Top 5 Seattle Beer Hotels – Hipmunk City Love
Beer tourism is all the rage. Don’t believe me? Head to Belgium for a few days and visit its famed beer cafes and breweries. They are teeming with people from all over the world on holiday with one purpose in mind: to taste beer. With the growing craft beer industry in the United States, this trend has arrived on our shores, and Seattle is leading that charge. Here are five beer-centric hotels in Seattle to consider for your next beer vacation.
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Stay in Seattle’s Craft Beer Mecca of Ballard
What do Hale’s Ales, Hilliard’s Beer, NW Peaks Brewery, and Populuxe Brewery all have in common? They’re all located in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. In fact, these are just a few of the 10 breweries in the neighborhood. A stay at Hotel Ballard puts you within stumbling distance of these breweries, plus some of the Emerald City’s top gastropubs and taprooms. Beyond beer, Ballard is also close to attractions like the Ballard Locks and Golden Gardens.
Free Craft Beer Happy Hour
No, that isn’t a misprint. Hotel Max offers its guests free beer during happy hour. From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., guests can present their photo ID and hotel key card to the bartender and receive a free pint of local craft beer. (That means locals can’t sneak in for some gratis suds.) The hotel rotates its free beer offering regularly to allow guests to experience the wide range of options available in the Seattle beer market. The hotel is also dubbed Seattle’s most artistic hotel and is located right in the heart of downtown.
One of the Best Happy Hours in Seattle
Hotel Monaco’s happy hour keeps patrons buzzed for a whopping four hours at its bar, Sazerac. Monday through Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m., the bar offers drink specials on beer, wine, and craft cocktails. We’re not just talking three-dollar Bud Lights either, but five dollars for local craft beers. Plus, Chef Jason McClure has designed a special menu just for the happy hour crowd featuring tapas, brick oven pizzas, and sandwiches, many featuring fresh, local ingredients. After happy hour, beer travelers can then explore local brewpubs or retire to their room in one of downtown Seattle’s most luxurious hotels.
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Hotel-to-Brewery Brewing
You’ve heard of farm-to-fork and brewery-to-fork, but have you heard of hotel-to-brewery? Downtown Fairmont Olympic Hotel features Pike Brewing’s Olympic Honey Ale on tap at its restaurant Shuckers. The beer is brewed with honey made from beehives housed on the hotel’s rooftop. Shuckers is also one of Seattle’s oldest oyster bars. What doesn’t pair better with beer than oysters?
Because Washington is more than Just Craft Beer
Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing — evenwhen that thing is beer. A switch to wine is necessary, but you still want local. Hotel 1000’s BOKA Restaurant + Bar boasts a wine list that specializes in Northwest wineries. They also serve some of the best classic and creative hand-crafted cocktails in town alongside their West Coast inspired cuisine.
Go ahead and make that beer pilgrimage to Seattle! The town can boast that there is plenty to see, do, and drink!
What Beer Centric Hotel Have You Stayed At?
This article is part of the #HipmunkCityLove series.
Great article. Do you see this taking off in other locations in the United States?
I n my research I found a few hotels scattered around the US, but none clustered like this. I could predict Asheville, NC adopting it as beer has become a major part of the city.