Lake City isn’t a traditional destination for brewhounds, but Hellbent is worth the drive. There’s a huge amount of seating here, especially in the sunnier months, when the patio is open and you can chill out with a Northwest Pilsner, a light beer with a hoppy tang, and sample whatever food truck is parked in the lot. Hellbent has an affinity for strong stouts and IPAs but like any brewers worth their hops they experiment on occasion, like the recent fruit beer, a second runnings product that is juicy, sweet, and light.

They have lots of nice varieties here but the headline is: try the pilsner. Cold, unfiltered, clean, drinkable, just a little kiss of lemon in there somewhere, proof that craft beer doesn’t have to be about cramming in the hops and crazy flavors and ABV. You can stop in here for a drink or have a full dinner; they have a pared-down but fun menu featuring edamame, dumplings, Japanese-inflected hot dogs (including veggie dogs), and Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken.    

Co-founders Ray Kwan and Barry Chan take a lot of inspiration from their Chinese ancestry at Lucky Envelope, a Ballard brewery named after the red envelopes traditionally given as gifts during Chinese New Year. Lucky Envelope puts on special events and releases limited-edition beers during that holiday, but the brewery comes out with full-flavored, almost experimental beers year-round, from the Tea-Smoked Helles Lager to the Gingerbread Cream Stout to the Blood Orange IPA. They don’t serve food, but if you work up an appetite there are plenty of food trucks in the surrounding Ballard brewery district.

Rooftop fans have followed this brewery from a nano-sized wonder stuffed inside a garage in an alley to the newer, bigger digs near the Queen Anne side of the Ballard Bridge. It’s both dog and kid-friendly, offering intriguing selections on draft (including a creamsicle-flavored pale ale) with rotating onsite food trucks. There’s also plenty of outdoor seating, with a large, tented patio in front, and a smaller side space with Fishermen’s Terminal views.

Interbay’s mainstay brewery has hard-to-find old world-style beers, sours, and refreshing pale ales. The slick taproom and beer garden are also open (pets aren’t allowed); recent pop-ups have included Frank’s Smokehouse, Guerrilla Pizza Kitchen, and Rough Draft Burger Shop. Chances are, you’ll be so taken with the beer you won’t notice the trains rumbling right past the back door.

When Pike Brewing launched in 1989 (then called Pike Place Brewery) it was among one of only a handful of independent craft breweries in Seattle before the big beer boom. Now the rest of the city has caught up, but the brewing company is still going strong, and its beer ephemera-packed taproom with its famed hoppy IPAs remains a must-visit spot at the market.

This Black-owned brewery’s new Central District location is one of the hottest places to drink in Seattle right now. And since opening in 2018, its Woodinville location has been a solid pitstop for Eastside bike riders. Both locations have a great selection of beers, including its award-winning coconut porter Black Stripe, a New Zealand IPA, a hazy orange pale ale called the Trail Blazer, and a newer strawberry gose. The space is kid and dog-friendly, and the presence of both makes it feel like a true community gathering place.

This brewery in the Central District features some of the city’s best IPAs, pale ales, baltic porters, and oak-barreled beer. There’s also a full bar menu and original cocktails, a small food menu with excellent tacos, and seating both inside its rustic space and outside, including a heated and covered area. Standard’s new sibling brewery, Sovereign Brewing, focuses on the wilder side of brewing, with a mix of older-school methods and modern experimentation. Both are worthwhile destinations.

Located not too far from the Beacon Hill link light rail station, this brewery is a neighborhood gem, with more than a dozen beers made on-site and a satisfying food menu with dishes like a smoked brisket and pork belly chili and a crispy pork belly banh mi. Pups are allowed on the patio, and there are some fire pits outside for chilly nights.

This SoDo brewery makes some outstanding beers that represent some of the best local takes on Northwest-favorite IPAs and pale ales, though the Sea Witch stout, peach gose, and farmhouse saison are also excellent picks if you need a break from the hop bombs. The lively taproom sits next to the brewing equipment, all set inside an old warehouse.

Founded in 1997 in West Seattle, this family-friendly brewpup is one of the old salts of Seattle’s brewpub scene. As such, there’s no gimmick or complicated concept, Elliot Bay Brewing just has an arsenal of well-balanced, battle-tested, certified organic beers. The food they serve at their three locations is similarly unfussy, but everything from the carnitas tacos to the jambalaya (jambalaya? Jambalaya!) is just a little bit better than it needs to be.   

Residing in the former Big Al Brewing space in White Center, this brewery produces excellent beers across a range of styles. Fans can find a solid lineup of IPAs, stouts, Belgian blondes, and lagers, plus a few experimental creations. It serves a few light snacks onsite, but customers can also bring food over to the large patio, which includes overhead misters on the hottest days.