Upcoming Events At Beveridge Place Pub

One of my favorite craft beer stops in Seattle, Beveridge Place Pub (BPP), has lots of great events on tap for August.  If you've never been there, this month is a great time to head down and check them out.  They were recently rated #1 in the Top 10 Beer Spots list by Seattle Beer News.  They also just increased the number of taps they have to 36, offering an even wider selection of great craft beers and ciders. 

Walking into BPP, it has a comfortable feel like a big family room.  In addition to the bar and tables, there are also a couple of couches, some easy chairs and to top it off, they're even dog friendly (well behaved, non-barking dogs please).  They also have pool (free on Tuesdays) and shuffleboard.  They do not, however, have any food beyond nuts and popcorn, so they allow any outside food you want to bring.  If you didn't bring anything, they have menus from local establishments that will deliver food to you right in the bar. 

CraftBeerMonger.com Is On The Way!

After a year and a half of beer blogging, the time has come for Beer Monger to evolve.  Based on feedback from my readers and limitations with some of my earlier selections, beermonger.blogspot.com will soon be moving to the URL: CraftBeerMonger.com. 

This change will allow me to provide a richer content experience for my readers, as well as helping me with finding some sponsors for my blog.  Attending so many events/festivals/launches/etc. can, at times, be a bit of a financial strain and a few organizations have already expressed an interest in sponsoring my blog. 

I'm hoping my readers will also take this as a sign that Beer Monger is here to stay.  I'm very passionate about the craft beer community and want to continue to provide you with coverage of the craft beer happenings in and around the Seattle area. 

I'd like to thank all of my readers for their support.  I am working on constructing the new site and hope to be up and running by the end of this month.  Stay tuned for an update on when to expect the switchover. 

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there. 

My Experience At The Seattle International Beer Festival 2012

Last weekend, I attended the Seattle International Beer Festival at Seattle Center.  This annual event gives beer enthusiasts the opportunity to taste some unique and rare beers from around the World.  This year's fest had over 200 different beers from 16 different countries. 

I attended two days of this year's festival.  First, on Saturday, I attended as a volunteer.  From 6:30PM until the beer stopped flowing at 9:45PM, I was manning a tap handle for Mad Viking Brewing out of Denmark.  I was pouring their Belgian Golden Strong and their, very popular at this year's fest, Stingray Double IPA. 

Crawfish At Burgundian On June 15th - And 29th - UPDATED

One of Seattle's newest craft beer bars, Burgundian, has been consistently impressing me with their menu offerings.  Even though I do miss a few items their opening day menu offered, which they no longer have (things like Scotch Eggs or real Scrapple), they keep adding more items and specials that are truly gourmet. 

Here are just a few of the more delectable choices Burgundian has had on their menu over the past few weeks:

'Food Truck Fridays' Announced At Two Beers Brewing

Do you enjoy Two Beers Brewing Co. beers, but don't enjoy the lack of food at the taproom (unless you're lucky enough to be there when they have a food truck - or you brought your own munchies)?  We'll now you can plan ahead and know what you'll be eating. 

Two Beers Brewing Co. has just announced 'Food Truck Fridays' at their taproom known as The Woods. 

Two Beers Brewing is excited to announce the rollout of Food Truck Fridays this summer at its popular tasting room, The Woods. Each Friday June through August, one of Seattle’s favorite food trucks – including Skillet Street Food, Dante’s Inferno Dogs, Bigfood, Maximus/Minimus and more – will be parked outside The Woods, offerings up delicious eats for purchase from 3-8 pm. To sweeten the deal, tasting room patrons who purchase food will receive their first pint of any one of Two Beers Brewing’s unique handcrafted brews for just $3.

“The combination of delicious local food, great local beer and a sun-filled patio make for a perfect end to the work week,” said Joel VandenBrink, Two Beers Brewing founder and head brewer. “We’re excited to be partnering with these local food trucks to offer our loyal fans some delicious grub to pair with their favorite Two Beers Brewing beer and yet another reason to keep coming back to The Woods.”

Kicking off June 1, hungry tasting room patrons can plan their Friday trips to Two Beers Brewing around the schedule below:

June 1: Dante’s Inferno Dogs
June 8: TBD
June 15: Streetzeria Street Pizza
June 22: Dante’s Inferno Dogs
June 29: Skillet Street Food
July 6: BigfoodJuly 13: TBD
July 20: Maximus/Minimus
July 27: Dante’s Inferno Dogs
August 3: Skillet Street Food
August 10: TBD
August 17: Bigfood
August 24: Maximus/Minimus
August 31: TBD

*Food trucks slotted for TBD dates will be announced via Facebook.              
In addition to Food Truck Fridays, Two Beers Brewing has also extended its tasting room hours and is offering up some great deals during the week. Now open on Tuesdays from 3-8 pm (in addition to Wed – Fri) and Saturdays from 1-6 pm, guests can take advantage of more time to enjoy the twelve unique beers from Two Beers Brewing and the sun-filled patio on Saturday afternoons. Weekday deals at The Woods include:

Tuesdays: Be prepared for the week and fill up your growler with any of Two Beers Brewing’s year-round offerings for only $6 (sorry, no imperials, infusions or guest handles).

Wednesdays: Stop in for Hump Day happy hour from 3-6 pm when pints of any Two Beers Brewing brew are just $3 (guest handles excluded).

Thursdays: Stock up for the weekend with our “to go” happy hour! Receive $1 off all 22-ounce bottles and six-packs of 12-ounce aluminum cans.

Two Beers Brewing offers pints, bottle, cans, growlers and kegs-to-go in its 4,800-square-foot SoDo brewery and tasting room – The Woods – in addition to being available on tap in more than 300 restaurants and bars in Washington, Idaho and Vancouver, B.C. Two Beers Brewing’s 12-ounce aluminum cans can also now be found in Portland and Alaska.

So head down to Two Beers on Fridays this summer, and get your grub on! Two Beers Brewing Co. is just one of a few craft breweries in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood.  While you're in the area, you can also check out Schooner Exact Brewing, Epic Ales Brewing and Georgetown Brewing. 

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

Seattle Beer Week 2012 Kickoff Events

Seattle Beer Week 2012 kicked off yesterday, and I managed to make it to all four opening night events with my beautiful wife, Lynn.

Super Deli Mart's Full List Of Seattle Beer Week Events

We're less than one month from the kickoff of Seattle Beer Week 2012, and one of my favorite little beer shops in Seattle, Super Deli Mart, has provided me with a full list of their Seattle Beer Week event list. 

Super Deli Beer Week Events:

Preview Of The Pine Box (UPDATED)

Last night, my wife and I attended the pre-opening industry party for Seattle's newest bar, The Pine Box.  Located in the spot previously occupied by The Chapel Bar, the space was originally a funeral home.  In fact, it's the funeral home were Bruce Lee's funeral was held.

Bruce Lee's Funeral Was Held Here

Through some major remodeling, partners Ian Roberts, Dean Hudgins and Mark Eskridge transformed the former funeral home-then-nightclub into a World Class beer bar.  With more than 30 taps and a modest food menu (though I've heard the menu may expand from what we saw on industry night), The Pine Box is a great new Seattle beer destination.  They also have a full liquor bar, for those times when you're not in a beer mood.

The Back Bar (left)

The Back Bar (right)

The exotic and varied tap list (including several IPA's, Belgians, Sours and more)  is complimented by a hop Randall installed behind the bar, as well as the fact that they'll always have at least one cask beer available.  The tap list is displayed behind the bar on big, easy to read HDTV's, allowing for quick and easy tap list updates, as well as providing the ability to keep their website always up to date regarding what's on tap.

Ian Roberts

The decor is heavy with dark wood, enhanced by the original chandeliers, antique glass windows, high arches and high ceilings of the old funeral home.  The seating for the booths along the wall are actually old church pews; quite appropriate seating for a great place to worship great beers.

Me With Don Webb (Naked City) and Gary Sink (Beveridge Place Pub)

The official opening date for The Pine Box is this coming Monday, March 26th.  Though I've heard through the grapevine that they may try to be open by this Thursday, March 22nd, so keep your ears open.  For lots more photos and a scan of last night's food menu and tap list, please FOLLOW ME HERE on Facebook.

The Pine Box is a wonderful and welcome addition to the Capitol Hill beer scene, and I will definitely be back again as soon as they are open for business.

The Pine Box

1600 Melrose Avenue

Seattle, WA  98101

(At the corner of Melrose & Pine)

UPDATE: It's been confirmed by Ian Roberts that The Pine Box will be open for business starting this Thursday, March 22nd at 3:00PM.  So if you're in the Capitol Hill area, head by for a pint or two.  

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

The Publican Opens

Seattle's newest bar, The Publican (their website will be up soon), which is brought to you by the same people who helped create Brouwer's Cafe and Bottleworks, opened for business yesterday 12/28 at 10:00AM in Seattle's Tangletown neighborhood.  I managed to get down there after I was off work to check the place out and relax with a few beers and a bite to eat. 

The Publican has 22 taps, which primarily feature American craft microbrews.  They also have a large selection of cans, rather than bottles, as the can revolution seems to be taking hold in the craft beer industry (Personally, I prefer bottles to cans, but that's another discussion).  They also feature an impressive selection of liquor, including several bourbons, Scotches and over 35 different tequilas, for patrons who might be missing Bandolero, the establishment that preceded The Publican at the same location. 

The View From My Barstool At The Publican

While there, I ran into Matt Bonney of Brouwer's Cafe, who has been working hard to get The Publican ready to open.  He was talking to the patrons, making sure everything was feeling right and tasting good since, of course, this was their opening day.  We chatted for a few minutes, and I congratulated him on the opening, which seemed to be getting off to a great start.