2 months until we head up there, can't wait!

That great notion stuff looks good.

DonaldFDraper, you were asking about Seattle on the last page. I lived there for the better part of two years. I wasn't able to explore as much as I'd have liked but I can maybe mention some things I did like. Some of it will depend a bit on where you're staying and your car situation.

For bottle shops and bars, Chuck's Hop Shop near Capitol Hill and The Beer Junction in West Seattle were two really good places. I also liked Beer Star down in White Center (locals will probably tell you WC is sketchy, it's not too bad) for a big, relaxing place to watch a game or just hang out for a bit.

For breweries I really liked anything I had from Cloudburst and Holy Mountain. Georgetown is kind of the classic Seattle brewery. Everything they do is solid. Honestly I never really latched on to anything specific but most of what I had while I was up there was good, just lots of emphasis on west coast style IPAs.

For hiking, everything will be at least a 30 minute drive from Seattle itself. Mt. Si out towards North Bend (where Twin Peaks got its name and was shot) is probably the most popular destination. About 3 miles up and 3000 ft of elevation gain. Expect huge crowds and having to park a mile or so away if you're not there super early. Awesome views though. If you just want to wander around some nice trails that maybe don't lead to any great views but feel a little more quiet, Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, and Tiger Mountain could be good. Again, just don't expect any amazing viewpoints from Cougar or Squak. Parts of Tiger are a little more picturesque.

I can add more later or see if I can answer any questions you might have. All in all I loved the city and living there, it was just too expensive to be there long term. Anyway, hopefully some of that is useful.

AggieStout said:

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That great notion stuff looks good.

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It was delicious. Good mix of sours, NE and West Coast IPAs. All were high quality.

maca1028 said:

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2 months until we head up there, can't wait!

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I've been here for a few beer trips and multiple work trips over the years. Hard to find a better town with this amount of quality beer and food..

Thanks Collin! Cloudburst and Holy Mountain were two I found from searching that looked good.

Re: Hiking - We are up for getting out of town if it is worth it. Are there any other good outdoor activities to take in the geographic features?

I have also been recommended to take the ferry tour. Any other recommendations are much appreciated!

I also forgot about Reuben's Brews and Fremont Brewing. Good beers and while I never went to Reuben's space, Fremont has a nice one just across Lake Union from downtown.

I've heard good things about ferry tours. Never did one myself but that was more a money/time problem there.

It's got a weird name, but Lake 22 is also a cool hike. I mostly stick to trail running and hiking so my outdoor knowledge is pretty limited to that sort of thing. The Washington Trails Association website is also super helpful. It's at wta.org.

DonaldFDraper said:

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Thanks Collin! Cloudburst and Holy Mountain were two I found from searching that looked good.

Re: Hiking - We are up for getting out of town if it is worth it. Are there any other good outdoor activities to take in the geographic features?

I have also been recommended to take the ferry tour. Any other recommendations are much appreciated!

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Take the ferry to Bainbridge Island and eat at Bruciato. Pretty amazing Pizza over there. And get ice cream from Molly Moons. I think there's several of them spread around town.

I didn't drink much beer when we were out there last summer visiting UW with my daughter. Bottleworks was just a couple blocks from our house and was an awesome store with a great selection.

Great notion pastry stouts are good too, if you're into that kind of thing. Double stack, in particular.

Thank you both

Had Triple Stack the other night. So delicious and so much maple!

Had more free time than expected on a two day New Mexico trip, so I'm re-visiting some previous breweries rather than seeking out new stuff.

Santa Fe:
Duel - All Belgian Style. I loved what I've tried before, but was let down on this visit. Their Belgian IPAs are ok, but they really shine on their dark hefty stuff. Goya is still king.

Rowley - Only visit was shortly after they opened and they had 1 beer on tap, which was great. They do farmhouse style - kind of a poor man's jester king (though no one would notice in NM). I enjoy their stuff because they do a lot of weird stuff. Apparently JUST poached a brewer from crooked Stave so I'm interested in what's next. (Also great food!)

ABQ:
Bombs Away - LOVE their IPAs. They've had some REALLY good hazy stuff which hasn't really caught on out here. They only had one hazy this time but had 10x the number of patrons on this visit, so it seems like they're becoming a known commodity. I tried some different stuff tonight and it didn't quite hit the peaks of their hazy stuff.

Canteen - I'd never been to their taphouse on the east side. Canteen remains a slightly above average brewery with a fairly interesting tap list. It was packed at 4pm - doesn't anyone here work?

High and dry - Last visit was the week they opened and ALL of their stuff was offline due to being sold out, or more typically because of an infection so they only had guest taps. Fairly interesting tap list, they're still building their list, but they'll probably match canteen at "above average."

So I'm headed to San Antonio from Houston n the morning for a quick day trip. I had planned on driving Houston ->Dallas on Saturday with the family, but my wife suggestion she catch a ride with her folks to Dallas and I can just meet her there directly from San Antonio.

So I've got a solo drive from South San Antonio to Dallas tomorrow. I thought I'd do some beer exploration along the way. Probably leaving the south side around 330 or so and don't want to drive all the way up on 35 during rush hour. Thought I might hit Rugged Man between San Marcos and NB. Anyone ever been to Altmeyer & Lewis outside of San Marcos?

I had Caracara in Lockhart as a potential stop but it doesn't look that great. And then I found Barrow brewing in Salado that looks interesting.

3 stops is about my limit, any suggestions if I should avoid any of those or recommendations of others?

On the list!

Not sure if you want to stay in SA for a bit, but you've got Freetail, Kuntsler and High Wheel on the southside of SA. Haven't been to the spots you mentioned in NB or san marcos.

I wasn't at all impressed with Rugged Man. They only had like four offerings when I went and it's just inside a metal building. Not much for a hangout spot. I like others in SA better (I've been to Freetail and Weathered Souls, haven't been to the others recommended above).

If you stay on 35 into South Austin, then there are a few that are right off of 35, and some are clustered together.

St Elmo, 512, and Skull Mechanix Brewing (This one is new to me)
Blue Owl, Zilker Park, Hops and Grain, and Lazarus Brewing
Also there is Live Oak out 71 if you want to take 130 around Austin.

I think the easiest to get to off of 35 is St Elmo, 512 and Live Oak since those will still give you the option to use the 130 Toll Way to go around Austin.

Solid for when it's hot AF outside.

I definitely did not drink that last night at Brash. It was not tasty.

Great pool beer.

This is drinkable!

Dat head.

I am surprised no one posted morning beers for the royal wedding.

reesei10 said:

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I am surprised no one posted morning beers for the royal wedding.

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Do post lawn mowing beers count...?

inoffensive username said:

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I can't stress enough about adding Urban Family to the list in Seattle. I've been to probably 100 breweries in my life and it was my favorite beer from top to bottom of menu I've ever had.

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Oh man, I can't believe I forgot them. Yes. They're fantastic. Definitely recommended.

I'm out at Turning Point in the Ft. Worth area today. Some really good NE-style IPAs out here. $Texas, A Nu Start, and their Double Vanilla Shake Zula have been the standouts.

Checked them out a few weeks ago. Solid stuff. Funny location. I'd expect that type of place to be 30 minutes East or West but kind of adds to the charm.

Visiting my brother in Chicago. Didn't get to make it to dark lord day, but I hopefully have some lined up to bring back. That's if I come back. The weather here is quite favorable compared to the past week in Houston.

I went back to work for the first time since I broke my leg this week. A coworker brought me some Bearded Iris back from Nashville and left them on my desk. I drinking them tonight, but they would've been a lot better five months ago.

tl1127 said:

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I wasn't at all impressed with Rugged Man. They only had like four offerings when I went and it's just inside a metal building. Not much for a hangout spot. I like others in SA better (I've been to Freetail and Weathered Souls, haven't been to the others recommended above).

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You are certainly right that it's a spartan environment. Just an old metal building ona quiet country road. All of the furniture is made from 2x4s. Since the last time I went about 6 months ago they've added an outdoor area. But their beer is damn good. Had 12beers on tap. Off the top of my head a couple of IPAs, a milk stout with raspberries on nitro, a dips, a saison, a neipa that was a little old, but still fantastic and then like Pam amber, blonde, and a stout.. A BA stout with cherries that might have been the best beer I had this year. Glad I got the last pull off the keg and the last bomber to go.

I also stopped at barrow brewing in Salado. Downtown Salado was hopping and Barrow was a cool scene. The one stout I had was good. Got a six pack to go so we'll see how that is tonight.