Hillman City is one of Seattle's least-famous neighborhoods, a stretch along Rainier Blvd. in the southeast quadrant. Among the desiderata of urban living this district had lacked was a brewery of its own, but not since
Spinnaker Bay opened its doors a couple of years ago. The founders, Janet Spindler, who brews, and Elissa Pryor, who manages the business side, claim to be the state's only brewery that is 100% women-owned.
Here's Elissa giving me a little tour of the brew system, while Janet, like any brewer, is cleaning vessels and gear in the back. The fermenters each have a female name, and the brite tank is one you don't forget, Phyllis Chiller.
The pub in front is a convivial area and had a good crowd on a weeknight. A lot of the beers have nautical names--Spinnaker Bay itself is a place in the south end of Lake Washington, a couple of miles away, where the owners live and keep a sailboat. The names of the beers reflect this love of the water--Fraid Knot, the Pale Ale, the Hummer (not the monster SUV, this term has a meaning in sailing, too) and the Little Dinghy Blonde, what they call their Kolsch. I had a pint of the Dinghy Blonde that had been soured in a bourbon barrel (below), and it was an amazing out-of-the-box taste.
(Visited 10/4/15)
