Well Kept Secret: Seattle's Convience Store Beer Bars

If I were to tell you, "Hey, grab my growler and go get me a $5 fill of Stone's Levitation from the 7-11 down the street", you'd think I was joking. And I would be, but I wouldn't be too far off. No hoax: convenience stores are popping up all around town, and they're not just selling Slim Jims and Slurpees anymore. They're selling beer.

There is a quietly creeping trend of off-the-beaten-path neighborhood corner stores hosting weekly beer tastings and filling your growlers with quality local brews for cheap. Some have seating areas, while others just have stashed-away bars. And there, like an oasis, are glorious taps, tucked among the cases of hot dogs and weeks-old nachos. You may have accidentally stumbled upon one by now or a friend told you about going to one (which sounds like a pretty good lie) but if you haven't, here's the scoop on a couple that we know of:

Chuck's 85th Street Market in Ballard/Greenwood/Crown Hill: In the crux of the quieter part of this North Seattle neighborhood, just up the street from Greenwood Market, Chuck's is an unassuming convenience store that you've likely driven past a dozen times. Maybe you remembered it when it was that creepy Asian novelty store (with lots of porn)? Or maybe you wandered in here completely by accident at 2 am for a bag of Doritos after a late night at Sweet Lou's/Sundown Saloon (a Seattle "classic"). Whatever the reason, if you walked all the way to the back of the store towards the glowing beer coolers, you would have taken in a bleary-eyed site that could easily be described as a beer-geek's wet dream.

Chuck opened up his now well-know-in-the-neighborhood convenience store back in June of 2010. At first, it was just a store that he wanted to be accessible to the families in the neighborhood, providing ice cream scoops and specialty items. But, then he realized that he could share his love of beer with his patrons as well. Why not have a place where a father and son can come to share a root beer float and a fresh pint simultaneously? And so, he installed 8 taps. Then 7 more taps. And now, Chuck has plans to have a 8-10 more taps installed to offer the widest variety of local microbrews on tap in the Ballard/Greenwood area. Other than getting pints in a mason jar, you might also partake of an IPA beer brat or on Fridays, the weekly beer tasting. Coming up soon will be Chuck's Pumpkin Beer tasting, which will feature Dogfish Head's pumpkin beer, Southern Tier's Imperial Pumpkin ale, several Elysian beers, and Schooner Exacts' newest pumpkin brew. Also, you might notice if you stop into Chuck's in the next week, the store will be featuring growlers specially made with their logo on them. Definitely worth checking out for a quiet pint and unique tap list.

Super Deli Mart at 35th/Barton in West Seattle: Tucked in the quieter part of the residential West Seattle neighborhood of Fauntleroy, Super Deli Mart was opened only 2 years ago by Seattle native, Min Chung. Nostalgic for corner stores that brought that "neighborhood" feel to the community where he lives, Min opened Super Deli Mart to have a place where people could shop for convenience items but also sit and have a beer with their buddies. Like Chuck's, this is a place for people to walk a few blocks down from their home after work to get a hard-to-come-by beers and relax.

He's since decided this would also be a great location to throw a neighborhood BBQ or two. These events are a way for Min to say "thank you" to his customers, vendors, and the neighborhood for making Super Deli Mart a welcome addition to the community. Such a bash (Min's End of Summer BBQ) is happening tonight from 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in the parking lot of Super Deli. Perfectly timed with the Deschutes tasting/brewery night they are hosting, there will be great barbeque foods served up along with a beer trailer featuring a few unique beers for the occasion. The specialty beers will include "Woody" (a beer Min couldn't even put into word for me) that is going to be tapped out of an old style barrel. Others featured beers will be some special reserves and early releases, so get there early and have your taste buds ready to be amazed. If that wasn't enough to entice you, inside the store you'll be able to partake of $5 growler fills of Deschutes beers (including Mirror Pond, Black Butte, and more).

So, how is it that two Seattle natives, both living completely different lives in different neighborhoods of Seattle came up with the same idea at approximately the same time? Maybe this is an indication that there is an untapped demographic here in Seattle that is looking for an escape from the trendy hipster bar scene and the over-crowded, pretentious beer bars.

While they have their merits, these both serve a younger crowd -- beer bars especially you will find good beer being served mostly to 20 and 30-somethings. Chucks and Super Deli Mart are the kind of place you can just run over to while your 14 and 16 year old kids are at home watching a movie to have a decent pint and catch an episode of Starsky and Hutch.

Will we continue to see an upswing of such establishments, dotted throughout our residential landscape? I sure hope so. A beer bar for each and every Seattlite means more good beer being consumed by people from all walks of life.