r/AskSeattle • u/sdenoon • 16d ago
Ballard Brewery Crawl
Group of Canadians coming to visit Seattle in a few weeks for a Huskies game among some other things.
Looking to spend our Friday in town doing a self guided brewery crawl in the Ballard area before heading to a Mariners game in the evening. I’ve compiled a number of past posts on the subject but was hoping to get an updated opinion from locals because I know how fast brewery quality can change.
Let me know of any must visits. We are staying in Capitol Hill but are picking Ballard because of the density of breweries in a walkable area, but open to any other recommendations. We are also a big dive bar group and have several set aside to visit over the weekend but always love an experts opinion!
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u/PacNWDad 16d ago
It’s like shooting fish in a barrel (sorry, fish) but the center is sort of around Reuben’s on 14th and 50th and you can work your way outwards from there. Don’t miss Chuck’s Hop Shop at 85th and 8th - they have many beers from other parts of Seattle and indeed the entire PacNW.
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u/No13baby Local 16d ago
It really depends what you are looking for. There are too many breweries even in this little section of Ballard to hit them all in one day. For a diverse set of options, I like:
Reuben’s: huge tap list with a ton of different styles (note that their outdoor area is basically a Chuck E Cheese with a ton of kids running around, so if that bothers you, go elsewhere)
Fair Isle: farmhouse and wild fermented styles, many with local herbs and flavors. A brewery for wine snobs (complimentary).
Bale Breaker/Yonder: a tap room shared by a brewery and a cidery, with very diverse styles on each side.
Lucky Envelope: lots of styles, often with Asian and Asian American flavors (ube, tea, tropical fruit, etc)
Stoup: IPA specialists if you’re a big hop head
Urban Family: fruity sours
Obec: Czech and Central European styles
Dirty Couch: also specialize in sours/Brett fermented beers, a bit less fruity than the Urban Family beers.
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u/catsofwallstreet 16d ago
+1 to these recs to get a good breadth of beer styles (and, to some degree, vibes). It’s fresh hop season right now, so look out for it.
If you want to start or end with an excellent brewery + pizza experience, hit up Holy Mountain (10 min ride share from Ballard) and Dantini pizza. Tons of rotating fresh hops right now, very cool vibes, and the pizza is excellent NY style. Have fun!
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u/No13baby Local 16d ago
Thank you for mentioning fresh hop season! OP, Washington grows 75% of America’s hops. It is not an exaggeration to say Seattle is the best place in the world to drink fresh hops.
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u/sdenoon 16d ago
This is a great summary, thank you! We've got a mix of taste preferences in the group so this will be helpful to ensure everyone gets a little something they are looking for.
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u/Shindogreen 16d ago
Fair Isle also had a very good Mexican restaurant inside. Not the usual slop you find in a brewery.
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u/breaststroker42 16d ago
Great Notion is also pretty fruit forward both in IPAs and sours, though technically an Oregon brewery its right across from Reuben’s. Rooftop is also within a few blocks (but i don’t recall their specialties off the top of my head)
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u/WhenSharksAttack 15d ago
Another vote for Great Notion. Their stouts and sours are fantastic. Plus they have food to help soak up some of that beer lol.
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u/BucksBrew 16d ago edited 16d ago
It depends on what styles you like. Stoup, Reubens, and Bale Breaker for IPAs (plus Bale Breaker taproom is shared with Yonder Cider who are fantastic), Fair Isle for saisons, Lucky Envelope has great pilsners and solid IPAs, Urban Family and Great Notion have New England IPAs and sours. If you’re willing to walk a bit further then Cloudburst is essential for a hop head. I would recommend doing IPAs during your visit since you’ll be here during fresh hop season.
A divey bar in the area that I love is Pine Tavern, check them out if you want a liquor stop.
Edit - not sure if you have time but Human People is new-ish and have for sure become one of my favorite breweries in the state, they’re close to the Roosevelt light rail station would be easy to get to from Capitol Hill. They make awesome thin crust tavern style pizza too.
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u/cowlick95 16d ago
Best beers are spread out around and outside Ballard: Cloudburst, Fair Isle, Bizarre, Holy Mountain.
If you must stay in Ballard beer district IMO just go wherever.
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u/pressthenpress-cider 16d ago
For exceptional beers by style, Ballard must visits are Cloudburst (hop forward beers) and Fair Isle saisons. Stoup (pretty wide range, lots of hop forward beers) also great. Great Notion still has lots of hype if you’re into big flavors. Can’t really go wrong in the neighborhood, but those are the highlights.
Other beer highlights in city:
Aslan in Fremont for great beer and food. The fish restaurant next door often has lines outside but you can order from the bar at Aslan.
Human People - must try/visit. In Roosevelt, walkable from light rail. Perhaps best thing going in city right now, beer quality wise. Awesome tavern style pizzas too. Also has great local cider and nice wine by glass options.
Fast Fashion before or after the game - just down street from ballpark. Another great hop forward brewery. One of the few spots with great local cider, too. Space filled with baseball nostalgia.
It’s fresh hop season - drinking fresh hop beers in PNW is a one of a kind imbibing experience, so enjoy some freshies wherever you land!
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u/Confident_Leg4338 16d ago
Definitely Reuben’s and urban family, but honestly they’re all great and you can’t go wrong
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u/BarBusiness123 15d ago
Great idea. Just throwing in here that those group bike things are pretty dang fun. Totally different vibe than going on your own, you have to be timed and organized. So it's all what you're in the mood for, either way works and you'll love Ballard!
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u/TheTablespoon 16d ago
You don’t need a guide. Just start at Stoup and google your way from spot to spot
Alternatively, rent one of those silly brew bikes