One of the best days of my life was spent at the Anacortes Brewing Company. My best friend, let’s call her my First-mate for the purposes of this story, and I went whale watching one day. We just so happened to choose an outfitter that guarantees that you’ll see whales. Now, whales, being wild animals and all, aren’t the best at telling the whale-watching-outfitters of their plans. On this particular cold, rainy, windy day, my first-mate and I were geared up in our galoshes, hats, raincoats and we had hot tea in hand. We stood at the bow of that boat all day long, exposed to the elements, as we toured the islands looking for whales. We saw walruses. We saw Guemes island. We saw dolphins. We saw the San Juan islands. We saw seals. We saw Synclair Island. We saw porpoises. We saw Cypress Island. We saw sea otters and sea lions!
We didn’t see whales.
And, because we could either get our money back or go on another tour, the Captain was determined to find us some damn whales. We were out there, at the bow, for 6 or 7 hours in the biting rain only taking bathroom breaks and breaks to refill our mugs with hot water.
The Captain finally gave up and turned towards home. When we disembarked from the boat, the Captain called me and my First-Mate “Hearty” for withstanding the elements. It is one of my all-time favorite compliments I have ever gotten.
How is this related to Anacortes Brewery?
Well, we went there after.
My memory of that time was that it was a nice, cozy place out of the rain. And that memory served this time. It feels like a neighborhood bar with its dark bar and dark walls. I got a flight. Cas got the IPA. We didn’t love it enough for a second round. The ambience didn’t do anything to draw us in either. We got food that is terribly unmemorable (and I have a memory for food that is impeccable. To prove my point, I can remember the cookbook that a delicious recipe came from, even if I made it one time a year ago).
So, what is the verdict? Go if you are in the area or desperate to complete your Skagit Valley brewery passport (like us). We enjoyed a little spot around the corner, Salt and Vine a lot more.