Breweries keep opening here in Seattle, and they’re starting to spread into neighborhoods other than Ballard and Sodo/Georgetown. Spinnaker Bay Brewing, the first brewery to open in the Hillman City neighborhood (and, I think, all of Rainier Valley), is also notable for being woman-owned and operated. They’re in a cool old brick building and somehow acquired and installed a nearly century-old wooden bar from Chicago. So yeah, great atmosphere. I’ve visited twice – the first was a short ride to check out three new breweries, and the second was around the south end of Lake Washington, with Spinnaker Bay as a convenient pit stop towards the end. No kitchen, but there’s always a food truck.

Fancy old bar with fancy new beer at Spinnaker Bay Brewing — Seattle, WA

Rob’s Picks
• High Heel Imperial IPA – 8.1% – Solid herbal hop and malt flavor mix. Almost tea-like tannin aspect towards the finish, along with slight sweetness. Fairly subtle but strong.
• Fraid Knot Pale Ale – 6.1% – Smooth and relatively light on the tongue. Light floral hoppiness and bigger malt flavors – mostly caramel but other interesting maltiness going on, too.
• Even Keel Scottish – 8.1% – Spicy, sharp caramel aroma  and flavor. Hint of smokiness. Big flavors but great balance. Spiciness has almost a prickly character to it. Good intense take on a Scottish Ale.
• Don’t Panic! Porter – 6.7% – Coffee/chocolate aroma and flavor. Dry, with roasty malt flavor, as well, and a bit of an alcohol edge.

The Rest
• Sarah B – 8.1% – Bourbon barrel-aged IPA. Unfiltered amber color. Floral aroma and fairly strong flavor. Light bourbon barrel influence. Smooth, with good malt backbone and a touch of lingering bitterness. Well-made, but too floral for me.

Would be nice if a few more breweries opened in the Rainier Valley neighborhoods to lure me down to the south end of Lake Washington more often on my little bike rides. Probably just a matter of time. Considering my backlog of brewery visits to blog about, though (now up to 23, after a long, busy weekend in the SF Bay Area), I should spend some quality time catching up on posts before that happens.