Breweries and Games!

It was a dark and stormy night when I went to Lantern brewing. The ever present dark clouds that cover the city in during the fall had made their presence known all day but only now that night had fallen did the rain began to pour. I cling to my phone as I wound my way through North Seattle, counting off the streets until I found the one my phone had marked. Through the watery haze I spotted a simple sign placed on the soaked sidewalk. Lantern Brewing it read. I pushed past the lonely food truck and grip the handle of the door. Warm air greets me as I open it up to reveal... Flagship: N/A Dogs: service animals allowed Kids: yes Do they brew there: yes Food: food trucks Has guest taps: no Events: yes Outside seating: it was pouring rain when we went. Located in North Seattle Lantern brewing seems to be a small operation. In fact when we visited there was only one person working there, and he was the brewer. The building has a very reused feel. Large garage-style doors ...

Sim City is a game that needs no introduction.  The progenitor of an entire genre of games from which everything from the tycoon games, to the sims, to today's title can trace their lineage back to.  Cities skylines was free to play this last weekend on the Xbox One so I thought I’d give it a go and see if I am as bad at this one as I was at sim city back in 1997. Now I’m going to preface this here with a bit of a disclaimer.  I’m playing the Xbox One version not the computer one.   This means that all the problems that usually happen with management titles on the console are probably going to be here and I’m going to complain about them even if they aren’t really present in all versions of the game.  Consoles have had a tenuous at best relationship with management games over the years but Halo Wars was playable and fun so they can get it right. Right, now that that’s out of the way and I’m done with repeated words in this review we can talk ab...

There's something to be said for having a good brand. These days people in every field talk about their "brand" or what makes a successful brand or how they think branding works. Well, this week we went to a place that does it right and manages to make some good beer along the way. Flagship: head hunter IPA Dogs: outside only Kids: yes Do they brew there: yes Food: full menu Has guest taps: yes Events: yes Outside seating: yes Wifi: yes Sitting in downtown Portland a stones throw (alright maybe you'd need to pick up the stones and toss them again) from Powell's is the Oregon branch of Fat Heads brewery. The night we went the brewery had a lot to offer, so let's get right into it! First off the place is big. Certainly capitalizing on the restaurant aspect of the space the brewery features large windows, wooden booths, and a full but not crowded assortment of tables and chairs. The entire building features a high, curved ceiling giving it a wa...

This week we looked at a game that's a bit older then what we usually discuss. Even so, Fallout 4 is an impressive game that deserves some discussion. Also I wanted an excuse to play it again. So how does the game compare so far after launch?  After all, this game had so much hype behind it words don't do it justice. At school, work, even the gym, people were talking about the new Fallout.  Set about 10 years after the last numbered Fallout you play a vault dweller who was frozen in cryostasis inside their vault at the onset of the Great War. While trapped you witness the murder of your wife/husband and the kidnapping of your infant son. This sets off the main plot when you finally escape the vault and the game starts proper. Many of the standard Fallout features return in this game such as companions, perks, and dialogue trees though all exist in a simplified, streamlined manner. New features abound, including a crafting/ base building system. Let me take a min...

Big E's This week we headed up north. Just outside of King County to the busy community of Lynnwood Washington we found the outstandingly cozy Big E Ales of the Ellersick Brewing company. Flagship: 12 1/2 man ipa Dogs: outside only Kids: yes Do they brew there: yes Food: full menu Has guest taps: yes Events: yes Outside seating: yes Wifi: yes This brewery isn't too far from the sprawling Alderwood mall but still manages to be a little secluded.  Tucked away on one end of a long building the brewery has a deceptively plain exterior. A trick of the light as I approached made the glass windows that formed the entry wall and door seem tinted. So much I wonders if the place was open at all. Fortunately, my fears were ill founded. Once inside I found the brewery beyond welcoming. The space is small but cozy.  Before I can fully take it all in a friendly waitress shows me to a table and puts a menu in my hand.  Minutes later I'm settled in with a pint, food...

Well the sequel is out and has been for long enough that real game journalists are giving their take on it so I feel justified in tackling the original. Lucky for you I didn't play bungie's new IP until right before 2 came out. So rest assured, this is still a better late than never take even if this game is 3 years old. This is the first game I've reviewed that I really didn't like. Not from the get go I mean. For years people have been trying to sell me on Destiny and for years I planned to get onboard but I never got around to it. It took me worrying that the servers might shutdown with the new one to get me over to the GameStop and buy a used copy. Destiny then is a FPS with RPG elements with a fair bit of MMO added in.  Players can Sorta but not quite like Borderlands. From what I can tell the story is that an alien intelligence called the Traveler came to earth, boosting our technology. It was followed by something bad which has now reduced humanity to...

It's that time of the year again. The leaves are beginning to change, the mornings are cold. Yes, fall is upon us and with it comes one of the most important of all the beer holidays, Oktoberfest!  Recently we got to attend the Fremont Oktoberfest and it was a blast! The event was in the western part of the neighborhood and covered two streets near the waterfront. A savory mix of beer tents, sponsor booths, and a few buildings open filled in the area with food, fun, and of course, beer. This Oktoberfest had everything from beer to bratwurst, dogs to dirndls and even one of those big magic carpet slides. Upon entrance to the event, I was given a mini stein and a number of beer tokens with the understanding that each would fill said stein in the typical way of every American brewfest ever. Beer is the true attraction at any Oktoberfest and the Fremont Oktoberfest delivered.  There were over 80 beers representing some of the finest breweries around and not just thos...

It seems like another lifetime ago for me. Logging onto miniclip.com at my high school to play runescape anytime I thought I could get away with it. I would find that MMO's are as addicting as they are time consuming but before I would finally break free of their grasp I would be introduced to the holiday event. Runescape had annual events around Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. They usually involved a short, easy quest after which you'd get a thing as a reward. But this thing was no mere item. It was a holiday item. A holiday item unique to that year. This meant that you exactly one chance to get that item in all of time. If you missed out that was it. There would be no getting it another time no matter how cool it was.  Even after I was no longer playing on a regular basis I would mark my calendar to make sure I didn't miss getting the holiday item. These days even the most specifically single player game will have some kind of online element. Xbox live, PlayStat...

Guys and gals, we're excited to announce that Breweries and Games! Is now officially sponsored by Fatal Grips.  This is good news all around, but for you, yes you, the deal is the best. By using the promo code BeerNGames you can get 10% off in their store.  Go check them out: https://fatalgrips.com