My Home Tavern

I like having a home tavern.  Though it isn't a place where everybody knows my name, a few of the bartenders do, and that's nice.  One calls me "Uncle" because I sometimes bring my nephews in for a few rounds.  I like it when Kate says, "Hi Uncle, what can I get you?"

The Parkway, in my hometown, Tacoma, WA, has been in operation since 1935.  It's located on a main east/west arterial that passes through residential neighborhoods and connects downtown with the West End.  It's in a converted house and is a true neighborhood hang-out.  You can sit out on the front porch right along the sidewalk and feel like you're sitting on your own porch.

These days, the Parkway is known for its excellent ale selection.  They are usually pouring 30 different craft ales - 20 permanent offerings and 10 that rotate at least weekly.  You always know what's coming up next:

I think the Parkway can boast more taps than any other watering hole in the country.  Not that they are pouring more than anyone else at any given time, but that they simply have more tap handles.  Tap handles are part of the decor, bristling out from the overhead beams thusly:

Those tap handles are not just for decoration, either.  During the course of a year, most of them will be used as their corresponding brew rotates through the line-up.  The line-up is constantly changing, but here's a typically diverse offering from a recent night:

You'll notice they have PBR in there among all those craft brews.  Though not a micro, PBR is a great American pilsner and is offered as a nod to Tacoma's working-man/industrial identity (and also as a cheap beer for those on a budget).  Want a break from craft brew?  Have a PBR.  Want a light beer?  Have a soda instead.

Rather than being positioned in a long line, the 30 or so working taps are in a compact block, making it easy for the bartenders to pour several pints at a time without having to run from one end to the other.

On this blog, I will share visits to microbreweries and ale houses all over the country, especially the west coast and Pacific Northwest, but I wanted to start close to home so you'd understand my roots.  That's me on the left with my buddy, Don.  Cheers!