Welcome to Alehouse Heroes, soon to be a recurring feature on the site where we spotlight a bar, brewer, chef, or anyone who strikes me as particularly intriguing in the blossoming beer climate. We will provide some info, toss out some thoughts, and most importantly, interview some of the associated VIPs. Now, I'm not an interviewer by trade, so forgive me if this turns into some sort of beer-drenched "Chris Farley Show". "You 'member when . . . um . . . you made that brown ale . . . yeah . . . that was AWESOME." Our focus will be on the entrepreneurial side of running a beer business, as well as beer's burgeoning companionship with high-end food. I hope to shed some light on this magnificent culture by talking directly to the people making it happen, whether that be the brewpub in your neighborhood or the brewer 3,000 miles away. I can promise you we have some incredibly well-respected craft pubs, top-notch breweries, and maybe even a celebrity guest(!) lined up for the future. On a personal note, I'm geeking out.
We start with Seattle's small but mighty Uber Tavern. Boasting nearly twenty taps, somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 bottles, special ordered kegs to go, and (this is key) take-home, refillable-on-the-cheap growlers, Uber Tavern is a worthy watering hole for those eager to soak up the immensely active West Coast brewing scene. Most important though is the supportive and friendly regulars that will vouch for this place high and low across the interwebs. (As someone in the restaurant industry, I can personally attest for how wonderful you feel to have a group of people willing to publicly go to bat for you.) Uber Tavern's fantastic manager Mr. Charles Whedbee took some time from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his bar, their friends, and a fantastic explanation for why it's so damn easy to grab a good beer on the left coast.
