The least interesting brewery and tasting room that we visited was Jolly Roger Taproom. They serve beer brewed by the Maritime Pacific Brewing Company.

Here’s the thing, the interior space doesn’t have much personality and by the middle of the afternoon their outdoor seating is squarely in the shade. Now this could be great on a hot summer afternoon but on the first beautiful day of spring, it’s still a little too cold to sit outside in the shade.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/13864211965/" title="IMG_0442 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5172/13864211965_fb816284e7.jpg" width="100%"  alt="IMG_0442"></a>
The beer list is pretty standard except for the fact that they have a Christmas beer on tap until July. The Christmas beer was pleasantly spiced and given the long, sometimes cold, grey winter/spring we have in Seattle I could see ordering this again. It’s the kind of beer that warms you up.

I had the Portage Bay Pilsner and why wouldn’t I?

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/13864576024/" title="IMG_0445 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5153/13864576024_e490a2b82b.jpg" width="100%"  alt="IMG_0445"></a>Portage Bay is a Seattle landmark and body of water. It just so happens that the brewery is very close to Portage Bay. Basically the bodies of water between Lake Washington, which is fresh water, and Puget Sound, which is salt water, are as follows: Lake Washington to Union Bay to Portage Bay to Lake Union to the Lake Washington Ship Canal and finally Salmon Bay and finally to Puget Sound.

That makes the Portage Bay Pilsner a very local beer!! The only commentary I have on all of this is that I think the brewery overlooks the Lake Washington Ship Canal so I’d like to see their next beer named after this body of water--maybe the Lake Washington Ship Canal Weis!