Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drinking & Nightlife
It's hard to complain too much about Seattle's crappy weather when the
two best forms of rainy-day solace - coffee and beer - are available in
such abundance. No doubt about it, Seattle's an inviting place to enjoy a
drink, whatever your poison: hearty, European-style craft-brewed beer,
or a micro-roasted post-Starbucks pour-over made by one of a growing
band of coffee guerrillas.
Coffee Culture
When the first Starbucks opened in Pike Place Market in 1971, Seattle was suddenly the
center of the coffee universe. It still is, although these days Starbucks is loved and
loathed in equal measure.
After Starbucks came the 'third wave': coffee shops that buy fair-trade coffee with
traceable origins and concoct it through a micro-managed in-house roasting process that
pays attention to everything from the coffee's bean quality to its 'taste notes.' These
shops are now as ubiquitous as Starbucks, though they remain independent and adhere
strictly to their original manifesto: quality not quantity.
Macro Amounts of Microbrews
The microbrew explosion rocked the Northwest around the same time as the gourmet-
coffee craze - not coincidentally, Seattle's Redhook Brewery was cofounded in 1981 by
Gordon Bowker, one of the guys who founded Starbucks.
Most local microbreweries started out as tiny craft breweries that produced European-
style ales. Many of these small producers initially lacked the capital to offer their brews
for sale anywhere but in the brewery building itself, hence the term brewpub - an in-
formal pub with its own on-site brewery.
Though you can find microbrews at practically every bar in town, brewpubs often fea-
ture signature beers and ales not available anywhere else. It's worth asking about spe-
cialty brews or seasonal beers on tap. Most of the brewpubs listed offer a taster's selec-
tion of the house brews. Pints range in price from $4 to $6, so a sampler can be good
value if you're not sure what you like.
