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)
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.
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)
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)
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.
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