April 19, 2012 [ Updated April 29, 2012 ]
Dig the location and the interior; perfect for people watching on a sunday afternoon, since the farmer’s market is right there. Pick three tapas for 12 bucks - deal. Beer selection is above average, proper glassware.

January 15, 2012
This place has a fantastic tap list and great food. Great atmosphere and I love the feel. Brand new and going to be a force in the Beer tap world. I will be back.

August 6, 2011
I really dig the vibe of this place. Cozy and casual, loft-style. Quality tap-list of regional brews. At first the prices seemed steep. ALmost everything was $6+ but you get imperial pints. There’s a little library wall of hiking books and hiking maps. Very pacific northwest. One peculiar thing is that I saw an employee clean the bathrooms like every 20 minutes.

April 10, 2011
Beer and snacks...a deceptively artless summary of what these guys are up to. Yes, it’s a bar with beer and wine (no liquor) and the snacks are just out of the fridge. But the vibe they create around this lineup is pretty exceptional. They put a dozen good west coast beers on tap, mixing in the occasional national or international visitor. There are a dozen good bottles of wine, at least, and another dozen or so bottles of good beer. One of the better small lineups of beer and wine in town. The "small plates" program, which they also refer to as tapas, is really just charcuterie done with great enthusiasm. There are half a dozen meats, half a dozen cheese, a couple veggie options. You order in groups of 3, 5, or 7, and you get a nice rectangular plate with mustards and jams thrown in, as well as little REI stainless camp bowls full of bread slices. It’s an awesome way to get a round of appetizers and drinks out of the way on your way to dinner. All the meats and cheeses are particularly good. The decor is heavily focused on hiking in the NW, mostly in WA. Maps, framed shots of trees deep in terminal virgin forests, lots of old NW school post and beam architecture reminiscent of an old lodge. A great place and well worth a visit.

February 15, 2011
Great rotating draft selection with several ciders & Northwest beers that are hard to find. Excellent wine list as well. Only criticism is that they’re lacking international picks, but are improving in that category. All drafts are imperial pints unless you order one of the boozier items.

January 29, 2011
Fairly new place in Ballard. Homey, comfortable layout with bar seating, tall tables and chairs/couches in the ’library’ section. We went for a Hopworks brewer’s night and enjoyed the busy atmosphere. The games will be on big flatscreens, but without sound - sports are secondary (or even tertiary) here. Selection is a decent cross section of west coast/midwest craft brews alongside a handful of ciders. Noble Fir also serve wines, which I paid no attention to. On the pricey side, but average for Ballard. A welcome addition to the puc scene in Seattle, with the broad cider selection being a nice angle.