Brown-Bagging It at the Beer Authority

Seattle is flush with--among other things--neighborhood grocery stores, bars, and, of course, breweries. If one suffers inspiration to refill the fridge, you only have to walk a few blocks to stock up on a local brew. In the Lake City neighborhood however, one usually has to walk a bit further. Hunkered down in a mixed-use condominium building is the latest bottleshop to arrive in area, The Beer Authority.

Owner Barry Adams is best summed up as a man who is willing to try anything once (or often) with his Saturday bottle specials, random tastings, kegs to go, and interactive polling to determine next week’s discounted beers. Setting foot in the store, the layout seems more like someone’s closet or basement cellar than a bottleshop. With every inch of the shop filled with fridges and counters, there are over 500 different options. Beer Authority is a nice stop on one’s way out to the ‘burbs or coming back after that trip aboard a Kenmore plane. Cheers.