Mate
Polotmave Pivo / Czech Amber Lager
Deep toast into dark fruit, smooth malt character. Hops are probably Saaz, distinctly subtly fruity and herbal bouquet, carries through to the finish like a Czech pils
Fields of Gold
Hefeweizen
Bready, doughy wheat, mild toast and noble floral hop notes, moderate banana and clove, finishes dry, inviting more.
Take Me to Cascadia
Northwest IPA
Pine and grapefruit, hints of passion fruit and sulfur, as advertised. Very nice but I’d like some more fruit notes to counteract the dank notes possibly, something like mosaic would work wonderfully here, but it is a magic hop
Manhattan Brewing
Manhattan, Kansas
This was an interesting one, to me, because Manhattan Brewing had a location in Wichita in the former Aero Plains space up until late this year. I only went there a few times, but when I went to Lincoln, Nebraska this year, I decided it would be a good opportunity to check out some stuff in Manhattan on the way to and from.
The Manhattan Brewing taproom had really cool vibes, and has video games available to play. I watched a little kid play the original Donkey Kong Country, and holy crap, I forgot how hard that game could be.
They had a side pull and a beer engine, though the latter had nothing on it for the summer season.
I enjoyed the respite from the heat with a Velvet Tracksuit, Italian Pilsner.
Merry late Christmas ;)
American Solera Edmond
Edmond, Oklahoma
For my most recent trip to Oklahoma City, I decided to stop off in Edmond for lunch, and to check out the American Solera
satellite location. Nearby, there are other businesses with a common park in the middle, across from American Solera is a Detroit-style pizza place.
Detroit-style pizza is something I've been taking on myself this year, so I was excited to try some elsewhere. I got their spicy Hawaiian with honey, and took my 9x9" pizza over to the American Solera taproom, and proceeded to eat the whole thing. I was pretty full and decided to skip dinner later that night.
The American Solera taproom is all vibes, much like their Tulsa locations, with pastel colors, and a minimalistic neon sign with their logo. The Edmond location even has an exclusive beer, an English pub ale, of course which is right up my alley!
Detroit-style Pizza: Spicy Hawaiian from Woodward Pizza, Edmond, OK