Naked City: Greenwood Gem

  Above Ballard and Fremont in Seattle's northeast quadrant lies the Greenwood district.  Greenwood Ave. is lined with a real mixture of stores (the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. is definitely one of a kind!) and the Naked City Brewery and Taphouse fits right in.

Inside, one sees two dozen tap handles working behind the bar. Only five of them hook up to kegs brewed on these premises; all the rest are serving up beers brewed at other micros in the northwest.  The blackboard lists all the others; an ever-changing list.  Keeping the website current must be a constant chore here.

  The old movie theme (Naked City was a 1948 film noir) continues to a degree inside.  The two television screens behind the bar are usually left on Turner Classic Movies, unless a sporting event of major local significance is on.  The names on a couple of the brews are old flick titles, as well: Brimstone and Treacle old ale is from a 1982 movie that had Sting playing the bad guy, and Yankee Drifter light ale has some movie connection I couldn't google up.
  My choice this day was a seasonal, Wet Hop Ace in the Hole.  The server, Rick, drew a cloudy pint with a hint of grapefruit in the finish.  He said it was brewed in an IPA style with siroki (sp?) hops but not as bitter as many an IPA.  Different but tasty.  The small brewing system's production goes mainly into these taps, although Naked City kegs do go to a few taverns.
(Visited 9/25/10)
New and Expanded (P.S.)
Naked City has expanded into the space next door, a second drinking and dining area called The Screening Room.  Note the comfortable sofas, bookshelf of paperbacks, and big screen on the back wall.

I learned that this area is mostly used as overflow on the busy nights in the main pub.  They have plans to run a movie with the sound on in here on Sunday nights. The image on the screen here was the same one as on the two screens behind the bar, a Turner Classic Movie with the sound off.
     Tap selection was much like last year: 5 of their own and 19 guest taps, for a total of 24 beers.  Plus a couple of ciders.  They don't try to list them all on the long blackboard any more, but print out a current tap list and give you a copy before you order.  I had their own Duplicity, a nutty dubbel ale that was delicious.
(Revisited 8/14/11)