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These New Craft Beer Boat Cruises Are So Seattle

A craft beer on the water may just be the key to summertime happiness.

Fremont-brew-cruise-pic

If there’s anything quintessentially Seattle summertime it’s enjoying a craft beer—on a boat. And while it’s illegal to drink and drive your own vessel (whether that’s a yacht or a kayak), we’ve found three opportunities for beer-themed local cruises:

Fremont Brew Cruise
You’ve likely heard about the Sunday Ice Cream Cruise on Lake Union, even if you’ve never had the pleasure in joining one. But starting in May, Captain Larry Kezner is now taking his boat The Fremont Avenue out for weekday happy hour cruises as well, and the price is almost laughably affordable: $20 buys you an hour and a half (5:15-6:45 p.m.) on the water, plus your first drink. They’re serving exclusively Fremont Brewing beers, wine and some cheap snacks, too. Dogs are welcome. Reservations are required—go online to make ‘em. And while this is made for summer, the idea of a cozy winter cruise and twinkling city skyline sounds pretty amazing. 

Waterways Cruises
Pike Brewing Company is the name of the game here, and on July 28, Waterways is hosting a three-course dinner paired with four different Pike beers. The captain will narrate the sights around Lake Union and Lake Washington while you compare tasting notes. Tickets are $70, and reservations are required. (Keep tabs on the calendar for future dates.)

UnCruise Adventures
For beer lovers who want a grander experience than just our Seattle waterways, UnCruise offers a seven-night beer-themed tour from Seattle through the San Juans. You’ll paddleboard, kayak and skiff—clearly this is largely about adventuring and not just taking a relaxing booze break on the water—and maybe even see a whale or two. In October, brewers Nate and Becca Schons (of Island Hoppin’ Brewery on Orcas Island) and Jack Lamb (of Aslan Brewing Co. in Bellingham) will be aboard to talk beers and pairings; if you can wait until April, you can head out with Robyn Schumacher (of Stoup Brewing). This one’s not cheap: rates start at $2,095, but they’re all-inclusive. 

Opening Night: Is Ethan Stowell’s Cut Club Happy Hour Going to Solve the Affordability Crisis?

Opening Night: Is Ethan Stowell’s Cut Club Happy Hour Going to Solve the Affordability Crisis?

At Cut Club, the longtime Seattle restaurateur is going old-school, with steaks made for sharing, no service charges, and a happy hour where $12 still buys dinner. 

Cut Club, the new steakhouse inside downtown’s Hotel Max, feels like a restaurant from the not-too-distant past. The menu leans comfortable rather than ambitious or world-spanning. It serves a typical lineup of steak cuts, some traditional sides like oysters, prawn cocktail, and wedge salad, and some cocktails that are between $15 and $20. There’s a…

Outside the Box: Gourmondo Founder Launches Olivina

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Alissa Leinonen’s new venture brings her seasonal, Northwest approach to weddings, milestone celebrations, and elevated events.

After 30 years, Alissa Leinonen—founder of renowned catering and box-lunch company, Gourmondo—has launched a new venture. Called Olivina, the new luxury catering and events company focuses on highly personalized, elevated experiences ranging from weddings or other milestone celebrations to corporate gatherings. What started with $4,000 from a refinanced car (and a tiny café in Pike…

7 Washington Fall Festivals Worth the Drive

7 Washington Fall Festivals Worth the Drive

Autumn is back. Celebrate with fresh-hop beer, apple harvests, returning salmon, cranberries, and more. 

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Restaurant Roundup: Brunch With a Side of History, Cardamom Lattes, and Chiew Chiew

Restaurant Roundup: Brunch With a Side of History, Cardamom Lattes, and Chiew Chiew

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Hope you’re hungry for a history lesson. Oliver’s, the cocktail lounge inside downtown’s Mayflower Park Hotel, was a Bartell Drugs store during Prohibition before becoming the city’s first hotel bar in the late 1940s—the Carousel Room, named for the carousel horses hung from the ceiling. When Washington repealed the rule forbidding the service of hard…