Trolling For Beer in Ballard

After our beercation stop at Reuben’s Brews the day before, the desire to find more of Ballard’s gems is strong. Between the seafood spots and the breweries, this article will focus on my favorite stops in this densely populated beer hotspot.

But First, We Need To Find The Bridge Troll…

While my drivers license states that I am a 45 year-old, my heart likes to operate in the headspace of a 5-12 year-old at times. This energy is quite evident when Jeff and Aaron mentioned, in an off-handed manner, that we were going to walk right past the bridge troll on our way to our first brewery stop. I had to stop them and make sure I heard correctly that there is a troll under a bridge.

I am not sure why, but I have an affinity for things that are either derived from fairy tales, mythology, and legends. Years ago, my fiancee took me to see the world’s largest prairie chicken in Rothsay, MN. I get an odd satisfaction for checking these unique types of things off my cover-all bingo card of quirky life experiences.

Being that it is actually April Fool’s Day, I am skeptical that we are actually going to find this troll. I feel like Aaron and Jeff are just having a little fun with me. Yet, sure enough, as we are walking, we head below the George Washington Memorial Bridge and happen upon a gargantuan sculpture of a troll clutching what appears to be a compact car. Well, this is just the cooler than a freshly poured Bodhizafa IPA!

We begin exploring the sculpture and Jeff is quite insistent about climbing atop the art installation to take a picture. Aaron just shakes his head and laughs to himself. Then he turns to me and says, “Watch him fall off the damn thing.” We chuckle as Jeff adroitly conquers gravity like a wily ringtail lemur. We get a good picture of him and then Jeff asks if I want to climb up and get a picture. Understanding my fear of heights and gravity allergy, I stay on terra firma and just stand in from of the troll for my photo opp. All of this Seattle culture and extreme climbing has us quite thirsty. So, we continue on to our first stop.

Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden

One of the places I was most excited to visit was Fremont Brewing. Fremont Brewing has been a mainstay of the Seattle craft beer scene 2009. The logo is a Great Blue Heron, which happens to be the official bird of Seattle. The first time I tried a beer from Fremont Brewing was at the What the Funk beer festival in Denver, Colorado in the fall of 2017. It was Fremont’s Unicorn Tears, an imperial oatmeal milk stout aged in bourbon with cherries, and it was tremendous. Ever since then, I have been a bit smitten with Fremont Brewing.

It is a sunny Monday morning and while there are ample open tables out on the sunny patio, we opt to sit inside. There are quite a few fun options to drink and I try a few 10-ounce pours of things I think might be good. I start with the Golden Pilsner which is a delicious Czech Pils. It is crisp and flawless. Then I move on to the Blue, a pale ale which is a Fremont flagship. It is bright, with a nice bitterness the is a nice mix of pine and citrus notes.

Of course, I couldn’t stop at Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden and not have a pour of something malty and strong, so I grab a snifter of Dark Star, an imperial oatmeal stout. This is perfect. The mouthfeel is rich and velvety, the aromas are chocolate, coffee, and molasses, and the flavor is divine. Is it a beer one should be having before lunch? Well, I am on a beercation, so I am absolved from any judgement sensible people might have about how early is too early for a big beer.

Jeff and Aaron explain how this area of town has really developed since they were here last. It always floors me how craft beer can, in certain cases, really transform and bring energy to an area of a city. Breweries like Fremont Brewing have to be incredibly strategic to make sure that their location can sustain growth. I have seen numerous places grow too fast and that winds up becoming a real problem. Nothing can ruin a brewery fast than growth that they are not prepared for. Obviously, Fremont Brewing has stood the test of time and continues to be a great spot for craft beer in an area where there is stiff competition.

The Pacific Inn Pub

It is time for lunch. In a perfect world with a liver that is immune to the effects of day-drinking, I could just stay at a brewery all day without eating. Jeff orders a burger from the food truck, but I am lukewarm on burgers from food trucks. They never really live up to my expectations for the cost. Plus, I am still in the mode of seafood, so I suggest the Pacific Inn Pub. The Internet made it seem like a cool neighborhood dive that might have some locals hanging around.

For the same reason I love craft breweries, I also love dive bars. There are certain criteria that an establishment needs to have to qualify as a dive bar. For one, a dive bar has to have locals sitting at the bar. A place gets bonus points if those locals can involve themselves in profanity-laden repartee with the bartender. There has to be an aura of non-pretentiousness that permeates the place. At least 14% of the bar stools need to look like they survived velociraptor mating season. It also helps if at least one of the bartenders has a surly demeanor. Lucky for us, The Pacific Inn Pub gives off strong dive bar vibes.

The Irregular Regular

As we walk in and see three open stools at the bar, we make ourselves comfy. A gentleman to my left sees us coming and greets us. We squeeze in and he says something to the effect of, “Oh, let me slide over, you guys are huge.” Now, Aaron is a marathon runner; Jeff and I are not. However, I thought that “huge” was a little bit of a misnomer. Anyway, we sit down and order up some beers. I stick with the mountain-fresh marvel of Rainier Beer. We look at the menu and it says they are known for their fish and chips. So, we order up the fish and chips and the gent next to us continues to yap.

He is chatting with some other guys to his left and they are engaged in a real meeting of the minds. The guy to my left asks what brings us in and we explain that we are on a beercation from Minnesota. He loves that and tells us what he likes to drink. He is currently drinking an IPA. The chef is making small talk with them and the bartender is trading barbs back and forth. This guy is kind of like the unnofficial ambassador of the bar, or at least thats what it sounds like as he is loudly chatting. I say loudly because when I excused myself to go to the bathroom, I could hear him as clear as a bell through the bathroom door. At one point, I look over at Aaron and he just smiles. His smile is code for, “Can you believe this guy?”

Ruh-Roh, He Let It Go To Voicemail…

Our food arrives and it is crispy and hot. For me, fish and chips is all about the texture. Between lunch and the entertainment to our left, we agree that the Pacific Inn Pub was a good call. As we continue to eat and drink, the gent to our left’s phone rings and he ignores it. He says, “I don’t want to talk to anybody right now,” and continues with his conversation with anyone and everyone who will listen.

He orders another beer. We continue chatting and then his phone rings again. This time he answers it. It is his wife. I don’t need to be on the line to know that she is less than excited about the fact that he is seated at a bar as opposed to whatever else he is supposed to be doing. He hangs up, and almost as if he was suddenly a high ranking military advisor to the President being summoned to the Situation Room, he abruptly asks for his tab. The bartender ribs him and implies that he shouldn’t ever forget about his honey-do list. The comedic timing of his wife, his demeanor change, and his expedited “exit stage left” leaves us laughing quite hard. The bartender was even smiling.

After fortifying ourselves with a tasty lunch, we are on to Stoup Brewing in Ballard. Aaron and Jeff have been friends with Brad Benson, a co-owner of Stoup Brewing, for years. They have collaborated with Stoup Brewing on beers in the past. Stoup Brewing was at the Lupulin IPA Invitational several years ago. The bond of friendship between them is as strong as a triple IPA.

Stoup Brewing Company

As we walk up, the sun is shining. Stoup Brewing has a few locations around Seattle, but Ballard is the flagship location. Stoup Brewing started in 2013 by Brad, Lara (Brad’s wife), and Robyn. This trio created a wonderfully welcoming place to enjoy a well-crafted pint of beer in the craft brewery-dense Ballard neighborhood. With backgrounds in science, Brad (Head Brewer) and Robyn (Operations Brewer) quality is a top priority for the beers. There is also the ethos that Stoup Brewing is for everyone.

As we walk in and let our eyes adjust to the taproom from the sunny walk from the street, I see many beer styles that fall well within my wheelhouse. I order a flight of beers that sound good. My flight consists of a Cervecita Mexican Lager, a Participation Trophy IPA, a Mosaic Pale Ale, and a NW Red. As you would imagine, the beers are all delightful. My favorite beer in the flight is the Mosaic Pale Ale. It bursts with bright tropical fruit, grass, and pine. The perfect bouquet of flavor and aroma to finish with a dry crispness that encourages you to dive right back in for another sip.

Award Winning Beers Are just the beginning at Stoup Brewing

Aaron, Jeff, and myself are enjoying some shade on the patio when Brad comes out to chat. Within several minutes of chatting, I can see that Stoup Brewing’s goal of being a welcoming place for Ballard’s locals is not just lip-service. Brad is glad we are here and offers to grab us a round of beers. I opt for the German Pilsner. I mean, you can’t really have a beer chat unless you properly wet your whistle, am I right?

As Aaron, Jeff, and Brad are reconnecting, it is nice just to sit back and enjoy the beer conversation. Jeff absolutely loves to talk shop. As brewery owners, they are grateful to be able to commiserate about the every day headaches that running a successful craft brewery brings. In a place like Seattle, owning a successful craft brewery is demanding in ways that Minnesota isn’t familiar with yet. Between the density of breweries and the expectation of quality from the masses, the pressure to deliver is immense. Yet, Stoup Brewing is one of the breweries that is routinely mentioned as a must-visit place in Ballard.

As the conversation continues, I try the Robust Porter, a beer that has won numerous awards including a 2014 Silver at the World Beer Cup. It delivers on roast, coffee, and chocolate notes. In fact, aside from the multiple GABF award-winning Robust Porter at Second Chance Brewing in San Diego, this is one of the best iterations of this style I have been lucky enough to try.

I am anxious to get Brad’s take on how the changing drinking habits of younsters are impacting the craft beer scene as a whole. Brad has a ton of wisdom and thoughts on this. First and foremost, he believes that places need to be seen as a “third space” for people. What is a “third space”? Well, it is a place that isn’t work or home that people can feel comfortable congregating. Brad says that people want to hang out somewhere, but in Seattle, not a lot of young people have the space to do this in their homes.

Stoup Is A Third Space For Many

This makes a ton of sense. Real estate in Seattle is astronomically expensive, so an apartment or starter home are not really affordable-especially if one want to have space. So breweries are the de facto living rooms for people to have a few beers and enjoy conversation or a board game. If I lived in the Ballard neighborhood, you would see me at Stoup Brewing every weekend playing Yahtzee.

The other curveball that Brad talks about relates to what people are drinking. There are a lot more people exercising restraint when it comes to alcohol consumption. After the pandemic, many folks moved away from alcohol altogether. Some of them have transitioned to a “California Sober” lifestyle. Given all that, Brad says it is tricky to know what is going to bring people into a third space.

All of that being said, Stoup Brewing in Ballard is definitely thriving. Their beers are fantastic and the space to enjoy the is a sprawling cornucopia of seating choices that offer indoor and outdoor options. Stoup has two other locations than the Ballard spot-one in Capitol Hill and one in Kenmore. I would rate Stoup Brewing high up on the list of places I would happily revisit.

Urban Family Brewing

Our last stop of the night is conveniently located directly across the street at Urban Family Brewing. Urban Family is a brewery that leans heavily into sours, both barrel-aged and otherwise. They came highly recommended. When we arrive, they are in the midst of an open-mic night. I was happy to find a lager on tap because, while I enjoy sour beers, they don’t enjoy me. Sometimes, the acidic nature of these beers triggers my acid reflux and I wanted to avoid that this evening.

While the beers are solid, the stand-up comedian was not and we were kind of laughing in spite of his jokes because of the aburdity of it all. As a matter of fact, I remember wishing that the guy from the Pacific Inn Pub would have waltzed in and replaced him. Just by telling us about what happened with his wife after he got home from lunch would have induced more laughs than the guy on stage. Oh well, such is life when you are on a beercation.

We have a big day tomorrow and so it is time for some dinner before we go back to the Airbnb for our night cap. In fact, after all of our excitement, I barely remember my head hitting the pillow I was so tired.