Washington’s coffee may be well known, but the state’s beverage industry is booming beyond the bean. From hoppy thirst quenchers and sweet ciders, to carefully crafted wines and whiskies, Metro Seattle artisans are producing liquid gold. Find out below where you can sample the best beer, spirits and wine in Seattle and surrounding cities like Tacoma, Edmonds, Everett and Snohomish.
Metro Seattle Breweries
In Seattle, standards and seasonals from pioneers such as Pike Brewing Company and Elysian Brewing are mainstays at tap houses like Brouwer’s Cafe, funeral-parlor-turned-beer-bar Pine Box and the dog-friendly Beveridge Place Pub. Fremont Brewing Company offers an outdoor year-round beer garden, while nearby Odin Brewing focuses on food and beer pairings.
Outside Seattle, nanobrewery Foggy Noggin produces English-style ales in a Bothell garage, Redmond’s Black Raven Brewing is racking up acclaim for its distinct brews and neighborhood taproom and Woodinville’s Triplehorn Brewing recently celebrated a first anniversary. Down the hill is Redhook Brewery, home to multiple seasonal ale fests and summer “Moonlight Cinema” on a 55-foot inflatable screen on its lawn.
Edmonds’ American Brewing is proud owner of the Breakaway India Pale Ale. Mukilteo’s Diamond Knot Craft Brewing has four locations around Puget Sound, and Skookum Brewery recently relinquished a backwoods brewpub for a bold warehouse and taproom in Arlington. Humble Norm’s Market in Lake Stevens has more than 50 rotating kegs made for growler fills. Nine miles down Machias Road, Snohomish’s Trails End Taphouse tenders 28 beers on draft.
Everett’s champion of beer has long been waterfront microbrewery Scuttlebutt, but new players are making a mark. Nanobrewery Middleton Brewing has a taproom full of proprietary brews as well as rotating suds from the likes of local newbie Justice Brewing. Take one to go at Lynnwood’s Special Brews, an extensive bottle shop with more than 1,000 bottles and 15 draft picks, or DIY at Gallagher’s Where-U-Brew in Edmonds, with recipes ranging from porters and lagers to semi-sweet cider.
Metro Seattle Distilleries
With the legalization of liquor production in Washington, distilleries with tasting rooms have been popping up. Seattle’s SoDo district is home to the enormous new Westland Distillery and Glass Distillery; Interbay has craft distillers Batch 206 and Sound Spirits and Fremont Mischief Distillery makes John Jacob rye whiskey. Woodinville’s Soft Tail Spirits has been revitalizing grappa since 2008, while Project V Distillery distills vodka and sells frozen house-made sausages.
Head to Snohomish distilleries Skip Rock for fruit liqueurs and Dark Moon (1830 Bickford Ave.) for apple cider vodka, or to Everett’s Bluewater Organic Distilling for the Halcyon gin.
Find more Washington breweries and distilleries.
Metro Seattle Cideries
Back in Seattle, Seattle Cider Company—the city’s first cidery since Prohibition—recently opened alongside brewery Two Beers, although Vashon Island’s Dragon’s Head Cider has been around since 2010.
Metro Seattle Wineries
Woodinville, which is best known for its wine, is home to tasting rooms for 100 wineries, including Chateau Ste. Michelle and nearby wineries Novelty-Hill and Januik, both by “master of Merlot” Mike Januik. By the landmark Hollywood Schoolhouse, wineries like Mark Ryan Winery, J. Bookwalter and Brian Carter Cellars pour distinctly Washington juice.
A few miles north is the warehouse district, with more than 50 wineries, including locals Baer Winery and Sparkman Cellars, and eastern Washington’s Obelisco Estate and Kestrel Vintners.
Wine gets its due in Bothell at Wild Vine Bistro, where happy hours feature $5 glass pours.
See a full list of Washington wineries and tasting rooms.
Metro Seattle Coffee
Seattle has java titans like Starbucks, with its original Pike Place Market location, microroasters like Middle Fork, or Bainbridge Island’s Storyville, now also in Pike Place Market. Meanwhile, Velton’s Coffee Bonsai Blend espresso wakes up Everett, and Vinaccio Coffee’s Sumatran Mandehling roast gets the job done in Marysville.
See a complete list of coffee and tea shops in Washington.
—Erin James
