The Urban Family Public House

The Urban Family Public House, Ballard, Washington

Stars: 3
Date visited: March 16, 2014
Address: 5329 Ballard Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107

Very cute and quaint and located in the heart of Ballard. Brick walls with modern touches (stainless steel bar). 50ish capacity but it feels like it would be miserable if it was crowded. When we were in there, there were only 20 or so people and it was already getting too loud. Pleasant staff and good tunes ala Rolling Stones, Neil Young, The Band, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison.

Low Hanging Fruit
Paint It Black

Pike Brewing Company

Pike Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington

Stars: 3
Date visited: Feb 09, 2014
Address: 415 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101

I have a love-hate relationship with this brewery… The Pike Pub can be a bit overwhelming. At first glance this pub looks like a total tourist trap and is a little reminiscent of a busy Red Robin. With that said, it is a pretty cool place especially if you go at the right time, with the right people, and manage to finagle a good spot.

The brewery and pub spans 5 levels. I recommend grabbing a booth in the Museum Room. Although it may seem to be one of the most cluttered rooms, the beer memorabilia within covers over 9,000 years of beer history. Pretty interesting.

As far as the beer is concerned, most of their beers are not remarkable. Not bad… just not great. There are, however, two exceptions: the Space Needle Golden Anniversary IPA and Monk's Uncle Tripel. Both of these are must-try beers.

Concerning the food, over the years we have had a few appetizer plates here and there – everything seems to be good… again, not great.

For anyone visiting Seattle this brewery is a must see. There are currently over 60 brewers in the greater Seattle area yet this is the only brewery downtown (Gordon-Biersch and Rock Bottom do not count)! Reasonable prices, pretty good brew, and decent food -  if you are downtown with some friends and have an hour or two to kill, Pike is a great place to drop in.

Island Hoppin' Brewery - Orcas Island, WA

Stars: 3
Date visited: January 24, 2014
Address: 33 Hope Lane Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA 98245

Clean, fun, and packed with people (thought it only takes a dozen or so people to pack it!). On the wall sits a nice shelf of personalized mugs for regulars. Peanuts on the floor (and peanuts are free). Seems to be a community hangout that a lot of locals frequent. And although we didn’t take advantage of it, there’s a small number of seats located in the actual brewery, as opposed to the tap room. A nice little collection of brewery-provided board games could make for a really enjoyable evening with a small group of friends. Great prices, 4.50/pint. Northwest-style snacks.

Yellow Island Belgian Pale
Elwha Rock IPA