Draft Mag 100 Best Beer Bars (2013 Cont.) - Stumbling Monk in Seattle

Avec Les Bons Voeux and Me Enjoying an Angel's Share from Lost Abbey

Stop #2 on the tour of Draft Magazine's 100 Best Beer Bars in the United States (the list can be found here) is a small bar in Seattle called Stumbling Monk.  Remember those Halcyon Days where beer bars were quiet affairs.  Where it was just you and your pint and you could strike up a conversation with the three or four other people at the bar.  Those days when you get Pliny the Yonger without lining up three hours in advance, and Belgium meant everything to you.  Well, I am happy to report that there is a little time machine in Seattle that can take you back to those days.

The strength of Stumbling Monk is not in flashy decor or an outrageous selection.  Instead it offers a quaint but quirky interior and a handful of quality taps (maybe about 8 or so) and about 20 super quality bottles that can be enjoyed to go or in the bar itself.  On the night I went, I was able to enjoy an Avec Les Bons Voeux from Brasserie Dupont, a Bourbon Barrel Aged Angel's Share from Lost Abbey, and a Stille Nacht 2011 Vintage from Browerij de Dolle Brouwers.  That is a quality a trio served in appropriate glassware from a knowledgeable and friendly bartender.

There is no food here, but you are free to order food from any of the surrounding establishments and eat it here in the low lit, comfy interior of the Stumbling Monk.  You can even challenge your date or friend to a game of Battleship or Star Wars Trivial Pursuit (proof that beer geeks are just plain old geeks really).  This is just a plain old water hole open everyday from 6pm - 2am.  There isn't much to it, but it focuses on quality beers and a quiet retreat.  These days, that is a very rare find and makes this a worthy stop.