Happy Places: Malt and Vine
Beer geeks and oenophiles find common ground in a Redmond strip mall.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 22, 2010 at 12:11PM
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The Place Malt and Vine
The Deal A low-key Redmond retailer that caters to beer geeks and oenophiles alike.
Manager’s Pick Store manager Clint Scriven is stoked about Terrasaurus, the new shitake mushroom-brewed stout from SoDo craft brewer Epic.
Our pick Firestone Walker Solace, an unfiltered summer ale
The scoop Beer tastings are held every Friday evening beginning at 5:30. There are also special cask pours. Malt and Vine ships by the bottle and also stocks kegs. See website for details or inquire within.
Seattle has great wines stores, and it has great beer stores. But Redmond has a great beer and wine store. It’s called Malt and Vine and it is not the sort of emporium that takes advantage of every bit of square footage. It is quite sparse, in fact. Clean and down to earth, Malt and Vine is the booze retail equivalent of a cold washcloth on your feverish forehead—soothing, relaxing, in possession of the ability to slow you down.
In the front half of Malt and Vine, where the beer is stored, there is a scattering of tables. Behind this is a bar with a line of taps and a chalkboard menu detailing the revolving selection on beers and wines by the glass. Do you see what I am saying here when I say there is a bar? I am saying that you can drink in the store. I love the idea of coming out to buy a few bottles and then pausing over a pint of German pilsner or a California cab before returning to the real world.
In the back is a small but well-curated wine section with an emphasis on Washington. I was sort of expecting a perfunctory selection—that’s usually what you get at beer shops—but I was instead impressed with the thoughtful choices at Malt and Vine. Lucky Redmond.
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Tags: Tastings and Classes, Wine, Beer, Booze Boutiques, Happy Places, Redmond
