Pacific Northwest = Beertopia

Pike Place Market sign, Seattle

Pike Place Market in Seattle has nothing to do with Cambodian food. The sign, pictured above, was the liveliest thing there at 6 in the morning. I was expecting it to be a real fish market with a good deal of people transacting in fish, as they generally do at that hour in a proper market, only to be sorely disappointed.There was no hiding that much of the local salmon had been sitting there for days (if not weeks) and crab that had been boiled in a previous era, time rendering it indistinguishable from styrofoam with a carapace.

Sorry for the scant postings, I’m heading down the west coast of America, attempting to avoid all of the places with Internet access and get to as many microbreweries as possible. My personal count for new beers tasted is now at 40. More to come.

9 thoughts on “Pacific Northwest = Beertopia”

  1. I’ve been an avid reader of your blog and I’m a Cambodian-American living in the West Coast … you should come and try the Cambodian food in Long Beach, where I reside. Long Beach is of course the largest population of Cambodians in North America. The Khmer food is plentiful … and to be quite honest, when I went to Cambodia I was not impressed by the Cambodian food over there in our home country… well dessert was good over in Cambodia. I still prefer our Cambodian food in Long Beach. Anaheim St. is the place to explore since there are Cambodian stores and restaurants lining up in that area of Long Beach. Enjoy!

  2. Mythical – Yes, I’ll be there directly from my US flight, so I’ll be a bit wrecked.

    Mtea – I’ll be in LA, but not sure if I’ll make it to Long Beach in time. Any Cambodian restaurants that you would recommend in Long Beach?

  3. Mr. Phil,
    Having made a number of left-coastal beer trips myself, here a a couple of recommendations which you are free to ignore in pursuit of your own personal hangover:
    Rogue Ales in the ridiculously out-of-the-way burg of Newport, Oregon, Godlike beer
    McMenamin’s High Street brewery in Eugene, Ore. Drink beer on their back patio on a summer evening and you’ll understand why people never leave the town.
    The weirdly converted McMenamin’s School in Portland with its myriad bars. Avoid going on Saturdays when young couples show up with ankle-biters in tow.
    Hair of the Dog Brewpub in Portland. The IPA ripped my skull apart a few years ago.
    Lost Coast Brewing in Eureka, Cali. Super-tasty
    Anderson Brewing in Boonville, Cali. Sweet Jesus, they got good beer, tho not exactly on the coast.
    And if you can get in, the Anchor Brewing Co in San Francisco is -arguably- the home of the American micro brew movement and makes some of the best suds about.
    That said, I would argue that the best and most varied beer selection is found in Wisconsin. So, another trip … ?

  4. I made it to the McMenamin’s, the Rogues portland brewpub and Hair of The Dog, along with Laurelwood, Roots, Bridgeport and trying as many new bottled beers in between. Rogue brewed an imperial stout that is probably the best stout that I’ve ever tried. I’ll do a beer wrapup of the ones that I’ve taken notes on. Does Anderson brew the Boontville Amber Ale?

    Wisconsin, eh?

  5. The Pike Place Market in Seattle has some of the saddest seafood around. Why would anyone buy from a seafood stall that throws the fish like a football? No respect for the product! It’s all a show for the tourists. Having grown up in Japan, calling Seattle a seafood mecca is just a joke unless you have a real good connection or catch it yourself.

    On the other hand, beerhunting is worth the effort. Did you try the Elysian beers? I’m not a fan of Redhook, Pyramid or Hale’s myself but plenty of other drinkers like them. Also, there are number of my favorite pubs like my local, Reading Gaol, a nice neighborhood boozer and The Stumbling Monk, serving real Belgian and North American Belgian-style beers. The 3-pub local chain of Prost, Beerstube and Feierabend serve German beers and a couple of local German-style beers. Also, try the Beveridge Place in West Seattle, a real beer nerds’ hangout the next time you’re in town.

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