January 28, 2012
It’s got a cult following so it must be good! Black Raven brewing is tucked away in a nondescript part of Redmond in a nondescript office park near the outskirts of town. Yeah. But dude, when you finally do park and get out of your car and tromple into what would seem like the hidden HQ of a video porn production studio..maybe that’s where they shot Keyboard Facials 4? .well, it’s pretty freakin awesome. Low lighting, tall seating, NO FOOD, and friendly service brings me back again and again. On busy days they’ll open the secondary bar and room and people will flood into it as if there were free pretzels and peanuts in the shell....oh wait a second, there IS FREE PEANUTS AND PRETZELS. 1/2 gallon growler fills are fairly inexpensive and the BR’s full time tap list is farily inclusive. Sure there’s a few flat screen tvs hung up in the main tasting area and the seating can be downright comfy, but what’s really obscenely friendly about the place is that sometimes on weekends the tasting room will open more doors to the back and you can mingle around the fermenting tanks and brew stuff. They’ve also got a few clapped out board games and the local brewing newspaper hangin about as well. They’ve strategically placed menus for a slightly above average pizza place (that delivers) on the tables. Their main lineup of beers is solid however some of their seasonals can be hit or miss.

January 3, 2011
There was construction happening so obviously things weren’t as usual. Staff was attentive and they do make a range of beers.

December 14, 2010
I thought the beer selection was good, but place was small and understand it was a traditional tap room. ordered pizza from across the street and they bring it right in! selection was great though.

November 28, 2010
Amazing room, with plenty of character. Good selection of decent beers.

October 20, 2010
Now being a beer geek I have had a few of there beers but not the whole list. So I pulled up to the bar got out my note book and ordered the sample tray. This place was awesome great service which was also very knowledgeable about the product. It was hard the tasters where so good which one do you get as a pint? Oh be ready when you arrive at any time this place is packed. The beers where so damn tasty I was so glad I made it here and found a spot to sit. No food here but hey do have a pizza place on the ready for delivery and a few snacks from peanuts to pretzels. Black Raven is a must for any beer geek. You will have a blast and there glassware is unique enough even if you have an extensive glass collection you will leave with one more.

September 14, 2010
Taken here by a co-worker when I visited Seattle. Awesome Trickster IPA! Easily the best hoppy beer in the Seattle area. Friendly servers, nice use of warehouse space to make a bar, and did I mention how good the beer is. An unexpected discovery in our Pacific NW trip.

May 26, 2010
Located in an industrial park and nothing to look at from the outside but inside is tasteful decor and cool atmosphere. A little small. Service was ok but not great. Good beer and worth a trip.

May 8, 2010
Hidden in the prefabricated distopia of office-park Redmond is a lovely little brew pub. The interior is tastefully done, so that the sprawling miles of industrial park disappear and the pub itself takes over. Friendly servers have plenty of time (and beer knowledge) to discuss the lineup, friendly locals plainly enjoy being part of a local craft beer resurgence (pretty much the polar opposite of the scenester hell that Brouwers has become).

Ten taps, solid lineup of beers. Pizza from the Flying Saucer is inexpensive, tasty, and arrives prompty (~30 minutes). It’s a pain getting over there from Seattle proper, but it’s worth it -- I’ll be back.

February 27, 2010
Probably the best Eastside pub for serious beer lovers. Excellent ales. I’ve had their Trickster IPA, Tamerlane Porter, Second Sight strong Scotch ale, and their Belgian tripel. Had one guest beer last time - Diamond Knot HO-HO. Bartenders and guests at the bar are quite knowledgeable with lots of helpful WABL members. Location is a bit unexpected in an office park just off Willows Road, but it’s akin to some of the great winery tasting rooms up on the hill above Woodinville. No food in house, but they have menus and delivery from next-door pizza place. Nice contemporary decor and comfortable environs. Place has been full every time I’ve been there, but always managed to find a seat quickly. BTW, you can usually get their beer at Redmond’s British Pantry/ Three Lions Pub or Cafe Veloce if you want a different food theme.

February 9, 2010
Like a lot of valleys on the east side of Puget Sound, Redmond Valley used to be some of the most fertile farmland in the world. Now it’s some of the most fertile real estate around for tilt-up office sprawl and warehouse parks. BRB occupies one of the warehouse parks. You zizag through generic streets and go past dozens of identical off-white walls and gray roll-up doors until you see the bird over the door. Inside, though, they’ve made a great effort to overcome the aesthetic limitations of the locale. Clean, well-lit, comfortable, spacious. You walk in and immediately see the bar; tables spread to your right and farther back. Definitely a working production facility, but definitely a hospitable patrons area as well. The locals have certainly embraced it--getting an after-work drink means you need a little luck finding a parking place and an open seat. The furniture is all nice, clearly purchased all at once and with some thought in mind--rough-hewn-looking laquered tables, cool stools. Service is friendly, lines are in great shape, they pour a couple guest taps, there’s a pizza place next door with free delivery, and, every Wednesday, they tap a cask. You sort of feel like the burbs are progressively enveloping you on the drive here, but, once you arrive, there’s everything you need in place to enjoy a few neighborly pints.