Fall Fulminations

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

Ongoing conflicts around the globe – 2021

(Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and the video at the end of the post and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post. #1)

“Fulmination” is defined as “a vehement objection or protest.“ Normally, autumn is my favorite time of year – football, beautiful weather and spirit of optimism and community before the winter rains in the Northwest.

Yet with the state of global events, US politics, earthquakes and climate disasters and it seems – every headline – one wants to scream in protest, especially for the terrible conditions faced by the citizens in Israel, Palestine and the Ukraine to name just a few.

So remembering that a blog about bars and breweries seems trite and maybe inappropriate in light of this turmoil, I offer my fervent prayers for all affected by these issues and will try distracting with some light-hearted topics.

Although fall is rapidly fading away and the holidays are imminent, here are a few issues I want to address – in some cases to gripe and others to offer thanks and share my appreciation.

But First…..

While this is a blog about bars and breweries and the meanderings of my cranium, it behooves me to offer this word of caution as we enter the holiday season.

So take the advice of a slogan in the front of one of my favorite dive bars – Lumpy’s Landing in Dundee, Oregon: (#2 – #3)

Lumpys2

An Apparent Incongruity?

After back fusion surgery in 2022, I underwent very good physical therapy at Advance Sports and Spine Therapy in Wilsonville, Oregon for several months. Everything was then fine until this September, when in preparation for our forthcoming move, I pulled some tires out of our crawl space and messed up something.

So I returned and my Physical Therapist, Jeff Cox, did his usual good job of getting me “back” to where I was before I got stupid! As I was waiting in the reception area before my final visit, I was glancing at a brochure entitled, “What You Can Do to Prevent Falls.”

It was a sunny, autumn day and I looked up and saw the following poster by the reception window and laughingly said to the wonderful receptionist, “Joselyn, do you really think that sign is appropriate for a Physical Therapy Clinic?”

Photo Nov 02 2023, 9 16 16 AM

Joselyn, shook her head and replied, “Don, you’re the first person who has ever asked that question.” Jeff overheard the dialogue as he came out to get me, smiled and said, “Well, maybe that is a good business development strategy!”

And Speaking of Falls……

Those following this blog since its inception in 2011 know that I’m an Oregon State University grad (Class of ’70) and love Beaver Athletics. It’s interesting – especially during football season since my wife, Janet, is a University of Oregon Duck and my older daughter, Lisa, and her husband are both of Husky ilk – he a third-generation University of Washington grad.

My Fall Fulminations are heightened as I am appalled and saddened with the “Fall” of the PAC 12 Athletic Conference. Known as the Conference of Champions, it has won more NCAA national championships in team sports than any other conference in history. (#4)

It’s moniker is now the PAC 2, since all the schools other than Oregon State and Washington State have abandoned it for other Power 5 Conferences. Fortunately, the two schools were granted a preliminary injunction in Washington State Superior Court.

The judge ruled that they were now the sole voting members of the Pac-12’s governing board and granted full control of the Conference’ assets and how its revenue for the 2023-24 school year will be divided. That decision is temporarily held in abeyance as the Washington Supreme Court issued a temporary stay of the preliminary injunction last week.

I’m not unduly bitter about the decision of the other schools, but disgusted that this demise could have been delayed or more likely never occurred if the PAC 12 Board of Governors (University Presidents) had instead, exerted reasonable control over former Commissioner Larry Scott who commenced his tenure in July, 2009.

But they sat placidly by and totally acquiesced until they fired him in 2020 as he overspent, including shifting the Pac-12 offices into a multi-story building in San Francisco that cost conference members a total of $92 million in rent over 11 years – a rate significantly higher than that of other Power 5 conference headquarters. The staffing organization he left behind was in a shambles.

Our boy Larry was new to college athletics except for being captain of the Harvard Tennis Team in 1986. Before coming to the Pac 12, he was the CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association.

His gamble to form the independent Pac-12 Network, which failed to gain distribution nationally and in assorted cable markets was his worst mistake. All this while they paid him an exorbitant salary. According to Awful Announcing.com:

“Scott’s compensation varied over time, starting at $1.9 million annually but reaching more than $4 million by his fifth year and more than $5 million by his ninth year…..” (#4 – #5)

His successor, George Kliavkoff, who like Scott, had no college sports experience, failed to remedy the problems and muffed TV negotiations which dealt the final blow. (#7)

But I Digress – Let’s Celebrate the Beaver History!

Oregon Historical Society Exhibit

My fondness for Beaver Teams was “kicked off” in my sophomore year when I watched what would become known as the fabled 1967 Oregon State Giant Killers knock off an OJ Simpson led USC Trojan Team – rated number one in the nation – on a dreary 1967 fall day in Corvallis.

I paid tribute to them in this post: https://thebeerchaser.com/2018/05/20/the-1967-osu-giant-killers-beerchasers-of-the-quarter-part-i/ (#8)

gkwebsitewelcomeheader

My OSU classmates will never forget that day and the inspirational Beaver record that year under iconic Coach Dee Andros (the Great Pumpkin) was historic.

I was fortunate to live in the Oregon State SAE fraternity with eleven members of that team. (Larry Rich, Don Whitney, Roger Cantlon, Duane Barton, Jess Lewis, Jim Blackford, Don Welch, Chris Wahle, Clyde Smith and Jim Scheele.)

And the Beav’s positive history with USC continued over the years (albeit a bit exaggerated in comparison to 1967) by The Oregonian when the banner headline on the September 26, 2008 Sports Page shouted “Giant Killers III.”

This was after the Beavers beat No. 1 rated USC 27 to 21 at Reser Stadium. The accompanying article also asserted that Giant Killers II was the October 28, 2006 game in Corvallis when OSU beat the third-rated Trojans 33 to 31.

I was at that game thirty-nine years after the Beavs toppled the No 1 Trojans the first time). (#9 – #10) https://www.oregonlive.com/behindbeaversbeat/2008/09/the_giant_killers_times_3.html

The Huskies

Unfortunately, my efforts to prove to my daughter and son-in-law, Jamie, that the Beavs are superior to the Huskies have been far less productive – both at Reser Stadium and Husky Stadium. (Note the score in the picture below when we attended at Reser.)

The gridiron facility was completely renovated from 2011-13, with Jamie’s Dad, Jon Magnusson and his team from the Magnusson Klemencic firm doing the structural engineering work. (They were also key players in the 2023 renovation of Reser.)

The Civil War

The “Civil War” – the 127th meeting of the Ducks and the Beavers played today, may be the last time this rivalry game is played. Next year is somewhat doubtful as the only potential date would involve a Duck buyout of Boise State.

As stated at the beginning of a wonderful book by the five-time winner of the Oregon Sportswriter of the Year Award, Kerry Eggers entitled, The Civil War Rivalry – Oregon vs Oregon State:

“Thirty-five years after Oregon reached statehood and fewer than 30 years after the end of the Great War between the Union and Confederate States, the University of Oregon and Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) met on the gridiron on a sawdust field in front of 500 curious observers….The Farmers beat the Lemon-Yellows 16 to 0…that cold, wet November day in 1894.”

This historic rivalry – one of college football’s oldest – has provided many hours of great banter in the family, at the law firm where I worked and with friends across the country. (#11 – #12)

And Finally

As I fulminate on the probable loss – or at least the diminution – of this great tradition, I’ll leave you with my favorite Civil War joke and hope the 16th-rated Beavs pull off the upset over the No. 6 Quackers later today. (#13)

Happy Holidays!

10874_1037318829623529_4694361351467837585_n

Albert Einstein arrives at a party in Eugene and introduces himself to to the first person he sees and asks, “What is your IQ,” to which the man answers, “241.” “Wonderful,” says Albert, ” We will discuss the Grand Unification Theory and the mysteries of the universe.”

Next, he introduces himself to a woman and inquires, “What is your IQ,” to which the woman replies, ” 207.” “That’s great,” said the physicist, “We can discuss politics and the scientific implications of world affairs. We’ll have much to discuss.”

He approaches a third person and asks, “What is your IQ,” to which the guy holding a beer, answers, “51.” Einstein ponders this for a micro-second and says, “Go Ducks!” (#9)

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:Ongoing conflicts around the world in 2021.svg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: wikimedia 9 July 2021.

#2. Lumpy’s Landing Facebook Page (Facebook).

#3. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thinkinag_woman.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Xuan Zheng – 11 October 2009.

#4. Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Pac12logo.png) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Ryanishungry – 9 October 2022.

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tennis_racket_-_The_Noun_Project.svg) The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law. James Keuning – 18 December 2017.

#6. Linked In site for George KIiavkoff) (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kliavkoff/overlay/photo/).

#7. Oregon Historical Society.

#8 – #10. Jud Blakely (https://vimeo.com/1552809)

#11. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BennyBeaverPhoto.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Flickr user “VRC Jeremy” – 2 March 2008.

*12. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Duck#/media/File:The_Oregon_Duck_.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Ray Terrill – 19 November 2011.

#13. (https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/11962755238966344/) Fernanda Gomes saved to Christmas – http://pbs.twimg.com)

Stride-for-Stride with Seattle Brew?

Posted on June 18, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

800px-Rainier_and_Olympic_Beers_(1895)_(ADVERT_408)

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. External photo attribution at the end of the post. (#1 – #3)

Nostalgia…

When I started Thebeerchaser blog in 2011, the goal was to visit and review bars and breweries just in the Portland metropolitan area. I figured with hundreds to choose, I would have new options for years. However, we started traveling in retirement…

Janet and I could not resist the allure of watering holes throughout the State of Oregon and then when we took some road trips – across the country. We even hit a few, as you can see from the photos below, in our 2013 Rick Steve’s Best of Europe Tour where we visited six countries in twenty-one days.

These included the Devils Forest Pub and Bacaro Jazz in Venice, Amsterdam’s historic Café Karpershoek and the Horner Pub in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.

We can’t forget the Miscellanea Pub in Rome and one of our favorites – Hell’s Tavern (Zur Höll) in Rautenberg, Germany – as one reviewer stated, “I didn’t think Hell would be so awesome!”

Others included the Publican Pub in Beaune, France and in Vernazza, Italy (The Cinque’ Terra) – the Blue Marlin Bar..

So I abandoned the logo that Teresa Lovegren, my former assistant, so generously provided when I started Beerchasing and prevailed upon my fraternity brother and friend of almost sixty years, Jud Blakely, to design a new logo.

Jud’s great effort has stood the test of time although my hair color has changed slightly.

But in reminiscing recently, I realized that although I’ve visited and reviewed over 400 watering holes, throughout the USA, only a handful of those have been in my neighboring state – Washington.

Perhaps one reason is my older daughter, Lisa and her husband, Jamie, who live in Lake Forest Park have two beautiful granddaughters and although Beerchasing is an avid pursuit, it would never replace time we can spend seeing these two little angels.

On one of our trips in 2012, before the granddaughters came along, we visited The Pour House in Port Townsend and then not another pub in the Evergreen State until 2016 when we stopped at the Ice Harbor Brewery in Kennewick on the way to a wedding in Coeur d’Alene.

Then a three-year lapse until a visit to the Loowit Brewery in downtown Vancouver – right across the Columbia River from Portland.

I was with my retired colleague “General” Larry Paulson, who I first met as a lawyer when we both worked in the Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt firm. He then served with distinction as the Executive Director of the Port of Vancouver when we

We affectionally called him “General” because he also had a career and retired as a Brigadier General in the Oregon Air National Guard. (#4 – #5)

Assuming you’re still with me on this Beerchase down Memory Lane, fast forward to a trip in the fall of 2019 when we visited Lisa and her family. Her husband, Jamie, his brother, Rob and dad, Jon and I hit the historic Caroline Tavern and then had dinner at Elliot Bay Brewery’s Lake City Pub. (#6)

2019-07-22 20.10.07

I finished that trip the next night with a memorable visit to Daphne’s in Edmonds in which I got to meet the legendary bartender, Desmond van Rensberg.

The bar is a hole-in-wall, but Desmond’s personality radiates and seems to expand the structure! (#7 – #9)

Coming out of COVID

Jump ahead four years and the full-scale resumption of Beerchasing after the pandemic waned. Another Seattle trip provided an opportunity to visit two new establishments.

The granddaughters were both in school, so it didn’t interfere with my time to visit them and see a swim meet, a piano recital and marvel at their wonderful personalities.

As happens on a number of occasions, the enjoyment of spending time with my Beerchasing companions heightened the discovery of a new bar or brewery – in this case Salish Sea Brewing Pub in Edmonds and Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar in Bothell.

Salish Sea Brewing

Salish Sea Brewing is owned by a husband and wife team – Jeff and Erika Barnett who started their enterprise in 2013 and were foresighted when they purchased American Brewery.

They acquired a competitor brewery and taproom including brewing equipment – a short distance away in Edmonds – in 2021 American struggled during the pandemic.

“The purchase of American was made possible by Salish Sea’s ability to navigate the pandemic. The brewery’s downtown location resulted in regular walk-up business and, despite having a limited distribution network, Salish Sea made use of 32-ounce mason jars to sell beer-to-go.”

The brewing equipment was moved down the street to what is now the Salish Sea Boathouse near Edmond’s picturesque waterfront. (#10 – #11)

The brewpub was very pleasant and it’s obvious from the reviews and just observing, that they have built a loyal community in and around Edmonds. Dawn, our friendly server, told us about a running club which uses the pub as a base and it is definitely family oriented.

I was there with my colleague on the Board of the Abbey Foundation of Oregon, Rex Wardlaw who lives in Edmonds although he and his wife migrate to Kona for most of the bad weather months in Washington – a good portion of the year.

I didn’t eat but Rex had a great looking green salad and we split a gigantic soft pretzel ($11). Salish has a good varied menu of moderately priced pub food ranging from soups, salads, burgers, flatbreads and standbys such as Fish & Chips and Mac & Cheese in addition to a nice kid’s menu.

Photo May 24 2023, 2 36 40 PM

I didn’t bother to write down the specific beers either of us had, but we were able to choose from eleven of Salish’s own beers and both of us enjoyed our drafts.

As was the case with my Beerchasing companion the next day at lunch, I always learn a lot from just listening to Rex who had a remarkable career in investment banking and wealth management – one reason he is now Chair of the Abbey’s Investment Committee which manages its endowment fund.

He ran his own investment research and consulting company for ten years after retiring as managing director/portfolio manager at Wells, US Trust and then First Republic.

Rex attended NW Nazarene Collège and then earned his MBA at the University of Oregon. (#12 – #16)

And Rex’s self demands are not modest. For example, in 2015, he successfully completed the Swiss Jura Challenge on a 4000 feet of daily climbing.

Rex is a man of faith – he also completed two pilgrimages – hiking the Portuguese Caminho from Lisbon to Santiago, Spain in 2018.

He followed with the Via Francigena Pilgrimage from Canterbury, UK to Roma, Italia in 2022 – solo hiking the first 560 miles of the VF, a pilgrimage route incorporating parts of the ancient Roman Road across France and Switzerland.

As we were leaving the brewpub, Rex asked me if I wanted to go for a twenty-mile jog to work off our beer and pretzel. I politely demurred…

Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar

When Jon Magnusson asked me if I wanted to go to lunch at Stack 571 in Bothell, I was curious about the derivation of the name. A bit of internet searching revealed that it’s named after the ASARCO smokestack – once the world’s largest which had an interesting demise according to Historylink.org.

“At 12:40 p.m. on January 17, 1993, demolition experts collapse the landmark American Smelter and Refining Company (ASARCO) smokestack as part of a Superfund toxic cleanup of the old copper smelter in Ruston.

As many as 100,000 people gather to witness the detonation that, with one push of a plunger, sets off charges that in eight seconds reduces the structure to rubble and dust.” (#17)

2_DMDHPA_asarco

I wondered why the bar’s President and Operating Partner, Attila Szabo, chose that symbol for the name of his new venture in 2016.

(Further searching revealed that it is because their burgers are “stacked” or tall). They have five locations including Vancouver, WA and emphasize organic, free-range and locally sourced ingredients.

Just as Rex Wardlaw’s intellect and experience is worth noting, my older daughter’s father-in-law always makes a very stimulating dining companion.

While Jon ate one of the Stack’s good cheeseburgers (single patty…) I had a chicken sandwich with what I assume was a diminutive chicken. The French fries and onion rings were delicious, although I don’t know under what conditions they were grown.

Jon Magnusson is now a Senior Principal with the Magnusson Klemencic Associates structural engineering firm which he joined in 1976 and:

“….advanced to CEO, and ultimately Chairman of the Board, a role he held for 18 years. Now a Senior Principal, Jon has been structural engineer-in-charge for over $2.5 billion of construction in the last 10 years alone.

He has worked on projects in 47 states and 49 countries, including major sports stadiums, healthcare facilities, signature convention centers, and high-rise buildings.

Over the course of his career, Jon has been an invited speaker for over 240 presentations and participated in more than 100 media interviews.”

Jon also donates a lot of time and travels extensively for professional associations. He’s a second generation Washington Husky (both his son and my daughter share the same alma mater) and we always enjoy talking about the Pac12.

The one football game I attended with him in Seattle (in the renovated and expanded Husky Stadium that his firm managed as they did when it expanded in 1982), the Huskies clobbered my Beavers.

This was also the case when son, Jamie, and I attended the same rivalry in 2019 in Reser Stadium in Corvallis. (Jon’s firm also did the work on the expansion and improvement of Reser at OSU last year.) (#18 – #21)

The MKS portfolio includes NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, MLB, and collegiate projects where they have provided engineering services to 56 major facilities.

These include Safeco Field and Lumen Field in Seattle as well as Hayward Stadium in Eugene, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (Home of the 49’ers and Guangzhou International Arena in China to name a few.

Stack 571 had about fifteen beers on tap including three of their own although they say nothing about their brewing capabilities on their website.

But what intrigued Jon and me is the claim that their selection of whiskeys exceeds 100 although the sign at Bothell indicated 179! The availability of a “Whiskey Passport “ may merit a return trip(s). (#22 – #23)

Since there was still time before the granddaughters got home from school, Jon asked if I wanted to come over and review the engineering stress equation (σ =F/A0). I politely demurred….

In closing…

I started this long post with some nostalgia including three historic images of Seattle breweries that were a mainstay during my college years – Rainer and Olympia.

I realized that my Beerchasing adventures in Washington and more specifically, Seattle, have lacked energy and will do my best in the future to stay “Stride-for-Stride with Seattle Brew.” (#24)

750px-Seattle_Slew

External Photo Attribution

#1. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Olympia Beer (1906) (ADVERT 444).jpeg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928. Author: Olympia Brewing Co. 8 May 1906.

#2. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Rainier and Olympic Beers (1895) (ADVERT 408).jpeg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928. Author: Seattle Brewing and Malting Co. 18 May 1895.

#3. Public Doman – Wikimedia Commons (File:Rainier Beer (1903) (ADVERT 65).jpeg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928. Author: Seattle Brewing and Malting Co. 19 December 1903

#4. The Columbian (https://www.columbian.com/news/2012/apr/29/port-of-vancouver-paulson-pleased-with-what-hes-le/?print) 29 April 2012.

#5. Oregon Live (https://www.oregonlive.com/clark-county/2011/03/port_of_vancouver_head_larry_paulson_will_retire_next_year

_deputy_named_next_executive_director.html)

#6. Caroline Tavern Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057254417974&sk=photos).

#7. Facebook Desmond Facebook https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=363412525792143&set=pb.100063701944401.-2207520000.&type=3

#8. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3800244813342206&set=pb.100063701944401.-2207520000. exterior

#9. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=398421555624573&set=pb.100063701944401.-2207520000.&type=3 interior

.#10. Facebook – Salish Sea Brewing (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=708879491245450&set=pb.100063702153820.-2207520000).

# 11. Facebook – Salish Sea Brewing (https://www.facebook.com/SalishSeaBrewingCompany/photos/pb.100063702153820.-2207520000./1877741669009209/?type=3

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jura_Mountains#/media/File:Juragebirge.JPG) This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that “NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted”. Author: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC 22 October 2002.

#13. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trek_820_(9518781581).jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: order_242 from Chile 3 August 2013.

#14. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Way#/media/File:Caminos_Santiago_actuales.svg) By Paulusburg – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74883466.

#15. Wikimedia Commons (map) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Francigena#/media/File:VF_Ruta_completa_con_principales_poblaciones.svg.) By Paulusburg – Own work con los datos proporcionados por Cristina Menghini [1]; Switzerland Mobility [2] y AEVF [3], CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45235532.

#16. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Francigena#/media/File:Via-Francigena-Signposts-In-Italy-2012.jpg) By Bjørn Christian Tørrissen – Own work by uploader, http://bjornfree.com/galleries.html, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23161344

#17. Washington Department of Ecology – Ruston Smoke Stack (http://(https://www.historylink.org/File/8744)

#18. – #19. Magnusson Klemencic Website (https://www.mka.com/people/)

#20. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Husky_Rugby_Club_at_University_of_Washington.png) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Will.Wheaton.Rugby.Arch 22 January 2022.

# 21. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_Washington_Block_W_logo_RGB_brand_colors.SVG ) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928. Author: University of Washington 1902.

#22. – #23 Stack 571 Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10100790612460240&set=br.Abr-8zKssI_mhXble6zBKuoRiIiSOQqkUegvw5UcOldoULcofb7Pegw)

24. Wikimedia Commons (File:Seattle Slew.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Pawneese 7 September 2015.

Sweet Caroline…..

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

The Magnusson crew and Thebeerchaser in front of the Caroline Tavern in Seattle

My Beerchasing exploits – visiting over 350 bars since starting this hobby in 2011, have taken me to only two previous Washington establishments – the Pour House in Port Townsend in 2012 and a recent review of Loowit Brewing in Vancouver, Washington.

The opportunity to have beers with three members of the wonderful Magnusson clan in Seattle, provided the motivation to add another. My affection for Jon, Jamie and Rob Magnusson is well founded since Jamie (with the baseball cap below) is one of my two son-in-laws – also because they are wonderful and interesting individuals.

Now married for twelve years, Jamie met my oldest daughter, Lisa, while both were students at the University of Washington. All three of the guys are Huskies – a long family tradition with football season tickets going back about sixty years.

Jon’s structural engineering firm – Magnusson Klemencic Associates did the engineering work on the revised Husky Stadium several years ago. In fact MKA is recognized as one of the top five sports facility engineering firms in the US and their portfolio reflects NFL, NBA, MLS, MLB and collegiate projects.

Safeco Field in Seattle – home of the Mariners and site of innovative structural engineering

Some preliminary research on north Seattle dive bars to find one near Lake Forest Park – where they all reside – yielded a compelling choice – The Caroline Tavern in nearby Lake City. It was listed in a Google search on “Ten Seattle dive bars “with a good reputation” (although those two words may be a contradiction in terms).

“A bustling hangout place for a cross-section of ages, ethnic groups as well as subcultures..” (We were probably part of the subculture category.)

On my second visit – in the morning – it was not a good cross section…..

How many dive bars look like this on the exterior?

And this historic bar was, in fact, a great choice which we all enjoyed (as was the case at the Lake City site of the Elliot Bay Brewery where we had dinner afterwards). That said, since I claim some background on what constitutes a dive bar, I question whether the Caroline fits neatly into that description as discussed below.

The following excerpt about the Caroline is from a wonderful blog I discovered doing subsequent research. I say “wonderful” because Seattlebar.org has the same mission as my own – Thebeerchaser – only my journey pales compared to blogger, Pete Andrejeski‘s, exploits in the pursuit of this worthy goal..

Douglas – she makes her mark on the Parallel Bars versus Dives……

This Seattle resident has had a drink in 3,840 bars of which 1,6049 are Seattle watering holes. Now there are some that say Thebeerchaser’s 350+ visits and reviews over the last eight years is notable, but equating the two blogs is like comparing Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas to a kid on the jungle gym at a local playground….

Pete stated in his post on the Caroline:

“There is no doubt that the Caroline is one of the 20 to 30 oldest bars in Seattle. The Caroline itself includes mentions of a start date in 1933. (probably at another location until 1940) In the late 30s and early 40s the Caroline was owned by Mrs. Mary McNulty. “

Actually, the bar’s written history provided to me by Sarah, our friendly bartender, starts with the following historical narrative:

Sarah – a friendly bartender who knows the history of her bar

“There are references to the Caroline Tavern as early as 1926, with only four owners for the entire history, but city records indicate that Mary McNulty was the owner of record in 1933…….legend has it that she named it after her cat or her aunt, but there is a picture of Mary in the bar to this day and she is holding a cat.

The current building was constructed before Prohibition. Mary eventually sold the bar to Jack Kelly for one dollar. Pictures of Jack in fifty year increments are featured at the bar as well. Mr. Kelly was a boxer, hence the bell from a boxing ring in the bar now, which is rung when the house buys a round……Legend has it that Will Rogers and Wiley Post ate and drank there after playing polo at the Olympic Riding and Driving Club.”

The Bell is still rung when the house buys a drink – in the upper right

As stated above, the Caroline was listed in Google as a dive bar and a number of the social media reviews also describe it as a dive.

That said, while there may not be a distinct dividing line, between what constitutes a dive versus a neighborhood watering hole, I offer this background on dives from one of my earlier blog posts: https://thebeerchaser.com/2011/09/18/analyzing-dive-bars-head-first/

Unlike the typical dive bars I have visited the Caroline is in a wonderful, large old house with an attractive front entry.

The Ship in Multnomah Village

Now compare this with two of Portland’s fabled dives – the Ship Tavern in Multnomah Village and the Yamhill Pub – right in downtown Portland and known for being one of the top sellers of PBR in the State of Oregon.

The Yamhill – Dive or Grunge Bar??

I would suggest that one would never see two life-size wooden nutcrakers “guarding” the entrance to a hard-core dive bar. Take a look at these two right inside the front door.

(No one at the bar when I was there could tell me the story of how these two festive “soldiers” became permanent fixtures at the Caroline, but I doubt you will see another dive with this type of décor).

Not to get too carried away with trying to pigeonhole this bar, but three other factors that argue for the “neighborhood” bar category:

1. Sitting on a shelf right below the large screen TV in corner were three VCR and one DVD movies as shown in the picture below. Now, I don’t know if the VCR even worked, but tell me a dive bar where one would have ever seen videos starring Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen or Victor Herbert’s “Naughty Marietta.”

2. The Caroline was only the third bar in which I have seen a coin-operated breathalyzer. Perhaps this is making an inferential leap, but I think this reflects a concern for patrons and the surrounding community verses a more laissez faire approach typical of dive bars.

3. The Caroline keeps track of the birthdays of regulars and posts these. I didn’t have time to check to whether that meant that you should buy “Baby Ryan” a Budweiser when you are there in October or whether the bar provides a complimentary draft, but it’s a nice touch.

Now, whereas one should avoid generalizations, dive bar regulars, while generally not hostile to newcomers as is the stereotype, tend to stick to themselves, play pool or ignore strangers. The Caroline seems to defy this image – in fact, according to Pete:

“(On the patio in back) we found two large, circular porch tables surrounded by outdoor, plastic chairs. It was quite clear that these were communal tables. Our addition to the deck, upon first appearance, seemed to bring the group count to 4. 4 groups, 2 tables…this is the kind of place where you grab a chair right next to a stranger and join in the conversation.

Patio in back

It wasn’t long until we were ‘welcome[d] home’ by the regulars. It seems that this is a traditional phrase at The Caroline. “Welcome home”. To say the very least, home was quite an experience.(emphasis supplied)

We chatted with a bricklayer who was drinking Busch Light, a carpenter who was sipping on Jagermeister and pounding bottles of Bud, a rapper and producer who, well I don’t know what the hell he was intoxicated with, and the list goes on… We had entered a very diverse world of locals, who all seemed to know each other in some way or another. Well, they knew each other as regulars at The Caroline, and it was quite a social experiment to enter the pack.

I still walked away with a fond feeling of family and community — something that is becoming more and more rare in the big city. “

I experienced this aspect to some extent myself on my second visit on a weekday morning at 10 AM when I found the bar stools all occupied by hard core regulars – a number of whom were chasing their beers with Bushmills or Jamesons.

After taking a few photos I was invited to join Ashley and Phil, who were sitting at a side bar and when I told them about my blog, started filling me on other stories from the Caroline. They were nice people.

Ashley and Phil – personable regulars

And finally, to bring this issue to a close, one has to be careful to draw conclusions from social media review sites such as Yelp or Trip Advisor, yet they can be edifying if one looks at trends identified and in the context of other research.

So take these two excerpts from Yelp reviews on 3/21/19 and 11/23/18 respectively:

“Came in to enjoy a drink and play pool with a buddy who comes here often. The people were friendly the drinks were very reasonably priced and someone even brought over some salty snacks (I think it was another customer but gives you a idea of the vibe here) the guys playing pool here we’re some of the best I ever seen extremely friendly giving me advice on how to better my game.

Had a great time if you want to have a good drink with friendly people that u can’t go wrong here.”

Sarah relating some of the history of the bar.

And

“We walked in and you can tell right away this is a locals kinda joint were there are a lot of regulars. They were doing a pot-luck style thanksgiving with the pool table transformed into a makeshift table….We were warmly greeted by the regulars there and overall this seems like a really cool place to grab some drinks….”

The pool table, a few old-fashioned pinball machines and open space with tables adjoining the bar, make it a comfortable atmosphere.

Perhaps it was because I enjoyed the companionship of the Magnussons at this bar, but the Caroline, regardless of whether one’s opinion of what type of bar it is, is a great place to stop, have one of inexpensive beers on tap, get a salty snack and enjoy the refreshing vibe and ambiance and be “Welcomed Home.”

Now I found the Caroline after some cursory internet research, unlike the questionable intellect of the Yelp reviewer below from 4/27/15 (and one who affirms my point about being careful about over-reliance on social media).

Perhaps this guy (he goes by the name “Kris Loudmouth T”) needs to just stay home and watch old reruns of “Full House,” rather than exploring the big world outside…..

“It’s almost like they don’t want new customers. It took me 20 years to find out the name of this place…” (emphasis added)

Since the selection of food at the Caroline is limited and we were hungry, we decided to hit the nearby Lake City Pub of Elliot Bay Brewing – a nice pub, but not with the same character is our previous stop.

That said, the special that night – “fully loaded chipotle carnitas nachos” was memorable and we went home with appetites more than satisfied and cholesterol elevated.

(Jon Magnusson did some calculations to determine the static load of this Happy-Hour offering to determine if the plate would sustain the mass presented by the edibles it supported. His conclusion was that it would – at least for the moment……)

The Caroline Tavern 13702 15th Ave NE #3102 Seattle