Drink, Ride, Everett
It has come to my attention that the breweries in the town of Everett have a hashtag. #DrinkLocalEverett. Not only do they have a hashtag, but they have a #punchcard, that you can redeem for swag. As a big supporter of punch cards in general and naturally occurring brewery clustering (naturally occurring brewery clustering, naturally occurring brewery clustering), I think it is high time that I did a rehash of the Everett bike and brew route to include every brewery in the area so I can assure you that riding said route will result in you getting a novelty pint glass.
The #DrinkLocalEverett Route
If you’ve been reading for a while then you may have seen the post where I mention Everetts tiny little brewery oasis somewhat south of town. It’s a tight little cluster of breweries that includes Middleton, Lazy Boy, and the Everett branch of Crucible. The route starts with them. You can do them in any order and anything I have to say about the most efficient way to visit them all will be undone by the timing of the traffic light that rules over this block at 7th Ave and SE Everett Mall Way. May the Light guide our way and lead us to beer. Ramen. After that, head north on the Interurban Trail. You might remember this trail from such hits as “Riding North From Seattle To Get To Everett.” It was an instant classic. Eventually, you reach Scuttlebutt Taproom, not the brewpub, then through downtown to Everett’s smallest brewery: At Large. Done in this order, you are riding downhill almost the whole way. That is pleasant but be ready to pay the piper on the way back. All said, this Everett Bike and Brew route will have taken you 8.7 miles and would take a little less than an hour if you cut the breweries out.
I’ve actually reviewed all of these breweries before on this blog, so I’ll be brief and steal a bit from myself. This is an update to the route; the breweries haven’t really changed in the last few months.
Lazy Boy
Highlights: Warehouse, Mutant Cat
Smell 2/2
Cheers-ness 2/2
Beers: Standard array
This brewery is great but poor them and their never-ending battle with Lay-z-boy recliners for Google search results. A sizeable warehouse brewery that’s a real trick to get to, nestled some way past a taxi dispatch that is enough to throw off anyone trying to ride out there for the first time. Free popcorn and cat pets from the astounding 6 toed behemoth cat that lives there. It has a small list of standard staples and a rotating tap list that moves quick. If you are lucky, you can catch the Christmas beers before they are gone.
Middleton
Highlights: Dog, Pizza, Blended Beers
As you can see in this diagram, a "normal" person entering this shopping center would turn right to access the normal place where shops normally go. In this case, the "correct" person would stay left and continue to where employees usually park, waaay in the back. The only thing battier than going back here to find a beer would be going back here to establish a brewery.
Smell 2/2
Cheers-ness 2/2
Beers: Dark Leaning
Also hard to find, this place is on the backside of a strip mall way in the back of the parking lot. I’ve included a handy image for helping first-timers out. This brewery features an amazing space with a resident dog and (oh my god, is it?) cornhole! Actually, you know how I just said these breweries haven’t changed much in the last few months? Well, Middleton just finished a major overhaul of the seating area and it’s a huge upgrade since it now includes cornhole. It’s got a substantial food menu but it’s not a brewpub; walk up and order at the bar. I’m not sure if this is always the same guy, but the guy running bar every time I’ve been is a real treat. They mix up some killer blends here, so make sure you try those out. Their standard taps lean dark beer heavy and in the winter, their seasonals double down on that trend.
Crucible
Highlights: Two locations, Sports Bar Vibe
Smell 1/2
Cheers-ness 1/2
Beers: An insane number of IPAs
This place has a crazy long tap list that can make it hard to choose. Hopefully, the beer wheel of fortune is still there to help. They just opened another location in Woodinville that I have yet to visit, but hopefully they manage to keep the same charm of the Everett location. It's more a sports bar than any of the other breweries, with TVs all over the place. Their beers include a solid array of styles including a staggering number of IPAs. I wouldn’t normally advise a 1:1 ratio of IPAs to Not IPAs but they know their market.
Scuttlebutt
Highlights: $2 Pint night on Thursdays
Smell: 1/2
Cheers-ness: 1/2
Beers: Hair Color
I said it best the first time when I said: “Scuttlebutt is a pretty massive brewery. You might just recognize it. Despite being nationally distributed, their new taproom has a great small brewery vibe. This new place is apart from their restaurant which I haven’t even bothered with. It’s nestled nicely in the brewery at which I’ve managed to catch some live music and $2-pint night. Not sure how they schedule those, so it’s probably a good idea to watch their Facebook page for updates [update: $2-pint night is Thursday]. Their beer is a so-so blend of hair color beers, but one or two rotating special beers might catch your eye.” I think I needn’t say more. Thanks, past Andrew.
AT LARGE
Highlights: Warehouse, Food trucks, Cornhole
Smell: 2/2
Cheers-ness: 2/2
Beers: Standard, All Rotating
At Large is a great example of a small town, family run brewery. They serve some great baseball stadium style nachos and other small bites, but their strength is in their space. Basically one big square room, from your spot ordering at the bar, you can see all the equipment for their 3(ish?) barrel operation. To the left, shelves of ingredients ready to be used and the beer menu written out on an old chalk paint covered door. To the right, cornhole. Sweet, sweet cornhole. Their beer menu is growing and includes a pretty standard array of styles with good variety, though no beer is safe. Once it’s gone, it’s gone until they decide to brew it again.
Honorable Mention: Diamond Knot Brewing. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. Admittedly, I haven’t been there, but I said this post was every brewery in Everett. An enterprising rider will notice that it is well within riding distance of the other breweries. I don’t know what they did to piss off the other 5 breweries and get left off the punch card, but I feel like I have now fulfilled my promise to talk about all the breweries.
There we go. I’m glad that route is finally correct. I’d reviewed all of these breweries before, but now they are finally arranged in an ale trail that I am satisfied with. Give it a ride! A mere 8 miles and 55 minutes of riding are all the separate you from a delicious treasure trove of beer. This powerhouse of a brewery town might just be able to give nearby Snohomish a run for its money, not to mention Seattle. Thanks for reading.