Fremont Brewing Company

In the Seattle neighborhood of Fremont, the self-proclaimed “center of the universe,” it’s all about the green—green beer that is. But don’t worry—unlike the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day, we’re not talking literally green. The Fremont Brewing Company (FBC) produces all-natural beer, an environmentalist’s elixir.

FBC is an all-weather destination. In addition to its flowery, barley-infused Summer Solstice brew and its autumnal Harvest Ale with hints of apricot and apples, it offers $3 pints of chocolaty Abominable Winter Ale that are perfect for the Pacific Northwest’s nine-month winters. The beer garden features a new cask every week, and like all good Seattle loyalists, FBC maintains a sense of humor about the often less-than-ideal temperatures. Drizzly “springtime” weather prompted the release of the “Would You Please Keep the Sun on for More than One Day at a Time Cask,” featuring the bold combination of rosemary, lime, grapefruit zest, and North African dry chili mix. And if all that talk of ingredients is making you hungry, you best plan ahead. Free pretzels are the only food served at FBC, so customers are encouraged to bring their own snacks or even have meals delivered.

Everything about FBC screams local: locally grown hops from the Yakima Valley, locally sourced merchandise designers and manufacturers, fermentation tanks from Georgetown Brewing Company, even a 400-square-foot walk-in refrigerator purchased at a nearby Costco. But the brewery’s efforts toward conservation and sustainability don’t stop at supporting local businesses. At FBC, everything is recycled—even the heat, which is redirected from the refrigeration and fermentation temperature control unit to the production space. The brewery’s furniture is also repurposed; its focal piece is an 18-foot-long community table made from recycled bleacher boards from Ballard High School. Even the hops growing horizontally on FBC’s roof subsist on brewery-generated CO2, a natural byproduct of fermentation.

In addition to its devotion to preserving the environment, FBC prides itself on its community involvement. It currently sponsors the Speedy Beavers (the Seattle women’s mountain bike team) and supports organizations like the Sierra Club Cascade Chapter, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, and the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club.

- Olivia Margoshes