Optimism Brewing Co

Seattle


Capitol Hill has lagged behind Fremont and Ballard beer-wise, but this encouragingly named brewery put froth back on the local pints when it opened in 2015. In the fine style of similarly oriented Fremont Brewing, Optimism offers a tasting room where you can sit at picnic benches on the factory floor and order basically straight from the beer vat.

The brewery, located in a spacious former car showroom, has several huge pros (aside from the beer): large windows, kid- and pet-friendly policies, bring-your-own food and no TVs to distract.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Seattle attractions

1. Roq La Rue

0.15 MILES

This gallery has secured its reputation by taking risks: the work on view skates along the edge of urban pop-culture. Since opening in 1998, the gallery,…

2. Jimi Hendrix Statue

0.2 MILES

Psychedelic guitar genius of the late 1960s and Seattle’s favorite son, Jimi Hendrix is captured sunk to his knees in eternal rock-star pose in this…

3. Gay City Library

0.22 MILES

This library was set up in 2009 by Gay City, a community organization, and has already collected 6000 volumes on LGBTIQ+ topics. There are regular…

4. Stimson-Green Mansion

0.23 MILES

One of the first homes on First Hill, the baronial Stimson-Green Mansion is an English Tudor–style mansion completed in 1901 by lumber baron and real…

5. Cal Anderson Park

0.3 MILES

Cal Anderson Park is the active heart of Capitol Hill, where you’re sure to bump into locals playing ultimate frisbee, bike polo or soccer as you stroll…

6. Sorrento Hotel

0.38 MILES

This grand working hotel on First Hill is a fine example of Italian Renaissance architecture. Built in 1909 by a Seattle clothing merchant, the Sorrento…

7. St James Cathedral

0.43 MILES

Seattle's beautiful Italian Renaissance–style Catholic cathedral was built in 1907. The original dome collapsed in 1916, the victim of a rare Seattle…

8. Frye Art Museum

0.44 MILES

This small museum on First Hill preserves the collection of Charles and Emma Frye. The Fryes collected more than 1000 paintings, mostly 19th- and early…