Tuesday night, Redhook Brewery had the SunBreak’s Beer & Cycling Team up to Woodinville for a reopening party at their Forecaster’s Pub. It’s been getting a major renovation over the past few months. First there was a pop-up pub upstairs, then they got the patio reopened, and now the pub itself. The big change is a large horseshoe bar with an interior row of seats, encircled by a thinner counter area where people can stand and rest their drinks. It should prevent people from climbing over your back if you’re seated at the bar.
Then there’s a section of long, wooden tables for German-style beer drinking, while the rest of the restaurant is filled with the same shiny metal-topped tables found out on the patio. (Beware: On sunny days these act as both sun reflectors and heat sinks. Set your iPhone down on one for a few minutes, and it’ll quickly become too hot to function. We’ve seen people try to wallpaper their table with menus to cut down on the glare.)
You can avoid glare entirely by sitting in the tented area on the patio, which — yes, mushroom people, we know you dry and flake in direct sunlight — just seems silly. You should only come out at night. Accept it.
The beer selection is still Redhook-heavy, naturally, although they’re pouring more guest beers, and they also have gluten-free beers and ciders. Apparently the rest of you didn’t drink enough Copperhook, so they killed it. Their newer Audible Ale is sort of an IPA for people who don’t like IPAs: tart and flavorful, but not bitter. The SunBreak Beer & Cycling Team is fond of their take on a Belgian, the Wit. Light and crisp, thanks to a touch of ginger. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Pilsner!
A new food menu (New Menu PDF) includes fried cheese curds, and chips and gravy for appetizers. Your choice of six burgers (one is a black-bean veggie burger). The steak and spinach salad — a classic — remains, as does the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. A new smoker calls for a smoked meats section: smoked turkey leg and a variety of smoked pork. Are the Mahi Mahi fish tacos new? We haven’t had a chance to taste the new menu yet, but we’ve been pretty pleased with Redhook’s work in the kitchen thus far, so far as pub food goes.
If you haven’t ridden the Burke-Gilman Trail (to the Sammamish River Trail and thence) to the Brewery, let us encourage you to give it a try. (Here’s a more detailed description of the ride.) If you take your time and stop to rest, it may take about two and half hours to get there from Seattle. If you keep a steady 14 mph, you’ll probably be there in 90 minutes. (Ironically, we drove up in rush-hour Tuesday night, and it also took 90 minutes.) Redhook, you’ll notice, has been expecting you: There’s an assortment of bike racks to choose from, and on nice days, several hundred bikers will roll up.
