Skookum Brewing – Arlington, WA

I saw Skookum -by DraughtE, 2010

It was the first day of spring and the sun was out, an ideal day to take a drive out in the country. Our destination was Skookum Brewing in Arlington, WA, a mere 44 miles north of Seattle. I was asked not to tell anybody about this gem, but it is just too good not to share.

After turning off the road, you drive a third of a mile on a gravel driveway, through pastures, and past their neighbor’s house. They ask that you obey the 10 MPH speed limit, and respect the neighbor’s privacy.   At the end of the drive, just past a stand of trees, you come to the beautiful cedar clad barn, house and brewery building.  On Friday and Saturday afternoons they open their tasting room to purchase pints to enjoy on premise, and growlers to go.   There are many picnic tables to sit and enjoy your beer out in the open air.  For the colder months they have a tent area setup with propane heaters.  They do not serve food, other than free pretzels, but they do allow you to bring your own. Dogs are always welcome.

Skookum Brewery -by DraughtE, 2010

This was our second time here.  We remembered it being something special, but were not quite sure it would be as good as the first time.  I’m happy to report that it was even better than we remembered. There is just something about sitting in the fresh air and enjoying good beer.  It’s kind of like camping, but you get to go home and sleep in your own bed.  Having the picnic tables encourages you to sit with and meet other folks.  We sat down at a table of frequent patrons, and struck up conversations about music and beer.  A couple of them were even former West Seattleites.  We encouraged them to come on down to Seattle and we’d show them a few of the newer South Seattle Breweries.

If the location wasn’t good enough, the beer certainly was. Lush C’s favorite was the Brown and Hairy;   a perfect medium bodied American Brown Ale that had a nice malty, chocolaty flavor and a dry finish.  She also savored the Woody’s Oak, but unfortunately was too engaged in the conversation to remember much about it.

From my few sips I liked the Brown and Hairy and Woody’s Oak as well.  The Olde Tom IPA was very good too. It was sweet and finished with a nice piney hop flavor. I thought it was a little too sweet to have more than one. Amber’s Hot Friend was very nice and well balanced, leaving you wanting more. The Hooskal Stout, from what I remember, was excellent.  I’ll have to go back to get a second taste.

Now that spring is upon us and summer is near, I’m sure Skookum is only going to get more popular. Hopefully their neighbors will follow the old adage “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”, so that we all can enjoy Skookum for years to come.

Cheers,

DraughtE

P.S. If you go, make sure you know who’s going to drive home, beforehand. The atmosphere makes it very easy for everyone to over indulge. Thanks Lush C for knowing when to say when, and staying within the limit.

the barn and house- by DraughtE, 2010

what's on tap - by DraughtE, 2010

the driveway -by DraughtE, 2010

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FTC Info:  The pretzels were free, but the beer was not. GoodBeerTrips is not affiliated with Skookum Brewing in any way.