BIZNOTE: The Best of Hands Brewery & Barrelhouse gets ready for grand opening

| Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | WS beverages

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

As announced a month and a half ago, Friday (March 8th) is the big night for The Best of Hands Brewery and Barrelhouse (7500 35th SW) – its grand opening! The proprietors took a break from intensive preparations to invite media in tonight, so we stopped by for photos.

Above are Chris Richardson, Gregory Marlor, and Nicholas Marianetti. They’ll have 17 beers on tap when they open – 12 ar theirs.

Best of Hands is focused on “farmhouse and sour ales inspired by those of Belgium and France but with an emphasis on Washington state ingredients, mixed-culture fermentation, and some spontaneous fermentation.”

Best of Hands is not a restaurant, but food trucks will be visiting – Falafel Salam this Friday, Buddha Bruddah on Saturday, Plum Bistro on Sunday. Best of Hands is a 21+ space; hours will be 3 to 10 pm, Thursdays through Mondays.

P.S. If you’re wondering about the rooftop cow, inherited from the space’s previous tenant John’s Corner Deli – it’s not back in place yet, but, the proprietors tell us, soon!

ADDED TUESDAY: The cow’s return turned out to be REALLY soon – hours later!

D March 5, 2019 (12:44 am)

I’ve been looking for a local place with sour beers. Can’t wait to try this place out!!!

Russ J March 5, 2019 (7:18 am)

I suggest they brew a Red ale. Good Reds are scarce.

Amasea March 5, 2019 (1:45 pm)

Yes! Reds and browns!
Kendall March 6, 2019 (2:49 pm)

Agree on the red ale comment. I think a lot of breweries got shy about brewing ambers (reds) because too often consumers expect them to taste like Mac and Jack’s African Amber, but most breweries don’t want to make a beer that tastes like that. Rather, they want to brew their own version of a red ale. And I, for one, think they should.

west sea neighbor March 5, 2019 (7:24 am)

Was there for the soft open last Friday. Great space and fantastic beer! They also have pale ales and IPAs among the barrel aged and sour beers. Terrorhawk American Pale was my favorite.

Gregory L. Goldstein March 5, 2019 (8:54 am)

sorry to here it’s 21+ usually brewery’s are family friendly.

Jen March 9, 2019 (12:21 am)

Happy to hear, personally. There are plenty of those, some of us would prefer to not hang out with other people’s children when we’re having a night out.

Allison March 5, 2019 (9:09 am)

Congratulations Chris, Nick, and Gregory! I was also there for the soft opening and the beers are tasting great!

Question Authority March 5, 2019 (9:29 am)

Two things, yay 21+ to drink in peace and I think candy should be sour and not beer.

David Brown March 5, 2019 (10:59 am)

THE COW IS BACK!!!

Neighbor March 5, 2019 (11:06 am)

Is there a specific time of the grand opening or just their 3-10pm business hours?

WW Resident March 5, 2019 (11:27 am)

So are they going to be serving, and I quote Nick, one of the owners:@James – did you hear that our first beer is actually called Another Douchy, Bearded, Overpriced, Crappy Beer Served at a Hipster Hangout!?If so I’m in! :-)

WSB March 5, 2019 (11:33 am)

It’s on the list that we brought back, exactly that name, described as an “Azacca heavy hazy IPA with a firm bitter finish.”
- WW Resident March 5, 2019 (12:36 pm)
  
  Awesome, so do they do growlers?
  - WW Resident March 5, 2019 (2:55 pm)
    
    BTW, I think James should come and have a beer that he helped name lol

West Seattle Hipster March 5, 2019 (11:30 am)

Glad to see it is a 21+ establishment. I would rather not see young children exposed to an environment where is alcohol consumption is the primary focus.

Amasea March 5, 2019 (1:45 pm)

There are tons of 21+ establishments in town. But there is literally NOWHERE a family can walk in this neighborhood at which the parents can enjoy a beer and everyone can enjoy food (in this case, from a food truck, but there are no family restaurants in the hood either). I had been hoping this business would be interested in wide neighborhood support, not just support from hipsters.
- D March 5, 2019 (4:19 pm)
  
  Endolyne joes has a family dinner night on Sundays. Have you been there?
- Amy March 5, 2019 (5:10 pm)
  
  I guess I’m a hipster because I prefer to drink beer in a 21+ establishment? Wildwood has beer and food. Endolyne Joe’s has beer and food. Zeeks has beer and food.
  - Amasea March 6, 2019 (1:08 pm)
    
    And I can’t walk to any of those from Sunrise Heights. At least not with a 6yo in less than 30 minutes.
    - Megan March 7, 2019 (11:00 am)
      
      Then maybe you should move? It’s not the responsibility of these business proprietors to give you every single thing you want for the sake of convenience.
    - Amasea March 7, 2019 (1:23 pm)
      
      Obviously. But if the families I talk to locally are any indication, someone out there is missing a great business opportunity that would be well-supported by the neighborhood.If I were the owner of a service business in the neighborhood, I’d be grateful that the community is sharing what they’d like to have access to (free market research!), rather than insulting my neighbors and telling them to move.
    - KM March 8, 2019 (4:36 pm)
      
      There was one, Tap Station, but it closed a while ago. Not sure why.
- Amber March 8, 2019 (3:46 pm)
  
  I agree! Most of the best food joints are 21+. One of our favorite family joints is Highstrike. We can’t walk there but it has food we all enjoy.
- Jess March 9, 2019 (12:25 am)
  
  Adults hanging out at a bar without kids = hipsters….?? It’s everyones neighborhood / community, not just your family’s. Hope you enjoy the many kid friendly places already in the area!

Alki resident March 5, 2019 (11:32 am)

I just drive past and got slightly emotional, THE COW IS BACK!!❤️ Thank you for keeping something of my childhood still alive. Can’t wait to try this place.

WSB March 5, 2019 (11:41 am)

Didn’t know it was going to be (finally) back in view that soon! Thanks for mentioning it. We’ll run over for a photo.
- WSB March 5, 2019 (12:16 pm)
  
  https://westseattleblog.com/2019/03/followup-return-of-west-seattles-most-famous-cow/
Sky King March 5, 2019 (9:59 pm)

Saw the cow on my way home today. Awesome. Thanks, guys, for keeping this but of history in our neighborhood!!

justme March 5, 2019 (1:43 pm)

I second the vote for a Red Ale. They are strangely scarce! But I’m coming for the pale ale!

Graciano March 5, 2019 (3:44 pm)

Not to take away from Best of Hands, Bahama Breeze in Tukwila has a Red beer, Aruba Red and they are a family restaurant for the people BOOING this is a 21+ only establishment.

Kim March 5, 2019 (5:45 pm)

Looking forward to visiting. Should be great! I just hope these guys wear beard nets when they’re brewing.

Family Guy March 5, 2019 (6:07 pm)

It should be family friendly. If I can’t bring my kid, you shouldn’t bring your dog.

Sky King March 5, 2019 (9:58 pm)

If you want a family-friendly establishment in the neighborhood, then please put your money where your mouth is and open a restaurant – you’d have plenty of patrons in the area, including me. But, please stop crapping on someone else’s business and hard work just because it’s not the business you were hoping would open there. Be nice.
- Amy March 6, 2019 (8:45 am)
  
  WORD!
- west sea neighbor March 6, 2019 (9:14 am)
  
  It is not a choice owners make, it is a legal requirement that they are 21+. It is classified as a bar. If you think that all bars (or some subset) should allow children, then your beef is with state regulators, not these individuals. As Sky King noted, please stop criticizing these hard working small business owners just because it is not the type of place you wanted. They have poured their hearts and a great deal of personal financial resources into this establishment, and are real people (your neighbors) who have feelings, dreams and ambitions. And I’m sure that they are reading these comments. Some of the comments are not very neighborly.
  - Amasea March 6, 2019 (1:06 pm)
    
    It can be a choice. Look at Two Fingers, Beer Star, Pit Stop Bottle Shop, Schooner Exact. All of those are breweries or bars where kids are welcome. I hope this business succeeds, but they could have made a different choice with regards to 21+.
    - Sky King March 6, 2019 (2:04 pm)
      
      I’m sorry, Amasea, your assumption is incorrect and it is unfair to the good people at Best of Hands for you to keep making such erroneous statements. It is not the proprietor’s choice. In the (exact) words of Washington state law, “The Washington state liquor control board shall have the power and it shall be its duty to classify licensed premises or portions of licensed premises as off-limits to persons under the age of twenty-one years of age.” All of the other above-mentioned establishments have configurations and/or services that meet the liquor control board’s requirements for allowing minors on the premises. Once again, if you want a restaurant or an all ages establishment in the neighborhood, then open one yourself. Stop beating people up for opening a different business than what you would like to patronize. Be nice!
    - Amasea March 7, 2019 (1:15 pm)
      
      I’m unclear how opting to fulfill certain requirements of the LCB and not others isn’t a choice for this business. Obviously, they decided not to meet the same requirements that the businesses I mentioned above have met. The LCB isn’t holding a gun to their heads and saying “No! You are not allowed to change your business model to accommodate families!” And I’m sure they had reasons for opting for 21+ (and among those reasons, I suspect it’s an easier business to run, regulatory-wise). Fortunately, that freedom goes both ways — they can choose whether or not to welcome families, and I can be disappointed that they chose not to. I am not required to have the money, time or interest in opening my own establishment in order to have an opinion about where I, and other families in the neighborhood, would love to take my patronage. I’m not saying anything disparaging or unkind about this business or its owners, just that I wish they’d made a different business choice, and AGAIN, I hope they do succeed. And I love that they’ve kept the cow :)
    - Sky King March 8, 2019 (2:55 pm)
      
      Having looked into some of those requirements, myself, I actually believe their space cannot meet them. And, no, you’re not required to open your own establishment in order to have an opinion, but you’re way past expressing your uninformed opinion and well into pointless negativity. Let’s say it was their choice, if saying so makes you happy. They are the ones investing their money and hard work, so they get to choose and you don’t have a say. Your insistent negativity about something that is really a good thing in our neighborhood has worn very thin. The only reason I’m replying again is because I think you’re unfairly maligning good people who aren’t doing anything wrong. Please, please, just let it go now and be nice or go somewhere else.
    - Jess March 9, 2019 (12:35 am)
      
      And, if the rest of the neighborhood is as unhappy about 21+ as you say, the business won’t last. I have a feeling they will do just fine.

KJones March 6, 2019 (3:00 pm)

Kids or no kids in the taproom, It is one of the most hotly debated topics in the beer industry these days. One thing is for sure, and nobody seems to talk about this, toddlers do not buy beer and breweries are in the business of selling beer. I can totally understand a brewery with a small taproom like this deciding to fill those chairs with butts that buy beer.

Amasea March 7, 2019 (1:25 pm)

Know who does buy beer? The parents of toddlers. For good reason :DPlus, they turn tables over really fast because their kids don’t have the patience to hang out very long. They’re especially great customers in the early part of the evening before the “serious” drinkers arrive. They fill seats that might otherwise be empty at that time of day.

going over now March 8, 2019 (5:31 pm)

Interesting discussion. Sky King could have simply admitted that 21+ was a decision of the owners and left it at that. But the excuses proffered by Sky simply don’t fly.

Howard March 8, 2019 (10:57 pm)

Glad that building is in business again, glad the cow is up, best of luck to these folks. Still I will always miss being able to buy bread/milk/butter and quick grab items from our old deli. RIP Corner Deli!

Jen March 9, 2019 (12:41 am)

Do all parents act this entitled, or is it a Seattle thing?

Chris d March 9, 2019 (7:00 am)

Congrats to Best for the huge crowd last night, build it and they will come!

Elikapeka March 10, 2019 (9:53 pm)

This thread reminds me of why I rarely look at the comments or forums anymore. We have a great new business and the first thing we hear about is what’s wrong with it. How about we just congratulate the owners, wish them well, and if it’s not your thing, just move on by. Good grief, people.