If you are not yet familiar with these breweries, allow me to offer an introduction. At the recently concluded Great American Beer Festival, seven of Washington’s breweries walked away with medals for the first time. The GABF is the nation’s largest beer-judging competition. It is also one of the most prestigious. Winning medals is always tough and always noteworthy. Read more about the 2024 GABF and Washington’s winners here. (Above: Victor 23 Craft Brewery, from social media.)
Washington’s first-time winners are not necessarily new breweries. Some have been around for a few years. Whatever the case, I share some info about each of them below. In my opinion, these are some of the least-recognized and/or most underrated breweries in the state.
- Brick West Brewing—Spokane. Part of the city’s West End Brewery District, Brick West Brewing opened in 2020. It is a beautiful brewery and taproom with a beer garden that spills onto the neighborhood’s plaza. Community events and convivial beer drinking often share the space. Taproom serves food. 1318 W 1st Ave, Spokane, WA 99201.
- Logan Brewing—Burien. This brewery opened during the pandemic. It is located in downtown Burien and is part of the Town Square development. It’s a whole new Burien. The beers are always good and the taproom is usually bustling. I run into too many local beer lovers who don’t know about Logan yet. Fix that. It’s a beverage-only taproom with occasional food pop-ups. 510 SW 151st St, Burien, WA 98166.
- Project 9 Brewing—Seattle. This brewery opened in March 2023 and began serving the thirsty Roosevelt/Maple Leaf neighborhood. It’s in a great spot on a busy corner, and there’s a lovely beer garden out back. Parking can be a bit tricky, but do not let that scare you away. A food truck parked out front. 1409 NE 80th St, Seattle, WA 98115.
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- Salish Sea Brewing—Edmonds. The little downtown brewpub was always packed, so they expanded and opened a second location in 2020, taking over the space previously occupied by now-defunct American Brewing. They call it the Boathouse Tapoom and it’s a lovely place to enjoy beer and food. 180 W Dayton St Suite 102, Edmonds, WA 98020.
- Seapine Brewing—Seattle. Located in the city’s SoDo district, this super-cool brewery has been around for over a decade. Many folks are familiar with Seapine and its delicious beers, but if you haven’t visited the brewery and taproom, you should. One of my faves. Beverage-only taproom, no kitchen, and food trucks rarely. Very near Ghostfish Brewing and not too far from Fast Fashion Brewing. 2959 Utah Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134.
- Talking Cedar Brewing—Rochester (near Centralia). This is a large production brewery (and distillery) with a lovely pub/restaurant attached. The scale of the place will surprise first-time visitors. The beers are really good, even if you haven’t heard about them. 19770 Sargent Rd SW, Rochester, WA 98579.
- Victor 23 Craft Brewery—Vancouver. The brewery’s name is a rather obscure reference to a famous airline highjacking in the 1970s. Think, D.B. Cooper. Do some research and you’ll better understand the brewery’s name. Open since 2016. It’s a brewery taproom with a kitchen. 2905 St Johns Blvd #3718, Vancouver, WA 98661.
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