Local Breweries I Visit For Craft Beer Favorites In Seattle

The craft beer movement that soared during the 2010s may have slowed a bit in recent years, but you wouldn't know it in Seattle — the city once had more breweries than any other city in America. While that's no longer the case, the streets still overflow with truly fantastic craft beer thanks to close proximity to Washington's Yakima Valley, where up to 75% of the nation's hops are grown.

My first two jobs here actually consisted of writing beer descriptions by day for a subscription craft beer distributor, and spending nights working as a bartender, so I like to think I know my way around the scene. Plus, one of the coolest things about moving here in the late 2010s was getting to discover all the smaller, local breweries that don't distribute most of their stuff. You have to go on-premise to taste it, which is its own kind of adventure.

You can find pretty much every beer style in Seattle (including rare, niche stuff — I had a smoked grisette the other week), but there are some local favorites worth trying if you really want to understand the city's craft culture. You don't have to be a beer expert to visit the brewery scene and appreciate it, but if you only have limited time in Seattle, there are some breweries I recommend checking out over others.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You can't talk about Seattle beer without at least mentioning Fremont. My sister lives over in Boise, Idaho, and when she comes to visit, this brewery is always at the top of places where she wants to stop.

Fremont is one of the bigger local craft breweries and distributes across the Northwest (as well as a handful of other states). Its Lush IPA and Sky Kraken pale ale (now often associated with the city's NHL team) are especially popular. Still, the taproom is the only place to try many of the brewery's more limited releases, especially the stronger stuff. From annual Dark Star stouts to experimental sour ale batches, these beers are best savored by the 1950s-esque indoor fire pit, or surrounded by lush foliage in the spacious beer garden.

Visit Fremont Brewing at 1050 N 34th St, Seattle, Washington 98103

Yes, Seattle has a "brewery district." As I was overjoyed to discover, there's a section of the Ballard neighborhood with over a dozen breweries (and some cideries) packed into just a 1-mile radius. There are a ton of great spots, but Reuben's taproom is easily one of the most popular.

I've lost count of the afternoons I've walked through the area and seen this place busier than most of the breweries around it. I've also spotted its beers all over town. This crew is without a doubt one of the most popular hazy IPA-makers in the area (try the Hazealicious for one the brewery's most extreme examples of the style), though I have to say, it's pretty handy at other styles as well. One of the coolest developments in recent years, though, has been the addition of a spacious new taproom right in downtown Seattle, which I've started recommending to visitors as a quick intro to the local craft scene (plus it's in easy walking distance to a bunch of other tourist attractions).

Visit Reuben's Brews at 5010 14th Ave NW, Seattle, Washington 98107

Holy Mountain does have a newer, second location in Phinney Ridge that's well worth visiting, but I always insist that first-timers start with the original in Interbay. Tucked into an old industrial building between some train tracks and busy Elliot Avenue (the main entrance is around the back), I had to loop around twice the first time I tried to find it. While part of the appeal of this brewery is definitely enjoying a beer and watching trains rumble by, the reason Holy Mountain is a local favorite is because the beers revolve around distinctive farmhouse ales and old-world styles. In other words, you're going to find a lot of stuff here you just don't see elsewhere.

If this makes you apprehensive at all, don't worry — Holy Mountain still makes IPAs, pilsners, and darker brews (I come here all the time with my partner, who hates pretty much anything in the farmhouse family, and he always finds something he enjoys). But, for those who do enjoy beers with a funky, acidic bite, be sure to try the White Lodge saison. This is Holy Mountain's flagship beer. As I've been told, it's the brew that captured the attention of the city's beer fans to begin with.

Visit Holy Mountain Brewing Company at 1421 Elliott Ave W, Seattle, Washington 98119

Georgetown Brewing's slogan is, simply, "Darn tasty beer." You see this on every can, though this mostly consists of a small handful of IPAs and pale ales. The rest of its lineup is all at the brewery, baby!

As I soon learned after moving here, Georgetown doesn't like to dilute its process with big distribution. The few mainstays that do see outside the brewery walls don't go far beyond the region. This place didn't even put its flagship beers into cans until the COVID-19 pandemic. All of this is exactly why visiting Georgetown's taproom (in the Georgetown neighborhood) is so worth it. Visiting here feels like getting let in on a local secret. The brewery's distributed IPAs and pale ales are excellent, but locals go to the brewery for additional fan favorites, such as an amazing Irish stout, a couple of super-juicy sours, and special-release IPAs that blow the mainstays out of the water.

Visit Georgetown Brewing Company at 5200 Denver Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98108

I tried "gluten-free beer" years before moving to Seattle. Frankly, I found it pretty off-putting. I later learned it was actually just a basic beer with gluten removed (most of it, anyway), rather than a beer made with all gluten-free ingredients. Ghostfish Brewing flipped my earlier opinions of gluten-free beer completely on their head. These beers are really good, and they don't taste like anything's missing at all. I often find myself ordering Ghostfish just because I like the beer, not because I'm specifically looking for something gluten-free.

Depending on where you live, you may have spotted a couple Ghostfish brews in cans out in the wild — especially the grapefruit IPA, which has previously been noted as a gluten-free beer absolutely worth sipping. I love the grapefruit IPA myself, but the cool thing about actually going to the brewery is getting access to so many other styles that never make it in cans — or, at least in this region, on draft (this brewery is popular around Seattle; you can spot its IPAs in quite a few bars).

The brewery is also a solid brewpub. I've seen it get packed pretty quickly around lunchtime. In addition to a full-fledged beer menu, it has a full pub menu where everything is gluten-free, and there are also a lot of vegan or vegetarian options.

Visit Ghostfish Brewing Company at 2942 1st Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98134