We pulled up in front of the now-closed Cashmere Brewing Company a couple of years ago to find the taproom doors locked. We were early. After taking a leisurely stroll around the lovely little burg of Cashmere, we returned to find the doors still locked. Now they were late.

Another person was loitering in the parking lot, waiting for the brewery to open. “You guys write the Washington Beer Blog, right?” I did not recognize him and was quite sure I’d never met him. I was a bit worried until he said, “I recognize the car.”

That’s when we decided that our exceedingly well-traveled, oft-photographed Toyota Matrix needed a name. The Washington Beer Cruiser was born. That was probably 50,000 miles ago. After a recent trip to Leavenworth to visit the brand new Icicle Brewing Company, the Washington Beer Cruiser turned 100,000. She is still going strong. We take care of her and she takes care of us.

Waiting patiently for Cashmere Brewing to open. The brewery is now closed, the Washington Beer Cruiser is still going strong.

Unless Your Name is Bryan Bendix, She’s Got You Beat

She’s taken us from the rolling wheat fields of Walla Walla to the Halibut Mortuary at Neah Bay. From the glaciers of Mount Baker to the sandy expanses of Grayland Beach. There is no corner of the state she has not seen. In Odessa (Rocky Coulee Brewing), she was the only thing in town smaller than a Ford F-150. Even further out in the middle of nowhere, she crossed the Canadian border at Nighthawk, near Oroville (Alpine Brewing). Bet you haven’t done that.

The Washington Beer Cruiser has been to Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA; Old Yale Brewing in Chilliwack, BC; Sierra Nevada Brewing in Chico, CA; Siletz Road House and Brewery in Siletz, OR; North Coast Brewing in Fort Bragg, CA; Terminal Gravity Brewing in Enterprise, OR; Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville, CA; and the list goes on and on.

The border crossing in Nighthawk, WA

Now, Even Easier to Identify

We recently decided that she deserved more recognition. Over the years we have outfitted her with our Thule car-topper, our bicycles, and more. She has endured countless hours of double-duty working as a rolling dog house for Kyra and Skye (the Washington Beer Hounds). Now, to give her the recognition she deserves, we have outfitted her with Washington Beer Blog logos.

Finally giving the Beer Cruiser the respect she deserves.

Look for the Washington Beer Cruiser around town during Seattle Beer Week. Beyond that, look for us “out there.”

Old Yale Brewing Company. Chilliwack, BC

In Seattle we’re proud of our beer culture. Seattleites love great beer and we have great places to drink it, but sometimes this blog fails to give proper respect to the city to the south that also embraces fabulous beer. It is a beautiful city, one of the jewels of the northwest, with a serious passion for superior suds. I am talking about Tacoma, of course.

You might have thought I was talking about Portland, but this blog is not one of the many, many online forums dedicated to Oregon beer worship. We are, after all, the Washington Beer Blog. We have already showed Hood River some love, naming that lovely town and the surrounding area one of our favorite things, so now we are keeping it north of the border. We hereby declare that Tacoma is one of our favorite things.

Admit it Tacoma, You are Beautiful

Tacoma, you were once pretty ugly. You smelled awful. Your smelter belched toxic death-clouds into the sky and your rampant gang violence stained your hilltop with blood. Your downtown looked more like a deserted ghost town.

That is all behind you now. As the new century unfolds, you are reinventing yourself. Your air is clean and your neighborhoods are cute and inviting. Your historic downtown is enjoying a rebirth. Your streets are safe. Your beer is delicious.

Admit it Tacoma, you are beautiful. You are one of our favorite things.

Our Favorite Places

Whenever we are heading home on northbound I-5 from some beer adventure, it is hard for us not to make a detour to the Parkway Tavern, the Red Hot, Harmon Brewing, the Engine House No. 9, or one of the other fine establishments serving good beer in The City of Destiny. Other times, when a weekend afternoon presents itself with no obligations, we head south to the city of my birth to enjoy a visit to the Spar, the Swiss, or maybe even Katie Downs Waterfront Tavern. So many choices.

The Spar as she sits today. Built in 1916 on the site of the Old Tacoma Saloon.

But if we had to choose two favorites it would probably be the Red Hot and the Parkway.

The Red Hot – To begin with, we love the Red Hot motto of “cold beer, hot dogs, no jerks.” The beer list is unquestionably impressive, featuring a delicious, thoughtful, rotating selection of craft beers from near and far. The hot dogs are sourced with the same passion, brought in from across the country. Seriously, the hot dogs will blow your mind. These are gourmet dogs dressed to perfection. My favorite is the Tideflats, which features two beef dogs on an open bun smothered in mustard, ketchup, sour kraut, chili, nacho cheese, and what-all-else I do not recall. (They have more conventional offerings for the faint of heart.)

The Parkway Tavern – This is the ultimate neighborhood pub. The Parkway is committed to serving great beer. Lots and lots of great beer. The Parkway doesn’t have a website because it doesn’t need one. Everyone who needs to know about the Parkway already does. You are always welcome, but you are an outsider. Respect that. The memorabilia hanging on the walls always fascinates me. It is like a history lesson or a walk through a museum. Most important, the beer list will not disappoint even the most finicky drinker. It amazes me how many Seattle-area beer lovers have never heard about the Parkway. Actually, no it doesn’t.

We happened by the Parkway IPA festival. Who even knew they had an IPA festival?

Hit the Ground Running

The Tacoma Craft Beer Festival is only two years old and it is already one of our favorite festivals. They came out of the gates swinging and didn’t pull any punches. We love the location for the event, in a historic building on the Foss Waterway. The addition of Friday Night Firkins was awesome.

On the waterfront in Tacoma at TCBF.

The TCBF is a testament to the rising beer tide in Tacoma. We look forward to what the future holds for this young festival.

Roots

Likely, some hot-blooded Tacoman will take issue with the fact that I even mentioned the odor of Tacoma or any of the other elements of the city’s past. I know how touchy current Tacomans are about that kind of stuff. They are irrationally defensive about certain subjects – a testament to the love they have for their great city. Although I do not currently live in Tacoma, my family’s roots run deep under the Ruston soil. I’m entitled to my opinion. You are entitled to yours.

Tacoma, you are feisty and you don’t take no crap from nobody, goddammit. We love that about you. Tacoma, you are one of our favorite things.

Looking for a weekend beer trip in October that doesn’t involve accordions and the chicken dance? This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10, Skamania Lodge is hosting an unusual event pairing beer with luxury at their Celebration of Beer Weekend.

Skamania Lodge and the South Lawn

The weekend festivities include a Saturday morning nine-hole golf tournament on the Skamamia course, a noontime  food-and-beer pairing session with Doug Ellenberger of Everybody’s Brewing, an afternoon beer festival on the lawn, an evening ”beer battered/beer boiled” buffet dinner, late night beer specials in the hotel lounge and their decadent morning breakfast buffet. And of course a night at the luxurious Skamania Lodge, where I’ve been lucky enough to stay on one other occasion.

Participating Washington State brewers include Snipes Mountain, Fish Brewing, Laht Neppur, Dick’s Brewing, Yakima Craft Brewing, Salmon Creek Brewing and Lazy Boy Brewing. Oregon brewers include Full Sail, Double Mountain, Amnesia and Prodigal Son, a Pendleton brewery.

Skamania is located in Stevenson, WA, roughly 30 miles east of Vancouver, conveniently also the home town of Walking Man Brewing. While you’re there, leave some time and energy to head just a little bit farther east and visit Everybody’s Brewing in White Salmon, then south across the Columbia on the Bridge of the Gods to visit Hood River breweries like Full Sail and Double Mountain. For details on these see our previous Beer Trails reports on visiting the Gorge-area breweries.

We’re planning on pointing the beer cruiser south for a luxury beer weekend (disclaimer: we’ll be hosted courtesy of the lodge who invited us down to experience the event). We’ll be spending some quality time in the Adirondack chairs on the south lawn, enjoying views of the Gorge with a beer in hand. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Skookum is a brewery about which most people know nothing. It is as mysterious as the name. In Chinook jargon (a local native/English dialect), Skookum is the name of a mythical woodland beast. While Sasquatch sightings seem to be exceedingly rare these days, Skookum Brewery is more frequently venturing out of the forest. Last year at the 2010 Washington Brewers Festival, many people got their first glimpse of Skookum. This year the brewery will once again venture out of the woods and reveal itself at the annual festival on Father’s Day weekend.

Truthfully, Skookum Brewing is not very far off of the beaten path. You have likely driven past it dozens of times and never realized it.

Travel with purpose and confidence

Let’s start out by getting you there. To find this brewery, which is approximately one hour north of Seattle, you need confidence and faith. The brewery is not exactly in plain view–quite the opposite, actually. At the end of this article we provide precise directions. You might think you’ve made a wrong turn because there are no signs to guide you, but you are not lost. Trust the directions, map, or GPS. Skookum might be a bit hard to find but a visit to this brewery is very much worth it.

About a quarter mile up a gravel road, this is the closest thing to a Skookum Brewery sign you will find.

Relax and soak in the country life. And the beer, of course

Set in the woods, this is one of the most relaxing and peaceful breweries we’ve ever had the pleasure to visit. The buildings—engineered and built by owner/brewer Ron Walcher—are beautiful. The tasting room and brewery is reminiscent of a mountain lodge, with river rock and beautiful timbers.

Across the way, you’ll notice a large and beautiful old barn. Ron and his wife relocated and rebuilt the historic barn piece by piece. In its previous life, it was a dairy barn in Marysville. In his previous life, Ron worked in construction. Judging by the buildings here, he was very good at it.

When we arrived, we found all of the doors wide open, with a nice crowd of people scattered about, indoors and out, enjoying Ron’s beer. We parked ourselves at a large, heavy picnic table just outside the brewery’s garage door, though the patio furniture in the woods looked like a nice option as well. Within moments a woman approached us and offered us beer.

Inside the brewery, you’ll find a 10 barrel system that Ron uses to brew his selection of Skookum beers. His beers are solid. The Jackass IPA was the only one unavailable to us. He was sold out. Instead, he was pouring Olde Tom IPA, which we thoroughly enjoyed, taking a growler with us when we left. We also liked the Cat’s Paw Blonde, which had a nice story to go with it, which Ron was happy to share with us.

We quickly realized that this is a dog-friendly establishment, which made our two dogs very happy. Just as quickly as they fetched our beers, our hosts brought treats and a bowl of water for our dogs. Not long after we arrived a man approached us with a camera and a large, framed poster. He showed it to us–a collage of dogs. “I’m the photographer,” he told us. “We do a Dogs of Skookum calendar every year, so we need to go take pictures of your dogs.”

He leads us to a grassy area next to the barn where he takes a few pictures and explains that they sell the calendars at cost and they just do it because they love animals. Turns out, the photographer is Ron Walcher’s brother-in-law.

This is a friendly place. The service is outstanding, not because they have any deep drive to provide you with top notch customer service, but because they are happy to see you. Everyone seems genuinely glad you’re there. I didn’t ask, but I feel safe in assuming that the three women who were waiting tables and pouring beer are part of the family.

When we arrived, they had just opened for the day. There were already a handful of people scattered about. As time went on, the crowd grew steadily: guys on Harleys, young men in pickup trucks getting kegs, neighbors carrying empty growlers needing satisfaction, and other wide-eyed beer hobos like ourselves.

“I cannot believe it took us so long to do this,” Kim said to me. “This place is awesome. It might be the best place we’ve ever been.” At the moment, it was hard to disagree with her assessment.

In retrospect, that might be overstating it a bit. But just a little bit. I am comfortable saying that the Skookum Brewery is, without a doubt, one of the most inviting and relaxing stops we’ve ever made on our many beer tours.

What, exactly, is Skookum

The word Skookum is Chinook jargon. That is, a native American word that has been interpreted and bent into having meaning in English. Skookum has a couple of meanings. First, it is a word with positive or strong connotations, used synonymously with words like good, powerful, and ultimate. “Holy cow, this beer is skookum!” Second, Skookum is a name given to a mythical woodland beast. A Sasquatch, basically.

Getting there and other info

From I-5 take exit 208 (the Darrington/Hwy 530 exit) and head east on Highway 530.

After approximately .25 miles (a quarter mile) veer right onto Smokey Point Blvd.

Head south for 1 mile and turn right onto 200^th Street NE. This road goes over the freeway.

Follow this road west (200th Street NE, a.k.a. King Thompson Road) for approximately 1 mile and turn left onto 17^th Drive NE.

Yes, it looks like a private road. You will think you’ve made a wrong turn, but you haven’t. Follow the road, slowly, to its end at the Skookum Brewery.

In order to appease the neighbors, who are less than thrilled to have a popular brewery and tasting room up the road, there are no signs to guide you.

Skookum Brewery
19529 17th Drive Northeast
Arlington, WA 98223
(360) 652-4917
MAP

Tasting room hours:
Friday 3:00-7:00
Saturday 2:00-5:00

When people describe a location as being nowhere, they usually mean it in a negative way. The term nowhere is most often used as a descriptor in a tale of misfortune. “Our car broke down in the middle of nowhere.” The truth is, nowhere can be an awfully nice place. There is something soothing about being somewhere that isn’t anywhere. Usually the only problem I have with nowhere is that it can be a difficult place to find good beer. Even that isn’t much of a problem when you live in one of the best beer regions on earth.

With all of this in mind, we left Seattle on a Thursday morning headed for nowhere. That is to say, we pointed the Washington Beer Cruiser east and motored our way over Snoqualmie Pass, headed for the drier side of the mountains. The adventure would take us to one of our favorite breweries, an amazing winery, and one of the most remote breweries in Washington. Along the way, we stumbled upon a surprisingly good beer bar where you would least expect it—the middle of nowhere.

First Stop: Iron Horse Brewing (Ellensburg, WA)

Located just 100 miles east of Seattle and just 1.5 miles off of Interstate 90, Iron Horse Brewing is a great pit stop for eastbound beer cruisers: it is a great place to stretch your legs and fill some growlers. They have a small but comfortable tasting room and, of course, very good beer. Enjoy a set of samples, tip a pint, or fill a growler.

When we arrived, Natalia greeted us. While the boys were busy with the business of making beer, Natalia was kind enough to fill our growlers and engage us in some conversation about what’s going on at Iron Horse these days. We recognized that the grain silo out back was a new addition. Natalia told us that it came from Yakima, where it served Bert Grant dutifully for many years.

We thanked Natalia for her kindness and settled the bill. We had many miles to drive before we could enjoy the freshly filled growlers. While we love Iron Horse Brewing and Ellensburg, it is far from nowhere.

Second Stop: Cave B Estate Winery (George)

Yes, this is a tale of beer adventure. Yes, we did stop at a winery. The Cave B Estate Winery is located a stone’s throw from the Gorge Amphitheater. In fact, old-timers might remember that when the venue was new, it was part of a winery. Without going into the boring historic details, this is the winery that originally built the amphitheater back in the 1980s. Again, skipping the details, these are some of the oldest vines in the state.

Like the Gorge Amphitheater, Cave B Estate Winery is spectacular. The view is amazing and so is the wine. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and maintained. You will find plenty of picnicking opportunities. If you are not prepared, they sell sandwiches and snacks in the tasting room. We practiced great restraint and left the tasting room with only three bottles of wine.

The Cave B winery and tasting room is part of the larger SageCliff destination resort, which also features a spa, restaurant, event space, and hotel. The 30-room boutique hotel–the Cave B Inn at SageCliffe—is simply the best place to stay when attending a concert at the Gorge. Park the car, check into your room, take a short stroll through the vineyards to the show, wake up the next morning and maybe you’ll get to sit next to a rock star at breakfast. On concert nights, the hotel is completely booked months in advance. The waiting list is always impossibly long. Get on it early.

Base Camp: Sun Lakes State Park Resort (Coulee City)

This is one of Washington’s best kept secrets. Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park is a 4,000-acre park at the foot of Dry Falls. This is a geologic wonderland: Dry Falls is one of the great geological wonders of North America. Sun Lakes refers to a series of pristine lakes scattered across the floor of a coulee. Surrounded by towering basalt cliffs, Sun Lakes is a hidden oasis for fun and relaxation. Water sports, golfing, fishing, hiking, biking, putt-putt, paddle boats, and more.

Within the confines of the State Park you will find the Sun Lakes Park Resort, where a private company operates a modest resort that focuses on affordable fun for people of all ages. It is particularly well-equipped for families and large groups. The affordable lodging options include RV hookups, rustic cabins, slightly less-rustic mobile homes, and a few more-luxurious duplexes. There is also a State Park campground if you feel like sleeping on the ground.

We opted for a rustic cabin, as we have many times before. The cabin includes all of your bedding, a very basic kitchen, and a bathroom with shower. Bring your own kitchen and dining utensils. Don’t forget the coffee maker.

The Road to Rocky Coulee Brewing (Odessa)

After a relaxing round of golf at Sun Lakes on Friday morning, we headed south to Soap Lake where we were surprised to find Van’s Coffee and More. Conveniently located in the middle of nowhere, you will find a surprisingly hip coffee shop, café, bar, wine shop, furniture store, karaoke lounge, and tanning salon all wrapped up into one convenient little business.

Van’s had a few beers on tap. Although their selection of craft beer might not impress highfalutin city folk, they did in fact have a selection which surprised me. My experience has been that in towns like Soap Lake (pop. 800) and Coulee City (pop. 600) it is rare to find craft beer on tap at all.  We marveled at the beer selection, grabbed a couple sandwiches to go, and got back on the road.

It was not exactly a Chamber of Commerce day in Soap Lake. The weather was threatening. We headed east on Highway 28, chased by a vicious storm. Around us we could see nothing in all directions, save for the fields of young wheat and the occasional power pole delivering electrical current to nowhere. Behind us, the sky wasn’t merely ominous; it was biblical—bible-black and falling. Ahead of us, the vast blue sky was dotted with flat-bottomed and billowing white stratocumulus clouds floating like puffs of whipped cream on a glass tabletop.

It seemed that the hand of a gray-bearded Charlton Heston had reached down from heaven—propelling the Washington Beer Cruiser down the road like a child’s toy, keeping us just ahead of the storm. With radio reception failing and very few static-free options, we began to sing Road to Nowhere by the Talking Heads. I’m not kidding.

Click the image once to see a larger version. Click again to see an even larger version.

“I’m feelin’ okay this morning, and you know, we’re on a road to paradise. Here we go. Here we go.”

It was awesome.

Impossibly cute

Forty-something miles east of Soap Lake lies the town of Odessa (pop. 1,000). To us, it was just a name on a map. We had no idea what to expect. Several miles from town, we could see towering gray grain warehouses in the distance. As we neared town, we realized that the storm had changed direction behind us. It decided to give up the chase, knowing it could not keep up with the mighty hand of Charlton Heston.

In a very Americana sort of way, Odessa is perfect. It is impossibly cute. You will notice the disproportionately large number of churches, some of which have been repurposed or seem nearly abandoned. Adorable old homes with manicured yards and shining flag poles line the streets. Main Street looks like something out of a Frank Capra movie in Technicolor. The grocery store is Denny’s Thrift. The drug store is Odessa Drugs. Seemingly uncorrupted and pristine, Odessa is perfect.

You will not stumble across the brewery, I promise. Even with the address, you will have to ask a stranger for directions. The woman we asked, apologized as she gave us rather vague directions (all we needed) and offered to call her husband who apparently would have been able to give us much more precise instructions to navigate the three or four blocks to the brewery. People are nice in Odessa.

The town’s Germanic heritage is unmistakable. On Main Street we passed businesses like Voise Sausage by Schumacher and Das Kraut Haus. In the late 19^th century and early 20^th century, eighty percent of the immigrants who settled in Odessa were German.

German roots, firmly planted in Washington soil

Tom Schafer’s great grandfather was one of those German immigrants. A lifelong resident of Odessa, he is proud to tell us that he still has the original deed to the farm, signed by President Teddy Roosevelt. Tom is right to be proud. In America few people have such a strong bond to the land. Tom and his family are a part of this place, not merely residents. They still work the farm his family homesteaded more than 100 years ago. They also operate Rocky Coulee Brewing.

The Rocky Coulee Brewing Company has a 15 barrel brew house and produces close to 500 barrels per year. They do very little distribution. You can find it at a few spots around the tri-county area (Grant, Adams and Lincoln counties), and in a few locations in the Spokane area. Every Friday, from 2:00 until 10:00, you are welcome to stop by the brewery’s tap room to enjoy a pint or pick up beer to go. Beyond that, you’re out of luck.

Tom Schafer is a farmer turned brewer. I guess his Germanic blood got the better of him. He apologized for the brew house being a mess. It wasn’t.  He told us about his distribution chain, which amounts to little more than an agreement with Odom Distributing to get his beer to Spokane. His tasting room includes a few barstools, a couple of tables, and a patio seating area. Like the town of Odessa itself, Rocky Coulee Brewing serves the larger farming community that surrounds it.

Right now, Rocky Coulee has little interest in distribution beyond what they’re already doing. Tom told us that one of his sons has taken an interest in the brewery. “Maybe he’ll have more interest in that stuff. For now, we do a lot of the events around here,” he says as he points to a poster near the door. “Like the combine demolition derby next week, we’ve got a dozen kegs going out for that.”

Aint that America

Yes, you heard me right. The annual Washington Combine Demolition Derby, which takes place 30 miles south in Lind, WA, proudly pours beer from Rocky Coulee Brewing. Apparently it is a famous event, covered by ESPN and Playboy. So we are told.

I can’t really explain it, but the thought of locally-produced craft beer—brewed by a local farmer—being poured at a combine demolition derby somehow makes me insanely proud to be an American.

Tom’s beers are solid. He embraceds his local audience, addressing them on terms they can understand. For instance, his lightest offering is a Golden Ale called Wuss. Although he called it a wuss beer, I thought it is pretty good. When we were there, the Rocky Coulee lineup included: Wuss Golden Ale, Fireweed Honey Blonde, Dunkel, Brown Ale, Creamed Copper, and Amber. As any good brewer is wont to do when entertaining guests, he disappeared into the brewhouse and returned with something not on the list—I believe he called it red ale. Next to the Fireweed Honey Blonde, the red was probably my favorite.

We enjoyed a long conversation with Tom. We talked about brewing and the politics of beer. Truth is we actually talked surprisingly little about beer. Among other things, we talked about the history of the town and its changing demographics, the nature of the modern farming industry, the way Wal-Mart (though many miles away in Moses Lake) has impacted local businesses, and the combine demolition derby. In other words, we talked about America.

We sampled all of his beers and picked up two six packs of the Fireweed Honey Blonde Ale to take with us. If you bring growlers, bring your own lids. We learned this the hard way. No worries, they sell the Fireweed Honey Blonde in 12 oz. bottles.

We thought that our trip east on Highway 28 from Soap Lake to Odessa was the road to nowhere. We were wrong. From Odessa, we headed north on Highway 21 towards the town of Wilbur, and then west on Highway 2 to Coulee City, taking the long way back to Sun Lakes where our friends were waiting.

During the 36 mile stretch of Highway 21 from Odessa to Wilbur, we saw two other cars. It was 5:00 on a Friday afternoon. Rush hour, I suppose.

We often tell you to get out there and do something. The stories that we’ve posted about our roadtripping adventures “out there” have been some of our most popular. As more and more breweries have opened across the state, beer touring has become increasingly popular. That’s why we are happy to welcome myscenicdrives.com aboard as a sponsor of the Washington Beer Blog.

The idea of packing up the car and heading out on a wine tasting adventure is not at all new, but beer travel is just now being discovered. “I personally think beer travel is really no different than visiting the wineries,” says Eric Theriault of myscenicdrives.com.

Whether you are simply looking to go explore a new beer destination on a Saturday afternoon, or you’re looking to plan an entire vacation around beer touring, myscenicdrives.com can help. myscenicdrives.com provides both a rich, user-friendly Web interface for personal computers and a light-weight mobile Web version, ideal for smartphones such as the iPhone and Android. Once you select a drive, phones with GPS capabilities and software (such as Google Maps) will easily get you on the road.

Above, an example of just one of the many scenic drives that await you.

In their own words,

myscenicdrives.com came about from my search last summer for a scenic drive. I wanted to hit the road and drive somewhere new and exciting, but when I was researching drives, most websites out there just list the drives, and unless you are intimate with a map (if the site gave you one at all), you have no idea whether the drive is 5 seconds away or 5 days away.  And so the site was born with our simple motto: tell us where you are, and we’ll find you the perfect scenic drive.

The site just launched last Tuesday (March 30th), and we will initially be focusing on the Pacific Northwest.

The Washington Beer Blog invites you to visit  myscenicdrives.com and take it for a test spin. We think you’ll like it.

Read the myscenicdrives.com official press release to learn more about their whole story.

The vernal equinox is in the rearview mirror. April is upon us and it’s time to start venturing out of the cave to enjoy these long spring days. The roadtrip described below is best suited for this particular time of year. The Skagit Valley is painted with tulips, the rivers are bounding with runoff, and the mountains are capped with snow. It’s a beautiful time of year for a weekend getaway, so let’s get going and hit what we call the Northern Beer and Tulip Loop.

Saturday

We will start in Seattle on a Saturday morning, since Seattle is where the majority of people reading this blog reside. You will want to hit the road at about 10:00 A.M., depending on your exact starting point. Your first stop is Birdsview Brewing in Concrete, WA – approximately 2 hours away from downtown Seattle. Birdsview Brewing does not open until noon.

Head north on I-5 to Burlington and then head east on Highway 20 for approximately 21 miles. As you head up the Skagit River keep an eye out for a diamond-shaped caution sign that says, “Beer Crossing.” Look for the sign about 400 yards east of Memory Lane. If you get to the intersection with Baker Lake Road, you’ve gone too far.

Tap selection at Birdsview Brewing.

Birdsview Brewing – This could be your lunch destination. Your next stop is just over an hour away. If you eat at Birdsview Brewing, the hamburgers are absolutely delicious. Only the most dedicated Washington beer adventurers have made it this far up the Skagit River. Leave Birdsview Brewing knowing that you are a rare breed. (Read our profile of Birdsview Brewing.)

Alternate Route: To skip the I-5 doldrums and get into the hills, take the Mountain Loop Highway. This will add approximately 30 minutes to your drive time but offers a lovely, two-lane alternate route. From I-5 northbound, take exit 208 and follow the signs for Highway 530 East, following Highway 530 45 miles to the intersection with Highway 20. Turn left and head west. You will approach Birdsview Brewing from the east. You will find the brewery and pub 0.8 miles west of Baker Lake Road.

North Fork Brewing – Next, we’ll head north to North Fork Brewing (a.k.a. the  Beer Shrine). From Birdsview Brewing, head west on Highway 20 for approximately 15 miles. Turn right onto Highway 9 and head north. After 22 miles, turn right on Highway 542 and head east towards Glacier and Mt. Baker. After 6 miles, start looking for the Beer Shrine on your left. It’s hard to miss if you’re looking. When you get to the fish hatchery (Hatchery Rd.) you have gone too far.

Like Birdsview Brewing, only the most dedicated beer trekkers have visited North Fork Brewing. The idea of calling it a beer shrine arose from a need to get passersby to slow down and notice that something was there to see. It worked. More than a kitschy name, you can get hitched at the beer shrine. They have a legally ordained officiant on site to perform the wedding service.

The beers here are rock solid. Like Birdsview, distribution really isn’t part of their business model. This aint no downstream beer. They don’t even make it out to beer festivals. We were particularly fond of the ESB, which we later learned was a crowd favorite. The crowd, by the way, is often on their way home from the mountains. In the winter, expect to see the parking lot full of cars topped with ski racks. In the summer, expect to see backpacks and kayaks. (Read our profile of North Fork Brewing.)

Bellingham
The next stop on your tour is Bellingham, where there are two breweries and one outstanding beer bar to visit. If you’ve stayed on schedule you will be rolling into Bellingham in the late afternoon—a good time check into your hotel/motel if you plan to spend the night (and we think you should). Take a nap. Let your designated driver finally crack into one of those growlers you filled earlier in the day. Relax for a bit and get ready to hit the town. We’ve provide some lodging options at the end of the story.

You should eat dinner at one of the breweries. They both have excellent food. You’ll have to decide which kind of beer you want to drink with your dinner. Chuckanut makes fabulous German-style lagers and Boundary Bay brews up some of the Northwest’s best ales. We recommend the food, as well as the beer, at either.

Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro – Boundary Bay is more than a restaurant, bar and brewery, it is an integral part of the community. They recently sponsored (and hosted) the first-ever Bellingham St. Patrick’s Day Parade and are deeply involved with the upcoming April Brews Day beer festival, which happens right across the street. Great beer, great food and a great vibe.

Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro.

Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen – They’re new to the Bellingham scene, having opened less than two years ago. As we reported in October, Chuckanut hauled in some serious hardware at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. While most savvy beer travelers have been to Boundary Bay, significantly fewer have been to Chuckanut.

The Green Frog Cafe Acoustic Tavern — Catch a show, if you can. At the Green Frog they do live music and craft beer. And they do them both very, very well. You will find an exceedingly well-selected choice of beers. The Green Frog has a reputation for attracting musical talent that makes much larger venues green with envy. At the Green Frog, people don’t play pool or darts, they play guitar. There is a wall of acoustic guitars waiting for you and you are welcome to take one down and serenade the crowd (as long as nobody is performing on stage, that is).

Hit the Green Frog before the crowd and you might be lucky enough to land a seat at the bar, where the bar stools are fashioned out of tractor seats. A farmer’s butt often spends all day sitting on a tractor; therefore, a great deal of engineering effort goes into the design of tractor seats. Since farmers and beer drinkers often have similarly proportioned derrieres, tractor seats work exceedingly well for long bouts of beer drinking. I speak from experience.

Sunday

After you’ve checked out of your hotel, find breakfast. It won’t be hard. Bellingham has a lot of great breakfast spots. We recommend heading towards the Fairhaven district for breakfast, since that’s the direction you’ll headed anyway. At the end of this story we list some options in the Tips/Suggestions section.

From Bellingham, head south on Chuckanut Drive – Highway 11. Arguably one of the most scenic drives in the state, Chuckanut Drive is a great way to get to the Skagit Valley from Bellingham. This winding road hugs the shore along Chuckanut Mountain. For you geologists, “Chuckanut” actually refers to a range of mountains—a range that is within the Cascade Mountains and is the only place where the Cascade Mountains come far enough west to meet the sea.

As if that geological factoid isn’t enough useless knowledge, you should know that during prohibition this route was particularly dangerous after dark, when bootleggers ruled the road, protecting the coves and beaches where clandestine shipments of booze frequently arrived from nearby Canada.

Eventually Chuckanut Drive straightens out. You have now hit the northern edge of the Skagit Valley. Instead of giving you an itinerary, we’ll just give you suggestions and let you find your own way. We will, however, present these suggestions as a path. It isn’t likely you’ll be able to make it to all of these places, but you can try.

The Breadfarm – From Chuckanut Drive (Highway 11), go west on Bow Hill Road. Not only will this lead you to the Breadfarm, it is the route to Anacortes and LaConner. To make bread, you need grains and yeast. Sound familiar?

After leaving Chuckanut Drive you will quickly enter the small, charming burg of Edison. In the heart of downtown (it’s tiny) you’ll find the Breadfarm Bakery. This is an amazing bakery, but don’t take my word for it. Find out for yourself.

From the Breadfarm, continue through town and follow Bayview-Edison Road. It will take you through farm lands and wet lands before intersecting with Highway 20. From this intersection, go straight across the highway to LaConner and the tulip fields, or turn right and head for Anacortes.

Anacortes Brewery/Rock Fish Grill – Located in the heart of old downtown Anacortes and you likely will not have to fight a crowd here on a Sunday afternoon. They have a wide variety of beers for you to sample. The menu is diverse as well, but I always end up getting the pizza.

Anacortes Brewery - Rockfish Grill.

LaConner Brewing – This time of year, downtown LaConner can be a bit of a mad house. Don’t let that frighten you. It’s small and easily navigated on foot. At the brewpub, expect to find LaConner’s regular line up of beers, perhaps a seasonal selection or two, and very tasty wood fired pizza.

Tulips – I don’t need to tell you how to find these. You’ll see them on your way to Mt. Vernon, the next and final stop on our tour.

Skagit River Brewery – Many of us are familiar with Skagit Brewing’s Sculler’s IPA, but they have many more selections that are less familiar to us southerners. Consider trying a DelRio Lager, a surprisingly tasty “light” craft beer. Wood-fired pizza seems to be a theme in this neck of the woods, but consider trying their cherry wood smoked ribs. Want a real treat? Order up a Pub Burger, cooked on a cast iron grill in the wood-fired oven.

The Porterhouse – Maybe you want a wider selection of beer. Maybe you’ve had enough with breweries for the weekend. For beer geeks, the Porterhouse cannot be missed when you’re in Mount Vernon. Like their newer, sister pub in West Seattle, the Porterhouse in Mount Vernon has a delicious menu and an extremely well thought-out tap list.

It’s late in the day now. You’ve had quite a weekend. Your belly is full. Hopefully you’ve filled a couple growlers for your designated driver and your friends back home. There’s nothing left to do but jump back on I-5 and head south. Thank your designated driver kindly, tip your servers generously, and tell them all that the Blog sent you.

Suggestions/Tips

Lodging in Bellingham:

Hotel Bellweather – This is kind of fancy, but not really. It’s not the Motel 6, but it’s not the Four Seasons either. It’s down by the  marina on Bellingham Bay – About .5 miles (or less) from Chuckanut, about .75 miles from Boundary Bay.  http://www.hotelbellwether.com

Coachman Inn Motel – This is your budget option. It is highly rated on tripadvisor.com. You won’t be overly impressed, but you will not be disappointed either. It is about 1.2 miles from Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro. About 1.5 miles from Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen. http://www.coachmaninnmotel.com

Breakfast on the way out of Bellingham:

Harris Ave. Cafe  – Like we said, a very solid breakfast. This place is connected to Tony’s coffee. http://www.yelp.com/biz/harris-avenue-cafe-bellingham

Skylark’s Hidden Cafe – Very tasty. The portions are not skimpy. Enough said. http://www.skylarkshiddencafe.com

Chuckanut Manor – If you can hold off for a little bit, the Chuckanut Manor (approximately 20-30 minutes south of Bellingham on Chuckanut Drive) has a lovely Sunday brunch. http://www.chuckanutmanor.com

Sadly, we missed the Strangebrew Festival this year. Instead of heading west to Port Townsend for a weekend of fun and frivolity, we flew south to Palm Springs to conduct important research on the status of the craft brewing industry in California’s Coachella Valley. After all, some one has to do it.

In this story, we’ll explore the beer scene in Palm Springs and head west to one of California’s brightest, newest brewing stars: an up-and-coming brewery in Redlands.

A horse with no name

We visited two grocery stores in Palm Springs, Alberstons and Ralph’s, where we found a decent selection of craft beer. We immediately stocked the fridge with good beer. If you go to Palm Springs, we advise you do the same.

Firestone Walker was just about the only impressive draft beer we found in Palm Springs. Why Firestone Walker? I do not know for certain why they seem to have a foot in the door that other craft beers do not. I have a hunch, though. After four days in the desert sun, you won’t care if it rolled of the back of a Budweiser truck, you’ll just be glad to drink such good beer. (Speculation based on observation. I won’t pretend to have researched it.)

NYPD Brew

We enjoyed Firestone Walker DPA at a pizza place called NYPD, which stands for New York Pizza Delivery. Clever. It is located in the heart of Palm Springs on South Palm Canyon Drive (the main drag). The beer lineup included a full compliment of Anheuser-Busch beers, plus Firestone Walker DBA, Widmere Hefeweisen, and Kona Longboard Lager. Like I said, I have a hunch the A-B distributor runs the show around here.

The bartender told us Firestone Walker was on tap at a couple other places around town, but otherwise knew nothing about beer. The music was loud and the X Games were on the tube. We would gladly drink at NYPD again, assuming they continue to have at least one solid craft beer option. While there, we were entertained by some hard-drinkin’ retired cops. Perhaps they didn’t get the memo about the Pizza Delivery thing and thought this was a cop bar. Perhaps we didn’t get the memo and it was. Whatever the case, we like this place.

God save the Queen

Quite near NYPD we found Hair of the Dog – the only English pub in Palm Springs. This, we thought, would be a good place to get good draft beer. At Hair of the Dog we found Bass, Boddingtons, Newcastle and Guinness. The craft beer selection included New Belgium Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Widmere Hefeweizen and Widmere Drop Top Amber.

While Hair of the Dog was a perfectly peachy place to tip a pint and watch a rugby match on the tellie, it seemed like it was our duty to Queen and county to move along and continue our noble quest for good beer farther down the road.

The Village Idiot

In most places, pub means beer. Around Seattle, it frequently means lots of beer. With that in mind, we paid a visit to the Village Pub. Like the previous two bars, it’s on the main drag in downtown Palm Springs.

This is a casual place where they play classic rock way too loud, earning them an immediate smiley face in our travel book. After dinner, the crowd turns over and bouncers show up at the door. On this Friday night, the Village Pub was replete with women dressed in clothes that were both age and weight inappropriate, and hootin’-n-hollerin’ local boys who seemed to like it that way. The boys pounded down yellow beers and the girls sucked on tall drinks with long straws. The band –the same band that’s been playing the Village Pub twice a week for 11 years– pretty much rocked the house, cranking out classic rock favorites.

At the Village Pub, we found a house beer called Village Idiot Ale – a perfectly serviceable amber. It was a simple beer and not at all offensive. It was not overly sweet nor was it overly hopped. It was entirely unsucky. It was surprisingly consumable.

I asked, “Who makes this beer for you?” Our server did not know and apparently figured nobody else working at the bar would either. From the look on his face, I’ll assume it was brewed by Deer in Headlights Brewing. Seriously, you’d think I was the first person to ever ask the question. Maybe I was.

Is that a mirage?

Twenty minutes to the east of Palm Springs, in Rancho Mirage, there is a Yard House Restaurant – a national franchise that offers 150 draft beers. Reviews on Ratebeer.com suggested that we should not waste the gas or time. As one reviewer said, “Every imaginable brand of American swill, Euro swill, and a few flagship beers from America’s largest craft breweries.” Been there, done that.

Still farther to the east, in the sprawling suburban metropolis of Indio, you will find Back Street Brewing (Lamp Post Pizza). It is very new. Everything in Indio is very new. Quite by accident, we drove through Indio on our way back from Joshua Tree National Park. I swear, the entire city looks like it dropped from outer space two years ago. It frightened us.

We learned that Back Street is a chain of breweries in Southern California that recently took over a place called Lamp Post Pizza. We read some less-than-favorable reviews of the place and the beer – overpriced, uninspired beers. Still, they say there is a brewery in Indio. Someone braver than I will have to confirm it.

At last, an oasis

There was still hope. We’d heard fables of a brewery beyond the San Jacinto Mountains. Seeking nothing more than a meaningful beer experience in what was beginning to seem like a barren badlands of beerlessness, we pointed our rental car west on Interstate 10 and headed out for Redlands, just 40 minutes from Palm Springs. Ah, Redlands, CA. “Where the beer flows like wine and beautiful women flock instinctively like the salmon of Capistrano.” (From the movie Dumb and Dumber)

We found a great brewery in Redlands – Hangar 24 Brewing. (Pictures below.) As the name might suggest, they’re out at the airport. Hangar 24 was founded by Ben Cook, a graduate of the UC-Davis Master Brewers Program, a pilot, and an impressive entrepreneur. The brewery is growing. They opened in March 2008 and produced 1,100 barrels that year. In 2009, they more than quadrupled that number.

The person brewing the beer at Hangar 24 is Kevin Wright. When we visited, neither Kevin or Ben were available. Apparently they were on their way to England to accept an award. Kevin won the J.S. Ford Award, given annually to the earner of the top score in the London-based Institute of Brewing and Distilling’s general certificate in brewing exam. Cheers to that!

We arrived at about 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon and found their taproom overflowing into the parking lot. This place was rockin. Hangar 24 was the place to be in Redlands, CA. The endless stream of locals coming in to fill growlers was amazing. They sell bottles, growlers and kegs to go. And they sell a lot of them. We must have seen them fill 30-50 growlers in the time we were there.  A pick-up truck backed up to the garage and loaded 10 cases of bottles.

Hanger 24 offers a full compliment of beers. We were particularly impressed by the Porter, which was robust and full-bodied. Not quite an imperial, but big. Their Pale Ale and their IPA did not disappoint. My favorite was the Helles Lager. Kim’s favorite was the IPA.

Get out of your comfort zone

Renowned travel author Rick Steves says that in order to have a truly great travel experience you need to get out of your comfort zone. While he might be talking about eating strange foreign foods and trying to communicate without the luxury of a common language, for me getting out of my comfort zone involves fruited beer.

You literally drive through orange groves getting to Hangar 24. This is the Inland Empire, after all. To pay homage to the agricultural history of the area, Hangar 24 produces an Orange Wheat ale. I believe they consider it their flagship. It’s good. I mean, it’s really good. It was perfectly balanced, with just enough orange to make the point. It was refreshing and effervescent.  Because an Orange Wheat ale is so far from my comfort zone, and is something I would usually choose to avoid, I might need to revisit this one to make sure it is as good as I remember.

The grass is always greener

We met some really nice people at Hangar 24. Some local guys, who seemed to know a little bit about beer, were quite interested to learn that we were from Washington. They raved on and on about their great California beer. They were fans of Stone, Firestone Walker, Port Brewing and Lost Abbey, and some other breweries with which we were less familiar.

We told them that we drank those great California beers in Seattle. We also told them that there were plenty of people in Seattle who thought California beer was better than Washington beer.  That’s when one of the guys began to tell us about an amazing beer that he drinks every time he’s in Seattle. He claimed that it is better than any beer he’d had in California. He raved about this magnificent, mysterious beer from a distant land. He lit up when he talked about it like he was talking about his first real girlfriend.

We quizzed him.

He didn’t remember the name of the beer. All he could remember is that he drank it in a couple of different bars and that his buddy had to bring it home in growlers because you can’t get it in bottles. The only other thing he remembered about this amazing beer was something about Africa and a lion.

We never did figure out what beer he was talking about.

In the end

Our advice? Don’t worry too terribly much about beer when you visit Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Stock the fridge so you have something to drink at day’s end. If you’ve got a car, go find a brewery somwhere. Obviously we recommend Hangar 24. Go to Joshua Tree National Park. It’s amazing. Hike Palm Canyon. Take the tram to the top of the mountain. Ride bikes. Swim. Lay in the sun. Eat breakfast on the patio at 8:30 a.m. in January. Do all those things that you cannot do here in Washington.

The beer will be waiting for you at home.

As if heading out to Port Townsend for the annual Strangebrew Festival isn’t enough of an adventure, we like to include at least one other beery stop on our way to or from the event. These are the real easy ones:

Heading across the Narrow’s Bridge? Stop by 7 Seas Brewing in Gig Harbor. The tasting room is open from 12:00-6:00 on Saturday and Sunday. To find 7 Seas, find the Inn at Gig Harbor. From Hwy. 16 take the Olympic Dr. NW exit. Turn left onto Olympic View Dr. (if you are headed towards Strangebrew. Turn right if you are coming from Strangebrew). Take the first right onto Point Fosdick Dr. Follow that road to the Inn at Gig Harbor. Drive right through the Inn’s parking lot to the big water tower and you’re there. 3207 57th ST CT NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Taking the ferry to/from Kingston? Consider planning a visit to the Hood Canal Brewery. From the Kingston ferry terminal, travel about 4 miles west on Highway 104. Where the highway bends hard to the right, stay straight onto Bond Road (Hwy 307). Coming from Strangebrew, a few miles past Port Gamble turn right onto Bond Road. You are there. 26449 Bond Rd NE, Kingston, WA 98346

Taking the ferry to/from Winslow (Bainbridge)? If you haven’t been, you’ll be surprised by the size of the operation at Silver City Brewing’s pub. The large, freestanding pub/restaurant is very easy to find. Just head for the Kitsap Mall, just off Hwy 3 north of Bremerton. Silver City is located across the parking lot from the Kitsap Mall. It is north-east of the mall, near the corner of NW Myhre Rd and Silverdale Way. Stop in, sample a beer and get some food. Saturday 11:00-11:00, Sunday 11:00-9:00. 2799 NW Myher Rd., Silverdale, WA 98383.

Are you even more adventurous? Consider taking Hwy. 101 to or from Strangebrew and include a trip through Shelton to visit Grove Street Brewing, one of Washington’s newer breweries. They are located in the heart of downtown Shelton, right along the highway, at the corner of Grove Street and First Street. 233 S. First St. Shelton, WA. Saturday open from 2:00-10:00, Sunday 2:00-8:00.

And while you’re there… No trip to Port Townsend would be complete without a visit to Port Townsend Brewing. As you come into town, and you come down the hill, you will see a bunch of boats (a shipyard) on the right. It’s across from the Safeway. Turn right at the light. You’re there. Only open Saturday, noon – 7:00. 330 10th Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368.

Ye Old Beer Cruiser in Chilliwack, BC

UPDATE: We have named a winner in our Facebook contest. Lorraine -a.k.a. the Beveridge Place Beer Goddess- was the very first person to guess and she got it exactly right. Behold the awesome power of Lorraine. This was not rigged. It kind of freaks me out, actually. She’s got powers, or something. The complete list of breweries is below.

We put a lot of miles on the Washington Beer Cruiser in 2009. From Whistler, BC to Milton-Freewater, OR, we crossed borders and visited exotic lands. From Neah Bay to Walla Walla, we traveled interstates and back roads to meet interesting people and drink beer with them. We’d be lying if we said that the purpose of each adventure was the pursuit of good beer, but wherever we go we seem to find a way to make it about beer.

I just did some math and the total for 2009  is somewhere around 3,400 miles. That’s a conservative estimate and does not include a lot of local trips to places like Mukilteo, Tacoma, and Snoqualmie. Along the way we visited a total of 42 breweries. We wrote about many of them here on the Washington Beer Blog.

Here is the list of the breweries we visited in 2009:

1. 7 Seas Brewing
2. Alpine Brewing
3. Baron Brewing
4. Big Al Brewing
5. Big Horse Brewing
6. Big Time Brewing
7. Black Raven
8. Boundary Bay Brewing
9. Cashmere Brewing
10. Chuckanut Brewing
11. Diamond Knot Brewing
12. Dick’s Brewing
13. Double Mountain Brewing
14. Elliott Bay Brewing
15. Everybody’s Brewing
16. Flyers Brewing
17. Full Sail Brewing
18. Georgetown Brewing
19. Grove Street Brewing
20. Iron Horse Brewing
21. Naked City Brewing
22. North Fork Brewing
23. Old York Brewing
24. Pike Brewing
25. Port Townsend Brewing
26. Ram Brewing U Village
27. Rock Bottom Brewing Bellevue
28. Roslyn Brewing
29. Salmon Creek Brewing
30. Schooner Exact Brewing
31. Silver City Brewing
32. Skagit River Brewing
33. Snipes Mountain Brewing
34. Snoqualmie Falls Brewing
35. Trade Route Brewing
36. Two Beers Brewing
37. Walking Man Brewing
38. Walla Walla Brewers
39. Water Street Brewing
40. Whistler Brewing
41. Whitstran Brewing
42. Yakima Craft Brewing