Visit the Best Breweries of NorthCountry
Four of your best Pacific Northwest weekend beer experiences are “on tap” here.
Snohomish County is the northwest destination where loggers meet lagers. A place where the porters run so deep and malty rich you’d swear you were sipping chocolate dessert in a pint glass.
From hoppy, hazy IPAs to pineapple pilsners: if it can be brewed it’s appreciated here. Check out what we have on tap. Here are three trips to make when you’re thirsty for the best beers in our neck of the woods.
1. THE EVERETT BEER TRIP
This seaside port city has everything you need for a hoppy two- or three-day trip to the true PNW..
The Independent Beer Bar1801 Hewitt Avenue
Rotating weekly tap list. Catch them after a Silvertips hockey game (the stadium is right down the street). You can order food to the bar from local places off a curated menu, no Uber Eats necessary. Or try their in-house dumplings. Another dog-friendly establishment.
At Large Brewing & Taproom2730 West Marine View Drive
Prized locally for their open-air dining patio, At Large is the summer spot for catching a sunset over Port Gardner. In the summer they host food trucks outside in the parking lot.
Scuttlebutt Restaurant1205 Craftsman Way #101
Scuttlebutt was making craft beer in Everett before craft beer was a thing. Since 1990, the Bannan family has been churning out barrels of ales, pilsners, porters and more. They’re always creating new seasonal brews and pushing the limits of tasters’ palates with pineapple hefeweizen or a curious spin on an IPA.
Scuttlebutt Taproom3314 Cedar Street
This is where the magic is brewed, and it’s one the only places in Everett’s cool/historic Riverside district to get a craft beverage. The beer is brewed on site, and you can get $2 pints during the week. You read that right.
2. THE “COASTAL” TRIP
These quaint seaside towns offer up some major craft beverages.
Diamond Knot
621 Front St, Mukilteo, WA 98275
This brewpub is named after a famous shipwreck and offers breakfast, brunch, and dinner, in a family-friendly ship’s cabin-like environment. In the bar you can crack peanuts, dropping the cracked shells directly on the floor.
Salish Sea Brewing Co.518 Dayton St #104, Edmonds, WA 98020
Classy, artsy Edmonds is a great place to catch maritime air. Sit outside at the Salish Sea Brewing Co. and treat yourself to a tall glass of whatever ales or IPAs are on tap. This is one of those places where the food isn’t an afterthought, so check out their eats menu.
3. THE MOUNTAIN VALLEY TRIP
Nothing better than a day playing in the Cascades followed by a refreshed micro brew.
Skookum Brewery
17925 59th Ave NE, Arlington 98223
Skookum Brewery is known throughout West Coast beer circles as the place to get a hazy IPA. This dog-friendly warehouse experiments many varieties of hops: you can smell them when you walk in, the aroma wafting from the large tanks. A great place to catch an outdoor beer, weather permitting.
Dreadnought Brewing
16726 146th St SE Suite 153, Monroe
Mixing music, food and beer, Dreadnought serves up award-winning brews in a relaxed atmosphere.
Timber Monster Brewing Company
410 Main St, Sultan, WA 98294
After a day of mountain valley recreation, be sure to refuel at Timber Monster in Sultan. This place brews beer on site, as well as roasts coffee. It’s got great food as well. Read more about them here.
Twin Rivers Brewing Company
104 N Lewis St, Monroe, WA 98272
Twin Rivers in Monroe is part of Adam’s Bistro. Adam’s Bistro is a bold new move for the little lumber town of Monroe, a place where mom and pop cafes still line the Main Street. But Twin Rivers is good for anywhere, regardless of context.
There are plenty of original brews being concocted in Snohomish, Washington-- taste them all! The Snohomish Ale Trail is a collaborative approach between Snohomish breweries, an interactive incentive program where tasters can criss-cross the city (ideally on foot or with an Uber), sampling the best of the Snoho brew scene.
The Ale Trail’s participating breweries provide maps that you can pick up at any location. Collect two stamps from each brewery and you earn a free pint glass. Hours vary by location. It pays to plan a route on your phone so you know when a given brewery’s hours of operation will be for that day. And take an Uber so that you can get from here to there safely. Ale Trail promoters advise against trying to hit all of the breweries in one day.
Participating breweries, for your sipping pleasure:
HAVE FUN
As big as this list of breweries is, there’s room for more exploration, too. The adventurous traveler will find plenty of enjoyable sipping in Snohomish County. Enjoy!
*Remember to drink responsibly and Uber, Lyft and taxi service is available throughout NorthCountry. Cheers!
