SAAL Brewing, Stanwood, WA.

On tap a SAAL: Kulshan Bastad Kat IPA...

Restraint is not a quality that I'd say is my forte, it's one of the interesting qualities of adult ADD. I was going to wait a few more months for this article, but I just can't help myself! This is my local watering hole, and I like where they're going!

I moved to Stanwood only a few short months ago. Straight up... "I like beer" as Tom T. Hall's song professes. So what does a beer lover seek out when entering a community? More specifically, what does a craft beer snob seek out? Not just any watering hole... at first there was only a cool little spot on Camano Island (more about that in another article), but nothing yet in Stanwood. Only a short month later SAAL brewing opened up.

Matt and Christine are the purveyors who are set on engineering their business into a popular local destination. The food is unlike any menu I've ever seen at a taphouse/brewery with daily and seasonal specials; this ain't no typical bar menu! Their focus is to procure as much as they can locally.  For now, their beer selection is a fine rotating selection of Northwest beers ranging from pilsners to stouts to IPAs, to sours. Soon they will have their full-on brewery in full swing... so more to come.

Whenever I stop by for a pint (well usually two) I ordinarily have my little Corgi Bodhi and sometimes my lovely wife as a date. Bodhi is well known to the staff who patiently puts up with her noisy excitement and is all so willing to accept the treats the staff always offers.   

Mat loves to talk beer! As a novice homebrewer, I love to seek out the owner or brewmaster of local breweries. Matt is an experienced brewmaster and is chomping on the bit to get the brew operation going! He's a total beer geek, so doesn't mind talking about frosty malt beverage production to a hobby beer crafter like me.

From an old firehouse comes this emerging and hyper-local friendly family-friendly and "service" dog-friendly gathering place. Soon I think will be the founder of another great Northwest beer town. Please swing in and say hi to Chris, Randi, Posey, Matt, Christine and the cast of characters that make up their amazing and friendly staff!! Certainly, the firehouse theme provided a SAAL plays well to me as I am a career firefighter as well. Check out their patch collection representing Fire and EMS agencies from across the nation!

As I said, more to come as they travel down the road of brewing their own!

Crash