Best Seattle Breweries for Seriously Good Craft Beers

6 beers in a flight from one of the best Seattle breweries

I get asked for recommendations for the best Seattle breweries at least once a month. Admittedly, it’s a hard question to answer since there are so many breweries, each catering to a different palate and atmosphere.

There are ~60 craft breweries in the city limits, not including tap houses that only serve local beer. Keep in mind I’ve lived in Seattle for almost 15 years, and I can remember walking through Ballard and not seeing a single one. Now, they’re on every corner.

So, to help you make sense of the countless options, I’ve included a roundup of my favorite breweries. While I’m a Belgian fan, I made sure to include breweries with a variety of styles, from hazy IPAs to lagers and experimental sours. I also made sure to include breweries with different vibes, from pint-sized tap houses to massive indoor-outdoor spaces and family-friendly pubs.

Best Seattle Breweries

Save this to Pinterest for later because I’m always adding to this list as I uncover more of the best breweries in Seattle!

Obec Brewing

website | neighborhood: Ballard (get directions) | best for: malty beers | 21+ only

Obec (pronounced “oh-betz”) is one of my favorite breweries in Ballard. It’s around the corner from the cult brewery Reuben’s and Portland’s Great Notion, but I prefer Obec for their 21+ atmosphere, laidback vibe, and fuss-free beers. The tap house is pretty spacious and they have a big outdoor seating area for the summer.

Obec is the Czech word for “community,” and while they highlight Czech-style lagers and pilsners, they make a variety of styles, including Belgian dubbels, porters, saisons, and IPAs. As for food, they have a rotating roster of the best Seattle food trucks, but you’re welcome to bring in outside food as well.

Holy Mountain Brewing

website | neighborhoods: Interbay (get directions) & Phinney Ridge (get directions) | best for: barrel-aged | kid friendly at Phinney Ridge location & 21+ only at Interbay location

Holy Mountain is an undercover giant in the Seattle brewing community. It began when a group of home brewers ran out of space in their garages, so they collectively rented a small warehouse in an industrial area. It was somewhat of a speakeasy since almost no one knew who they were.

Now they’ve opened up a posh tasting room in Phinney and developed a following for their barrel-aged beers. They no longer focus exclusively on oak-aged beers; instead, they offer a variety of IPAs, mixed fermented sours, and lagers. Both spots offer light snacks, or you can bring food from the nearby restaurants.

Fair Isle Brewing

website | neighborhood: Ballard (get directions) | best for: farmhouse ales | kid friendly

Fair Isle is one of the few breweries in Seattle that focuses almost exclusively on one style: farmhouse ales. Made with native yeast and barrel-aged, these beers range in funkiness, with some being subtle and delicate to almost puckering. If that’s not your style, they also have 1-2 rotating lagers and guest beers on tap.

They used to host food pop-ups, like Hamdi, one of my favorite restaurants in Fremont, but now they run their own kitchen through chef residencies and have food trucks.

Does someone in your crew like cider? After enjoying a tasting and some light bites at Fair Isle, head down the street to Bale Breaker & Yonder for great ciders in a huge and lively kid-friendly tap house.

Lucky Envelope Brewing

website | neighborhood: Ballard (get directions) | best for: unique flavors | kid friendly

Lucky Envelope is a more laidback, casual brewery in the Ballard Brewery District. The name comes from the Chinese tradition of the elder generation gifting the younger generation red envelopes of money. The color red is meant to ward off evil spirits, while the money is supposed to bring prosperity.

Lucky Envelope has a laid back ambiance and high quality beer with interesting flavors. I’ve never had one I didn’t love, and I really appreciate the cultural influence they put into each beer, be it tea-infused sour ales or shishito pepper ales.

person holding beer cup at one of the best Seattle breweries

Cloudburst Brewing

website | neighborhoods: Pike Place (get directions) & Ballard (get directions) | best for: refreshing IPAs | kid friendly at Ballard location & 21+ only at Pike Place location

Cloudburst Brewing started as a pint-sized taproom near Pike Place Market before opening their second location in Ballard. It’s owned by a former Elysian brewer who spun off to create his own small microbrewery that specializes in light, refreshing IPAs alongside your typical lagers and porters.

Pro tip: Their Ballard location has a permanent food truck, the Dump Truck, that serves up some of the best Chinese food in Seattle.

Urban Family Brewing

website | neighborhood: Ballard (get directions) | best for: sours | kid friendly on the patio and downstairs & 21+ in the loft

Urban Family has gained a steep reputation for their sours, most of which are very fruit-forward with unique fruits like boysenberry, guava, and prickly pear. I used to not be a sour fan, but I’ve since been converted because their execution is on point. Of course, they have a variety of other styles like lagers, saisons, and IPAs too.

They post a calendar with their rotating food trucks, though you’re also welcome to bring food in.

Pro tip: They have a coffee bar, which is open for pour-over and espresso every day from 8 AM-12 PM!

Rooftop Brewing

website | neighborhood: North Queen Anne (get directions) | best for: high-quality ales | kid friendly

Rooftop is temporarily closed while they rebuild after a fire. Check Instagram for updates.

picnic tables with umbrellas at a rooftop brewery in Seattle — Image courtesy of Rooftop Brewing

Rooftop Brewing started as a nano-brewery in the back of a 7-11, with five friends laboring away after their real jobs to brew and tend bar at their small garage tasting room. They even used to sell t-shirts that read, “I drink beer in the alley behind the 7-11”. Luckily, the word caught on, and they’ve grown exponentially since then.

While they don’t have a huge variety of styles, they emphasize quality over quantity. They make the classics, like hazy IPAs, stouts, and Mexican lagers, though being a Belgian nerd, I really like their boozy Belgian tripel.

Metier Brewing

website | neighborhoods: Central District (get directions) & Woodinville (get directions) | best for: coconut porter | kid friendly

Metier Brewing Company is the first Black-owned brewery in Washington, and they serve delicious, well-executed beers in a laidback, lively setting. There’s art curated by local BIPOC artists lining the walls and live music hosted by local DJs on the weekends.

In addition to the Central District, they have their original location in Woodinville, and they head the beer program for Steelheads Alley, located in Hatback Bar & Grill in SODO.

Pro tip: If you’re keen on exploring more Black-owned breweries, check out nearby 23rd Ave. They’re a new microbrewery that’s making really interesting beers in the CD.

tasting flight from one of the best Seattle breweries

Flying Lion Brewing

website | neighborhood: Columbia City (get directions) | best for: dark ales | kid friendly

Flying Lion is one of my favorite hidden gems in Seattle for its locals-only vibe and rustic warehouse aesthetic. Their beers are also incredible and varied, with styles ranging from dark stouts to refreshing lagers, weizenbocks, and Belgian ales. The space is kid and dog-friendly, though it can be pretty tight inside, so I usually pop into the heated patio that’s open year-round.

Pro tip: I used to go to their trivia every week. It’s on Wednesdays now and a ton of fun!

Stoup Brewing

website | neighborhoods: Capitol Hill (get directions) & Ballard (get directions) | best for: IPAs | kid friendly at Capitol Hill location & downstairs at Ballard location

I’ll admit I was a little hesitant to visit Stoup since they’re known for IPAs, which is my least favorite beer style. Still, I have to give credit where credit is due, and they do an excellent job of executing well-rounded, clean-tasting IPAs. Like most other breweries, their story begins in a small warehouse, though they’ve done really well for themselves and now run two large, welcoming tap houses with rotating food trucks and beer gardens.

Old Stove Brewing

website | neighborhoods: Pike Place (get directions), North Queen Anne (get directions), & Ballard (get directions) | best for: good beers in a lively tap house | kid friendly

brewery offering one of the best breweries in Seattle

Old Stove made my list of best Pike Place restaurants and best fish and chips in Seattle, so I thought it was time to finally pay some respect to what they’re really about: good beer served in a welcoming space. They make easy-drinking ales that appeal to a variety of palates.

Each of their locations is seriously gorgeous. The Ballard taproom has a huge beer garden with string lights and a less-touristy, more local vibe. The Northern Queen Anne location is equally spacious and has outdoor games. The more family-friendly, restaurant-y location in Pike Place features massive windows overlooking the Sound.

Project 9 Brewing

website | neighborhood: Roosevelt (get directions) | best for: hazy IPAs | kid friendly

Take one step inside Project 9, and you’ll understand how they made it to the top 20 Best New Breweries by USA Today. The taproom may look small from the outside, but it’s actually massive, and the beer garden out back is just as big. They make a variety of styles, though they’re known mainly for their juicy IPAs. Each beer is given a unique sketch and a funny name, adding to the laidback vibe.

In addition to juicy IPAs, they also have heating on their patio, outdoor games, a TV for showing sports, and rotating food trucks. When you go, make sure to say hi to the brewery cat!

Figurehead Brewing

website | neighborhoods: Magnolia (get directions) & Fremont (get directions) | best for: English ales | kid friendly

A lot of people vote for Bizarre Brewing as their favorite Magnolia brewery, but I prefer Figurehead. I like that I can sip my beer from their beer garden while overlooking the Fishermen’s Terminal. They make English-style ales like bitters, dark milds, and English IPAs and have a couple of rotating food trucks.

Their Fremont location is newer and has a bigger selection of drinks like cold brew, kombucha, sake, and their first non-alcoholic beer. They also have more food offerings at this location, like sandwiches or grab-and-go from Ooshiba Yakitori & Sushi and Midnite Ramen, one of the best ramen shops in Seattle.

Georgetown Brewing

website | neighborhood: Georgetown (get directions) | best for: IPAs & pale ales | kid friendly

Being a big name in Seattle breweries can sometimes mean you lose your neighborhood charm (cough, Fremont Brewing, cough Pike Brewing). But luckily I haven’t noticed that happening to Georgetown Brewing, and it’s still one of my favorite breweries in Georgetown, with Jellyfish being a close second.

This place is seriously fun. Case in point, their most popular beers are named after characters from Point Break, Johnny Utah, and Bodhizafa. They also make one beer a month that gives all the proceeds to a rotating charity and consistently pump out high-quality beers that satisfy all palates.

Ghostfish Brewing

website | neighborhood: SODO (get directions) | best for: gluten-free beers | kid friendly

I have yet to visit Ghostfish, but they get an honorable mention for being one of the few breweries in Seattle dedicated to gluten-free beer. They use millet, buckwheat, and brown rice, and to date, it’s the only gluten-free beer I’ve tried that doesn’t taste like anything’s missing. They get bonus points for having a kitchen that serves up 100% gluten-free brunch, lunch, and dinner.