IPA Day 2011 (8 Mile Tune-Up)

Apparently there is an "International IPA Day".

I'd never heard of it.  No one I knew had heard of it.  But it popped up on my radar (via Twitter) one day when I was planning a beer hike anyway, so I took it as a sign that I should only drink IPAs on the hike.  Which I did.  So what?

This hike also served as a another tune-up for the ridiculous 17 mile expedition I was planning to join the following week.  (More to come on that. Someday.)  Let's see how many IPAs it takes me to get shit-faced:

IPA Day 2011; 8.4 mi. 

The Dray / Maritime Pacific / Brouwer's / Fremont Brewing / Big Time / Bottleworks / The Dray
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Notes: 

• Obviously, at 8+ miles, this hike is best suited for the long days of summer.  We began at The Dray around 12:30pm and finished the loop around nine hours later.  
• The route I've plotted here sticks mainly to streets and there is almost no elevation gain, so it's more about distance and endurance (especially if it's hot.)  
• The Burke-Gilman Trail is a safe, even path between (3) Brouwer's, (4) Fremont Brewing, and (5) Big Time Brewery. 
• By the time you get to Bottleworks, consider calling it quits if you're drunk.  You're in a central area with lots of bus and taxi options.  The last leg back to the beginning is a bit of a climb (albeit gradual) and can be confusing in the dark, especially if you're cutting through Woodland Park
• This is a very dog-friendly hike.  At Brouwer's, hitch up just outside the front door and see if you can sit on the patio.  Big Time is a little trickier and you'll have to hitch up out on the sidewalk, and hope you can get one of the few tables near the window.

Here's some pictures our hike that I'm proud of:

9 Mile Tune-up

This is one of two hikes we did to get ready for the insane 17+ mile UBH we did in August (more to come on that one later.)

It was so long ago that I don't really remember many specifics, but it was a perfect Seattle summer day and the views of downtown from just about everywhere on the Alki Trail were splendid.  The first leg is longer than any I've ever done without grabbing a beer along the way.  It was painful, but the point of this hike was less about drinking and more about getting used to the distance.  There weren't many options between Downtown and Alki anyway.  When we finally arrived at Beveridge, we were greeted with some great brews from Wingman Brewers (Tacoma, WA).

9 Mile Tune-up; 9.2 mi.
Collins Pub / Alki Tavern / Porterhouse / Beveridge Place Pub


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Here are some lame snapshots from the hike:

Beer Geek Beer Hike

When Merideth and Chris from thebeergeek.com told me that they'd be in Seattle for a few days surrounding a friendly match between the Sounders and Manchester United, I knew I had to come up with an urban beer hike, but I was a little worried.  I knew that they'd visited Seattle several times in the past and with their impressive globe-spanning list of breweries visited, I was sure that they'd already been to many of the fine breweries and beer haunts here.

So, with the assumption that they were planning to stay somewhere near downtown, I drew up this hike which starts in SoDo and works its way back through Downtown and ends up on the outskirts of Capitol Hill.  There's a lot of great spots to stop for beer along the way, but here's where we went:

Beer Geek Beer Hike; about 6.2 mi.

Georgetown Brewing / Hudson / Two Beers Brewing / Schooner Exact / EPIC Ales / Collins Pub / Stumbling Monk

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Notes:
- This is a pretty dog-friendly hike overall.  Hudson (2) is a restaurant (and a damn good one at that), so Link had to wait out on the sidewalk.  It's safe and visible from inside.
 - Georgetown Brewing (1) does not serve pints in the tasting room, but you can sample all of the beers if you want.  (Please remember to tip!) 
- Two Beers (3) and EPIC (4) are not open every day.  If you're planning to do this hike, check their websites for dates and times.
- Collins Pub (6) is not dog-friendly either.  There is ample space on the sidewalk to hitch up, but it's only visible to a few tables inside.  (Take advantage of the sidewalk seating area if you can.)
- Be careful walking through Freeway Park at night.  It's pretty dark and easy to get lost if you've never been there before.

That's all I feel like writing right now.  For more details, see Chris' write-up of our hike: Urban Beer Hike in Seattle.  Here are some pictures!

The Wheelchair Beer Hike

If you were at Maritime Brewing for the opening ceremonies of Seattle Beer Week 2011 a couple of months ago, you may recall seeing some asshole arriving in an old, beat-up wheelchair.  The even bigger asshole pushing him was me.

I'll bore you with the details -- they're pretty funny:  maybe a week or so before, my pal @socialretard came to hang out at The Leary Traveler while I was working.  At some point in the session, he proclaimed that he had time for one more beer before the required 10-block walk up to Market Street to catch his bus.  He swiftly put down his Trumer Pils, paid his tab (decent tipper), and left without incident.

Later that night, I read on Twitter that he had to run to catch the bus and while doing so...

Ouch.

Turns out that he might have cracked a rib, too.  Serious ouch.

So, a week later, when it came time to assemble some sort of crew to hike to Maritime and then around Ballard to spread the good word of Seattle Beer Week, I grabbed an old wheelchair I had in my basement (makeshift camera dolly from my film making days) and convinced Chris that he should come out with us.  We'd take turns pushing him and he'd arrive at the festivities in style.

Wheelchair Beer Hike (SBW 2011); 5.4 miles

The Dray / Maritime Brewing / Old Town Alehouse / Stepping Stone / Naked City / The Yard

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Our contingent of rejects and slackers met at The Dray for a pre-function beer and Chris tried out his new ride.  It wasn't a perfect fit, but it would do nicely.  For a while anyway.

No leg rests make for a pretty uncomfy ride.

By the time we arrived at Maritime Brewing, the party was well underway.  They hadn't done the ceremonial proclamation reading or tapped the special beer of the night, but people were already well on their way to oblivion. Including this guy:

The sheer mass of humanity at the brewery prohibited us from partaking in any of the special Decompression Ale.  There was no time to wait in line for a taste and we were getting hungry.  We moved on to Old Ballard.

Our next stop, the Old Town Alehouse, was supposed to be putting on a Beer Week event in conjunction with Portland-based Upright Brewing, but due to some sort of distribution snafu, they only had the Five and Seven on tap -- which is not bad at all.

Not THE Beer Douche, but a beer douche

Old Town was pretty busy, but still managed to take good care of us.  I felt bad for not calling ahead.  Our group began as five people, but was now up to eight.  I work at a place not much bigger and when a large group comes in unannounced on a busy night, it can create a lot of headaches.  Kudos again to Old Town for doing everything they could for us.  I promise to call next time.

This weird guy started following us in Ballard.

The next leg of the hike brought us to The Stepping Stone, a little nugget of goodness in Ballard that a lot of people don't know about.  I first went there about 6 months ago and really liked the laid-back feel and sort of retro (but not pretentious) decor.  The atmosphere tonight was lively and they had Fremont Solstice on tap.  Their small sidewalk patio area became our little beer garden and some hikers took turns abusing the wheelchair.  I wasn't worried about the chair -- it's built like a tank -- but some of the stunts my fellows came up with were a little unnerving indeed.  I might consider taking a video camera on these things more often.

Stepping Stone's turntables

There's that weirdo again!  WTF?!

The last leg of the hike was the longest and (regrettably) passed by some good places to stop for a beer, such as The Copper Gate, The Viking, and Sweet Lou's.  The gang was getting thirsty before we got to our final destination.  Luckily our route took us by Chuck's 85th Street Market, a corner mini-mart in a dark neighborhood with an unexpectedly fine selection of beer.  Most of us grabbed some cans of Dale's Pale Ale, others preferred to stay out in the parking lot and continue beating up on my poor wheelchair.  Thank god no one split their head open.

It's a pretty short walk down NW 85th to Naked City, but we chose instead to go up one block into the surrounding neighborhood, presumably so we wouldn't attract attention while walking down the street, drinking from open containers of beer.  Just before we got to Greenwood Ave. (see map), a local resident let their dog out the front door to piss.  When it got sight/scent of Link it bolted toward us growling and barking.  I've been around dogs enough (not a ton, but enough) to know that it was definitely NOT coming up to say "hi".  The hair on my neck went up and as it lunged at my little buddy, I dropped the leash, growled back, and caught the approaching menace with a solid left hook.  It didn't yelp or anything, so I doubt I hurt it (I'm not left-handed, coordinated, or strong), but it surely got the message and retreated.  I didn't even see the assailing beast.  It's dark in Greenwood.  True story.

Some of us were pretty drunk upon arriving at Naked City and the Opening Night Shit Show was in full force -- actually we may even have missed the worst of it.  Looking back at the night's Twitter feed, apparently we arrived less than five minutes after the Seattle Beer News guy (towing a band of drunkards, no doubt) departed.  I don't even remember what I had to drink at Naked City that night, but I do remember seeing a lot of friendly, familiar faces.  Another good party put on by the cast and crew of NCBC. 

Naked City was supposed to be the final stop on the hike, but someone had the idea that we weren't quite finished and should head to the not-yet-open Yard Cafe.  (The Dray's sister bar.)  When we got there (it's not even 900 feet away, by the way) the front gate was locked, but there were about 40 people inside.  Clearly some sort of private pre-grand opening party.  I flashed my sexy "Urban Beer Hikes" credentials and we were in.

There's a lot to love about The Yard.  They weren't even open yet when we stumbled in, but it already looked and felt finished.  I'm sure the owners/managers would argue that a lot of details hadn't yet been seen to, but I didn't catch any.  The space is concurrently warm & inviting and open & airy.  I've been back since they opened and I can vouch for the food as well.  I knew the beer selection would be top-notch, but the great food was a surprise.  They aren't dog-friendly, but there's ample visible space on the sidewalk or in the parking lot outside the large outdoor beer garden.

Outside Chuck's 85th St. Market

After a short, but entertaining argument with a window-perched resident who lives in the building behind The Yard, we called it a night and collected our things.  Somehow the wheelchair made it the whole way through the hike!  I planned on just ditching it somewhere early, when I expected broken-ribbed Chris would bail, but he never did.  Although he was in pain most of the night, he stuck with us and completed the whole route.  Well done, man!

So, the wheelchair went back into storage.  Perhaps it will see the light of day again the next time one of my drinking buddies tries to go rollerblading or falls behind on payments to his bookie.

Climb to Queen Anne

For some reason, I don't beer hike in and around Queen Anne very much and that's too bad.  There are lots of good places to drink good beer within walking distance.  There's also a small, but beautiful cemetery and some cool staircases, too.

A few weeks ago, some friends and I decided to explore a little and check out some places we'd all heard of, but never been to:  Dexter & Hayes and Targys Tavern.

Link stayed home for this one.  It was cold and rainy and I had no way to verify if some of these places are dog friendly or had visible sidewalk hitching areas.  It was the right call -- no on both counts.

Climb to Queen Anne; 4.8 mi.
Bravehorse Tavern / Dexter & Hayes / Targys Tavern / Brouwer's

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1. Bravehorse Tavern
Great beer and great food.  Outdoor seating, yes, but it wasn't open yet when we went.  It's in and around a lot of office buildings, so I think it gets really packed in the evenings.  I've only visited early, at the front end of happy hour.

My Ed's Red (American Brewing) Milkshake

2.  Dexter & Hayes
Small, charming neighborhood pub that I've been by a thousand times on the bus, but never stopped in.  Seemed a lot smaller on the inside than it looks on the outside and that's just fine.  The beer menu is acceptable, but we didn't check the menu, so I can't comment on the food.  Also, I think there is patio seating, but we didn't investigate because it was such a shitty day and the barstools were so comfortable.  I'm sure I'll visit again.

2 out of 3 ain't bad...

 
3.  Targys Tavern
Very cool out-of-the-way, small neighborhood haunt full of locals and character.  Feels like it has a lot of history, but it's not at all run-down.  Don't be fooled from the modest-looking outside.  It's not a dive.  No outdoor seating and not sure if they have a kitchen/food.

That's some good TV at Targys.

 Crossing the Fremont Bridge - almost to Brouwer's

4.  Brouwer's
One of my favorite places to end a beer hike.  Lots of good Belgian brews to cap off the night.  If you're patient and respectful, you'll get good service.  If you're an obnoxious, pretentious prick, expect to be treated accordingly.

Excellent Service at Brouwer's

Up next:  Seattle Beer Week 2011 Opening Night (with a wheelchair).

Two Bridge Trek in PDX

Here's another beer hike we did in Portland, beginning and ending at Hopworks Urban Brewery (practically next door to our Motel 6).  I'm not going to recount all the boring shit that I normally do.  I have a stack of video games waiting to be played and I can't bear to look at it anymore. 

Here's the map:

Two Bridge Trek; about 8.5 miles

Hopworks / Henry's / Burnside Brewing / Hair of the Dog / Cascade Barrel House / Apex / Hopworks

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We did this on a cool, overcast Wednesday in late April, but it would probably be a better summer hike.  (Aren't they all better in the summer?)  As with any Portland beer hike, there's tons of places in and around this route that you can substitute for where we went -- and I'm sure you'll want to.  (I got a little bit of shit from locals for visiting Henry's 12th Street Tavern, but hey, the patty melt was delicious and they had two Walking Man brews on tap.  That's more than I can say for a lot of places in Seattle.)

I wanted to hike over one of the many bridges in town while I was there.  We originally planned to bus over to downtown, begin at Henry's, and then head west over the Burnside Bridge, but since the weather was holding, we just decided to grab a Crosstown Pale at Hopworks and walk it.  This practically doubled the length of the hike, but it also added a nice walk over the Hawthorne Bridge.

"Beer hiking sucks."

This is not a great hike to bring the dog along (except in summer, when more outdoor seating is available.)  Link spent the whole time outside and both Hair of the Dog and Apex have virtually nowhere to hitch up that you can see from inside.  (Although if Apex's giant outdoor area is open, you can sit outside and hitch your dog to the bike rack on the sidewalk.)  However, he did get a lot of exercise and slept extremely well that night.  We all did.

Special thanks go out to my buddy Jeff (fellow beer blogger and urban beer hiker) for helping us plan the route and find our way around.

Meandering On A Monday in Portland

I really liked that movie Ghost Dog.

Anyway, a week or so ago, my girl Mandy, Link and me took a little vacation in Portland.  Here's the first of two urban beer hikes we did:

Meandering On A Monday in PDX; about 4.3 miles

Deschutes PDX Pub / Goose Hollow Inn / New Old Lompoc / Lucky Lab Beer Hall / Bridgport Brew Pub / Bailey's Taproom

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The weather was all over the place, but it was a nice little tour of the northwest section of town.  We couldn't hit every good beer spot, of course, but we'll be back.

"Having to wait outside all the time is fucking bullshit."

We began the day (rainy) at Pine State Biscuits around 10am.  I got the Reggie, of course, and my mouth is watering right now just thinking about how good it was (fried chicken, egg, bacon & cheese on a biscuit topped with sausage gravy).  No trip to Portland is complete without a stop at Pine State, and yes, it's worth the wait.  Even in the rain.  Be prepared to eat in your car or in a nearby park or something.  Seating is very limited and they're always hopping.

From Pine State, we drove over to downtown and parked near our launch point.

1. Deschutes Portland Pub (sunny)
This place is huge.  We put Link outside near a barrel of sprouting hops and grabbed a table inside by the window.  There's a lot to look at here.  Amazing wood carving just about everywhere, a lot of old pictures and beer memorabilia on the walls, and some really cool old urinals in the bathroom that look like they weigh about a million pounds.

The food menu looked great, but since we'd already eaten, we only ordered a sampler tray of six beers.  I think my favorite was the 31-25 Hef.  Very citrusy.  I also like the Hugh Hef's Jacket -- a smoked lager.  Mandy liked the Inverted Pale.  Link refused water AND treats.

As we were leaving, some very threatening clouds began to move in.  It was a good thing that the next stop on the hike wasn't far.

2.  Goose Hollow Inn (raining)
Less than five minutes after we arrived at Goose Hollow Inn and sat down in the sheltered front patio, the sky opened up and went into full rain rage.  We didn't know ahead of time that they allow dogs on the patio, so that was a brilliant stroke of luck.  We sipped on our imperial pints of Oakshire O'Dark:30 and watched the rain pour angrily out of the sky.  It was one of those heavy Northwest rains that you just know won't last more than 20 minutes or so.  And sure enough, not even a half hour later, our glasses were almost empty and the sun was beginning to reappear.

We looked around the charming little pub a bit and settled up for our pints before heading out again. Walking west, we passed the entrance to Washington Park, which houses a Japanese Garden and the huge Rose Test Garden.  Unfortunately, time and weather would not permit a visit.  Mandy said the roses wouldn't be in bloom yet anyway.  We continued about a mile and a half up NW 23rd Ave.

3. New Old Lompoc (sunny)
I really liked the cozy feel of NOL's pub inside, but we decided to sit with Link in the very large patio area out back.  The sun was out again and it was starting to warm up a little.  I sipped on a pint of Sockeye Stout while Mandy enjoyed a C-Note.  We were soon joined by a fellow beer blogger Bill, an all-around stand-up fellow.  Bill has an office near the pub and was able to sneak away for a bit to meet with us.  We spent the time soaking up the sunshine and trying to figure out how to get a vulgar picture up on Twitter.  (Neither of us has a smart phone, so it was a bit of a struggle.)  After catching up a bit more, we decided to move on and Bill agreed to come with us.  It's a very short walk to the next stop.

Follow Bill.  He knows the way to good beer.

4.  Lucky Labrador Beer Hall (still sunny)
This place is huge, too.  It looks like a big old warehouse that they converted to a brewery and kitchen with lots of tables and benches.  Very cool.  The inside is not dog-friendly, so once again we took to the gigantic patio area.  There are hops planted all over the place out here and they were just beginning to show some signs of life after a long winter.  I drank a pint of Wheat Stout while Mandy ate half a tuna melt.  I'd really love to come back and see this place in the summer.

 
After our pint at the Beer Hall, we had to say goodbye to Bill, who had to hurry back to his office and write up a blog post about his adventures cruising the town with Urban Beer Hiker.  The clouds were beginning to threaten again, but we didn't have far to walk to the next place.

5.  Bridgeport Brew Pub (rainy AND sunny)
Luck was with us again as we arrived at Bridgeport.  The rain came just as we got under a large awning on the east side of the building -- but the sun was still out.  (Hardly seemed unusual considering all the weather we'd seen that day.)  I don't think this area was technically open, but no one bothered us out there as we sipped our pints of Kingpin Double Red and caught brief glimpses of life in the Pearl District.  It was pretty cold, but I actually liked it better outside.  The inside of the pub is quite nice, but it was pretty crowded and loud with the dinner rush, so I was happy that we were able to sit outside where it was more peaceful.  I can see this place getting really packed in the summer.

Once again, the rain let up right as we were finishing our beers and it was time to move on to the last stop on the hike.

6. Bailey's Taproom (overcast)
After putting Link in the car for some rest, we headed over to Bailey's.  (Bailey's is not dog-friendly and there really isn't a good spot to hitch up outside.)  The first thing I noticed when we walked in was the overwhelming smell of B.O.  Yuck.  I began to scan the room for possible suspects.  The place was pretty full by now, so it was impossible to determine who the guilty party was, but my money was on a couple of large, hairy guys sitting over by the door.  That was all my brain needed and I began to hate them immediately, guilty or not.  Our first two pints were not very good.  The Coffee Girl from Fort George Brewing had a very metallic taste and the Seven Brides Oatmeal Ellie had big buttered popcorn notes.  That's OK, though.  We were really in the mood for an Upright Seven anyway, so Mandy grabbed a bottle of that and we sunk into a couple of really comfy chairs in the corner.  Bailey's is just as cool I'd heard.  I liked that there weren't any TVs and the crowd was lively with conversation.  I have no doubt that we'll visit again on our next trip.  Hopefully those smelly dudes won't be around.

Great finish to a great hike.

All in all, the hike was only a little over four miles, but it felt like more.  I think being out in the rain, even if I'm not walking in it, tires me out more than if it's a nice day.  We hadn't eaten much, either, so we were getting really hungry.  After finishing our bottle of Seven, we went back to the Motel and cleaned up a bit before a late dinner at Hopworks, which would be the launch point for our next thrilling hike in a couple of days.