Chucks is a vexing conundrum wrapped in a frustrating paradox. Is it one of the biggest bottle shops in Seattle? Absolutely. Is the tap room a great place to sit and enjoy a wide variety of tasty beers? Absolutely. Are the atmosphere and people tons of fun? For sure. Does their depth of selection tank if you're interested in anything besides sours and IPAs? You betcha! While I love going to Chuck's to sample and drink, I find it an extremely frustrating place to buy retail beer. One is overwhelmed by the sensation of being surrounded by thousands of bottles, all of which contain more or less the same beer. Would love it if they would devote a little more effort to plumbing some of the more obscure corners of the wide world of malt beverages. I understand that to some extent they are just at the mercy of the tastes of their PNW hop head overlords, but I feel like an iconic institution such as Chuck's should feel a little more confident trying to...
Read moreAwesome place! Not just for beer lovers; it's a cider lovers paradise too! They have several ciders and over 2 dozen beers on a rotating tap plus 1000s of different bottle for you to buy and try. You can enjoy them there or take them home. Best variety I have seen in Seattle. Great atmosphere, typically! A different food truck everyday(although the food truck ran out of food before 9pm last time). You can bring the doggies along, which is fantastic! Unfortunately, you can bring your kids, too, which surprises me for an all-alcohol establishment. Wish it was 21+ because the amount of kids can be ridiculous, like "we had the play group meet at Chuck's Hop Shop instead of the playground" ridiculous. No one minds a place full of dogs, kids on the other hand... I get it, parents need to drink too(probably more than others and justifiably so), but don't ruin it for the rest of us. This is an alcohol establishment with a patio, not a...
Read moreUnique old garage atmosphere, dark and dirty with somewhat community seating. There are many beers on tap which super fun at order time. The staff is happy to pour samples and is prepared for the asks. However, the samples are so small that they are worthless unless you are a tasting pro or just trying to distinguish between a stout and a Pilsner. If your whole existance is varieties in tap beers, samples are part of the business. Embrace that and ensure customer experience is part of the package. Every time I get samples, I get the rushed feeling. Here's your 2 drop sample, suck it down and give me your order. I come here for the ~40 beer tap selection; it's part of the fun! Sampling adds to the experience and prices are high enough that I want to enjoy my beers.
I like dinner with my beers and the food trucks are mostly good, but one is always limited to that one truck. The location doesn't lend itself to...
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