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A Seattle Neighborhood Beer Tour

© Paul Ruschmann

Seattle's Fremont neighborhood is a place where dot.com professionals, ex-hippies, and veterans of the grunge scene come together over pint glasses. Celebrator Beer News once rated it the West's second-best neighborhood for enjoying good beer.

Fremont bears little resemblance to the neighborhood you call home. Signs welcome you to "The Center of the Universe," and warn you to "watch out for deja vu." Its oddball collection of street art features a 53-foot-high World War II missile which "erupts" at the top of the hour. Even the local Oktoberfest comes with a twist: it features a chainsaw pumpkin carving contest and a pub crawl led by a gigantic tuba section.

If Portland is known for its breweries, Seattle's claim to fame is its alehouses: multi-tap establishments that serve a wide selection of fresh, local beer. In Fremont, the alehouses have a delightfully unconventional atmosphere. And they're all within walking distance of one another.

The Nickerson Street Saloon (318 Nickerson Street; 206-284-8819) guards the south end of the Fremont drawbridge. On sunny days, seats on the outdoor patio go fast. This was once a famous hamburger joint, and patrons still argue whether the burgers are better now or under the old management. Everyone agrees, though, that the beer is incomparably better. There are 15 to choose from, including cask-conditioned Salmon Bay Bitter, a product of the nearby Pacific Maritime Brewing Company.

Natives insist that the ceremonially correct way to enter Fremont is to go north across the drawbridge. Just over the bridge you'll find the Red Door Ale House (3401 Fremont Avenue North; 206-547-7521). This popular bar offers more than two dozen taps; the selections are written on a sign, below rows of regular customers' mugs. Like most Fremont establishments, the Red Door gets noisy at night--and confusion sometimes results. Once a server brought me someone else's beer order: a Full Sail Mirror Pond Ale. All's well that ends well.

Just up the street from the Red Door Tavern is the Triangle Tavern (3507 Fremont Place North; 206-632-0880). Once a dive patronized by bikers, it's now a bistro and bar with such irreverent decor as a scorer's table from a bowling alley. Here, a friendly bartender introduced me to Mac & Jack's African Amber, a very malty ale which has a cult following in the Seattle area. Big picture windows and a patio make this a good place for people watching over a pint or two.

Some of the Fremont's other alehouses include The Buckaroo (4201 Fremont Avenue North; 206-634-3161), Dad Watson's Restaurant and Brewery (3601 Fremont Avenue North; 202-632-6505), and The Dubliner (3405 Fremont Avenue North; 206-548-1508). For information about these and other establishments, go to the online version of Northwest Brew News and follow the links.

The copyright of the article A Seattle Neighborhood Beer Tour in International Beers is owned by Paul Ruschmann. Permission to republish A Seattle Neighborhood Beer Tour in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.