Monday 9th of February 2009 12:32:11 AM

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The Beer selection I would say is just average for brewpubs. On a recent visit with our gang, I sampled several but settled on the Nut Brown ale as a very good presentation of that style. Others found the IPA quite acceptable. Their Terminator stout was a good example of coffee stouts, however they also had Terminator on nitro and it acquired a sour distasteful taste. Maybe its bad beer lines. The pale ale Hammerhead and the porter were also quite acceptable. The Ruby ale, I'd call a "foo-foo beer". Its billed as a rasberry ale. Not for me. The happy hour menu including spinach-artichoke dip and fries was very well done. Ther service was great, and in fact even though we arrived 20 minutes early for happy hour, our beers were not put into the system for payment until happy hour started. Without asking, yet.

the atmosphere was comfortable. All in all, worth a visit.

Tuesday 20th of January 2009 06:56:34 PM

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I can knock another McMenamins off the list. McMenamins has two styles either the old antique rebuild an old building and make it new and to a funky sty or they have the Strip mall look and they are all the same. Sorry to say this was the later. I wish it was something neat to see but it was not. I did have a pint and then it was time to cal an end to my brewery trip. Service just as all other McMenamins they can care less. The beers where decent and the food the same pub faire you find at all the others. I wish so bad they would step up the service and get rid of all the strip mall pubs they just are not the same. But it was another place to see and I have been there if in the area and in need of a beer it is a place to stop and you will not be disappointed they have good beer and decent food.

Wednesday 14th of May 2008 03:53:35 PM

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If you don't know about McMenamin's beer, hotels and clubs, you should.
They cover the Pacific NW from Seattle south to Roseburg in Southern Oregon with 55 brewpubs & hotels, 35 in the greater Portland area alone!
Not bad for a coupla of ex-hippie brothers who started with one pub in 1983. According to its own website, "older brother Mike, a recent Oregon State grad, recognized that Oregon's standing definition of a pub was stale. The local tavern scene -- dark, smoky, male-dominated and hard-drinking -- was a far cry from the all-age community pubs, cafes and piazzas that marked the landscape of Ireland, England, France and Italy. Over time, we've learned that what makes a good brewpub is the journey to get there."
And "fun" they said, was the key ingredient. After visiting all 88 brewpubs in Washington State (and getting ready to start in Oregon) I too have learned that the journey is fun...but the reward must also be a place of fun and, just as important, a feeling of community...and let me tell you, McMenamin's delivers.
I've tasted better beer in smaller pubs in even tinier towns...the axiom here being; the smaller the burg, the better the beer...but I've never discovered any place more infused with the spirit of family.
McMenamin's opens their arms and welcomes you as family for as long as you wish to hang around...and makes you sad to leave. The staff is trained well, the service impeccable, the history of the places fascinating.
This is, unfortunately not the most appealing McM's to be found in the greater Seattle area but still offers a full array of their beer and food...Terminator Stout, Ruby Ale, Hammerhead, Hefe and Porter.
Located in a strip mall (yet another one - when will THAT end?) in the upscale community of Mill Creek, a few miles from Everett, it makes a good "watering hole" if you're passing through...but do yourself a favor & commit to a drive into Seattle where McM's 6 Arms (downtown) and Dad Watson's (Fremont) just ooze character.
Regardless, you can't go wrong with any McMenamin's beer