Seattle Mag
How to Pair Beer and Cheese
Find tasty bliss using America's two basic food groups: beer and cheese.
Beer has found its place in the culinary world, with beer dinners, pairings and other events on restaurant schedules around town. You’ll even find beer in food. But beer and cheese? Absolutely, says Warren Peterson, chef and so-called “beer czar” of Tom Douglas’ new beer-centric Brave Horse Tavern in South Lake Union. “Beer is food…
Understanding Beer Glasses
The history and function behind four fancy glasses designed specially for beer.
Just as with wine, beer purists know it’s not just what you pour, it’s also what you pour into that matters. Gary Sink, of West Seattle’s Beveridge Place Pub, shows us how the proper glass brings out the best in beer. Pilsner glass (far left) History: For enjoying pilsners and fruity or bubblier beers.The physics:…
Beer Floats
Where to go for malty, adult versions of that beloved childhood treat.
The Pike Pub (Pike Place Market, 1415 First Ave.; 206.622.6044; pikebrewing.com) serves its Pike XXXXX Extra Stout with vanilla or chocolate gelato ($3.50 schooners, $6.50 pints). Elliott Bay Brewhouse and Pub (two locations, including West Seattle, 4720 California Ave. SW; 206.932.8695; elliottbaybrewing.com) makes coffee stout floats (with its No Doubt Stout; $3.95), so you can…
Surprising Beer-Flavored Foods
Local kitchens that are using beer to enhance natural flavors in their foods.
You won’t feel tipsy, because alcohol burns out during the cooking process, so get ready to experience beer cooking in its strangest forms. Washed:River Valley Ranch’s raw cow’s milk tomme cheese is rind-washed in Pike Brewing’s Naughty Nellie Ale. You’ll find it at The Calf & Kid cheese shop on Capitol Hill (1531 Melrose Ave.,…
Most Amusing Local Beer Names
Longtime brewers name favorite local brews that solicit a chuckle as well as a second sip.
We’re bookish and brewish, so inevitably, as we sit in a warm pub on a rainy day drinking a pint of Big Time Dark Days Black IPA at the Fiddler’s Inn, the two tendencies collide. For years, my fellow beer (and word) lovers have been keeping a list of the most amusing names for beer….
Beer 101
The difference between beers, lagers and ales, quickly by our local beer expert.
All beer is essentially the same. It is brewed using grains, hops and yeast. The brewer steeps grains, typically malted barley, in hot water until proteins convert to sugars. The resulting sugar water is boiled as other ingredients, typically hops, are added for seasoning. The brewer then cools the resulting concoction, referred to as wort,…
The History of Beer in Seattle
Or, how a motley crew of local hippies, brew nerds, aficionados and accidental chemists forever ch
The story of beer in the Northwest is the story of people—people who love beer. The dedicated souls who made Seattle a bastion of all things brewed are not only some of the most passionate about their chosen subject, but also come from different places, walks of life and generations, bound by their love of…
Washington Craft Beer Directory
We asked our panel of beer experts to list their favorite local and regional breweries in the state
* = usually only available at brewery Baron Brewing/Tree Skulls Ales/Pillagers PubGreenwood, 8551 Greenwood Ave. N, No. 5pillagerspub.comBest brew: Three Skulls Blood Orange Wit Big Al BrewingWhite Center, 9832 14th Ave. SWbigalbrewing.comBest brew: Brougham Bitter Big Time Brewing & AlehouseU District, 4133 University Way NEbigtimebrewery.comBest brew: Coal Creek Porter Elliott Bay Brewhouse & Pub*West Seattle,…
Seattle’s Macro Microbreweries
Here's what's new at three of our area's most established craft breweries.
Georgetown BrewingA singular focus on tasty beer In 2002, Roger Bialous and Manny Chao opened a brewery in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. Bialous came from a background in biology and health care administration, and Chao was a home brewer who also enjoyed success as a beer salesman for Mac & Jack’s Brewery. The two friends approached…
The Ultimate Water Saver
Giant rain barrels and Washington's first legal grey water system set this Jackson Place home at a h
The 1,750-square-foot house architect Robert Humble designed for himself and his wife is entirely nontraditional for Seattle. It’s modern, flat-roofed and boxy, and was prefabricated off-site and delivered by truck in sections to the skinny, empty lot owned by Humble and his wife, Nicole. But that doesn’t mean the owner hasn’t tried to integrate it…
A New Low of Toxicity Levels
A Ballard resident uses simple strategies to rid her bungalow of harmful, hidden chemicals.
You wouldn’t think a Ballard bungalow with pink asbestos siding and lead paint would appeal to a couple with an interest in the environment, but Rachel and Izaak Koller planned to remodel the Ballard home themselves—wearing suitable hazmat gear. Thanks to the previous tenants, the couple had to remove or remake nearly everything in the…
Local Beer Festivals
A year-round calendar for exploring Seattle’s booming local beer culture.
January: Belgianfest Seattle, Warren G. Magnuson Park; washingtonbeer.com/belgianfest Taste more than 50 Belgian-style beers crafted by Washington breweries. January 27–29: Strange Brewfest Port Townsend, The American Legion; strangebrewfestpt.com This fun fest celebrates the most creative and unique concoctions. April: Washington Cask Beer Festival Seattle, Seattle Center, Fisher Pavilion; washingtonbeer.com/cask-beer-fest More than 70 handcrafted beers, featuring…