We often like to combine great beer with fun outdoor adventures. We encourage our readers to send in some of their best adventures and we will post them. Below are a few of our favorites along with any pictures that might show the fun. While we do encourage enjoying beers in the outdoors…we always ask that you use moderation, common sense, and don’t litter!
Snowshoeing
Off of I-90 or the Mt. Loop Hwy are some of our favorite snowshoe trails. I-90 also gives you the chance to stop at the Snoqualmie Brewery to sample some of their great ales. Our favorite is the Wildcat IPA and it is very inexpensive to buy and fill your growler there. We try to avoid the Avalanche Winter Ale before snowshoeing (bad charma). On your way down the hill, you can stop at the Issaquah Ale House and get some excellent Rogue I2PA (I-squared-PA) or the Brutal Bitter but bring a rich friend, as it is no longer cheap to drink there! They have changed the menu too but still have the great gumbo.
The Mt. Loop Hwy offers great trails such as the Ice Caves or Monte Cristo but make sure to bring your own beer. Once you leave Everett, you are not going to find a decent beer with out paying the price or searching harder than we have in some scary towns (i.e. Granite Falls the meth capital of the NW). After you are done hiking though, stop in Everett at Scuttlebutts Brewery or the Flying Pig Brewery for some good IPA’s. The Pig also has a bitter but we prefer the IPA with the chicken quesadilla. If you go to Scuttlebutts, try the Texas Toothpicks w/ the IPA, yummy! The Woodfire Grill has great happy hour deals on beer and pupus. They usually have some great beers for hopheads like La Conner IPA and excellent pizzas.
Kayaking
If you don’t own a kayak or have friends that do, you may be limited to the Lake Union area or other areas where you can rent kayaks. Hey, that is okay…you have lots of beer options there! If you rent from the southwest side of the lake or from the U district you are only a few minutes from good beer! Some of our favorite places are in Freemont, not more than a few minutes from either side of the lake. Hales finally has a great IPA with its Mongoose IPA and lots of good food options too. If you are into the orgins of the IPA or bitter, go across the street to the George and Dragon and have a few pints. Also not too far away is Maritime Pacific Brewing with their delicious Imperial Pale Ale (IPA). Or you could check out McMenamins Dad Watsons for a hammerhead or some good IPA choices.
If you have a kayak or friends that do you have lots of other fun options. One of our favorite kayak adventures is the Snohomish River to Puget Sound in Everett. Depending on the tide and river output, this can be a leisurely cruise or a big workout. You can launch or land within walking distance of Scuttlebutts on the Everett waterfront. Another fun coastal run is from Scuttlebutts to Diamond Knott in Mukilteo, although I would advise going light on the beers at the start of your journey because this one has some distance and possibly some kayaking skills needed. Out of the Port of Everett you head south and must paddle thru a busy boating route full of cowboy and redneck boaters that have little respect for kayakers. To make things more challenging, if you hang to close to the shore you are near the Naval base and will most certainly be harassed by the Naval patrol boats. If you make it thru that it is smooth sailing until you get near Mukilteo and must avoid being run down by the ferry. Once you have landed near the Mukilteo lighthouse you will be ready for a few pints of Diamond Knotts famous Industrial IPA or even the lower octane IPA. If you fell in the water or just caught a chill, the Texas Chainsaw pizza will warm you inside and out or if you can’t handle the internal heat, order something you cook yourself on the “Stone Grill”. The Stoned Philly Cheese or Beerish Dip should do the trick.
We also have been known to use this as a start or end point for another journey. Several miles south of Mukilteo and usually a long but easy paddle away is Rory’s in Edmonds. If you use Rory’s as your start point, you can do the famous “Kegs and Eggs” breakfast to get you ready for the paddle. You get a good-sized breakfast with a beer for about $5! Can’t go wrong with that! If breakfast beers are not your thing…you can get a Bloody Mary or Screwdriver or something more breakfasty! If Rory’s is your end point, they have a great happy hour with cold pitchers of Bridgeport IPA on tap. They also have a good selection of pizzas and sandwiches. We haven’t paddled too far south of here yet due to the lack of waterfront beer venues until you get to Seattle.
Far to the north we have some other interesting paddles for you. These paddles are definitely not for the lightweight paddler as they will require some stamina to link your beer destinations. The first starts at the Skagit River Brewery where hopefully they will have their Pilchuck Imperial Pale Ale on tap. They also have some great woodfired pizzas and BBQ options to load up on for the heavy paddle ahead. You destination way down the Skagit River (and then some) is the La Conner Brewing Co. where they make one of our favorite IPA’s. As hoppy as they come, this IPA will bring a smile to your face after the paddle you just endured! They also serve some great pizzas and appetizers that will help to recharge you. This is a small venue though so don’t be surprised if you have to wait and avoid going during the Tulip Festival.
Depending on tides, La Conner can be the start or end to another grueling paddle to Anacortes and the Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery. While I can’t say that I have eaten there, they do make some nice beers and have a great location near the water on the main drag.
Bike for Brews
One of our favorite summer/spring/fall bike rides is on the Burke-Gilman trail. If you do this right, you can link all the Freemont drinking spots mentioned previously with the Big Time Brewing Co. in the University district. There you will find a great IPA called Decade IPA that goes down great with the giant burgers they serve. That should be enough fuel to get you to your next stop to the east, the Redhook Brewery. I know, a lot of hopheads will say that they sold out and the beer went downhill. Well, I can’t argue with that but I can say that they do have a great set up. They are right off the trail, have tons of outdoor seating in the sun or shade, bike parking, and some pretty good appetizers. While the IPA is not nearly as hoppy as this hophead would like, it goes down well after a long bike ride. From here, it turns into the Sammish River trail and continues southeast where you can end your journey at the Celtic Bayou/Far West Ireland Brewing Co. Here you will find some unusual food combinations of Cajun and Irish specialties that will make you smile while you have a Connaught Ranger IPA. They also have a small outdoor seating area surrounded by hops! What better way to end your biking day than a nice bowl of gumbo, cold IPA, and view of the magnificent plant that motivated your journey.
We have many more adventures to share with you in the upcoming months. Check back for seasonal updates as well as more of our past adventures. If you have an adventure you would like to share, want more info on a specific hophead adventure, or want to accompany the hopheads on an adventure. Contact us!