Qt3 Meetup - Tacoma/South Sound Meetup!

[nixon66]

So Ryan A and I were talking about getting a little Tacoma/South Sound meet up going. I've been unable to make my way up for the previous Seattle/East Side ones, so why not bring it closer to home.

Tacoma's got a number of great places to meet up for a good beer and food and good discussion. Places like Engine House No. 9 or others.

I'm available most any weeknight and weekend. What say you all? You Seattle/East Side folk are welcome to come on down too. I know it's been a while since we've had any get together up in the NW here.


Time: Saturday, December 12th - 8PM
Place: Engine House No. 9 - http://www.ehouse9.com/

[Ryan A]

I'm game, of course. E9 is always a great choice and pretty accessible from the freeway. Here are some more recommendations in no particular order of preference:

The Spar (http://www.the-spar.com/)
The Hub (http://hub.harmonbrewingco.com/)
Doyle's Public House (http://www.doylespublichouse.com/)

All of you Seattle-Area Qt3'ers should make the drive: it only takes about 30 minutes in the evening and downtown Tacoma has really turned into a hidden gem over the past 10 years or so.

[nixon66]

Those are great places as well.

Would setting a date and adjusting it based upon availability get more of you to come on by?

[RepoMan]

Yes, yes it would :-) Next week sometime might be particularly good as my mother-in-law is in town. She's fine and fun, avoiding her's not the issue, but the fact that she'd be company for my wife while I'm at the meetup is the win part :-)

Too bad Pizza Abruzzi (http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/allyoucaneat/2008/12/01/reader_feeder_abruzzis_pizza_p.html) closes so early... I've been jonesing to get a couple of their big pizzas into my freezer, but it's hard to manage a drive down there just for that... though these days it's so cold I can probably just stick 'em in the back of my hatchback while we're pubbing it up :-)

[Ryan A]

How does the evening of Friday, December 11 sound?

[RepoMan]

Works for me atm....

[DennyA]

I have NEVER driven through Tacoma on a Friday evening (on the way to Portland) without hitting traffic hell. It's also been home to the only road rage and guy-pulling-over-in-traffic-to-pee-in-front-of-everyone incidents I've had on that drive. I hate hate hate hate hate I-5 through Tacoma.

So, the thought of a Friday evening meetup is less than enticing to me, as much as I love you guys...

[RepoMan]

Hm. Well, coming from Kirkland, if I hit epic traffic down there it would indeed be kind of a poo. Maybe if we had it at like 8 pm, to give traffic time to ebb?

[Ryan A]

We could go with a later start time like Repo suggests or we could go for a Saturday (December 12?) time if that would be better.

I can't make any promises, but I've never had much trouble driving into Tacoma on Friday evenings (southbound I-5). Traffic can get pretty hairy in the mid-late afternoon through Fife and then again through Fort Lewis but it's usually pretty smooth by the time rush hour is over.

[RepoMan]

I'm up for 8:30 start time in Tacoma, I am reasonably sure things will be mellow by then. Denny lives way out in Duvall so even if not for traffic it's quite a slog for him to get all the way back there. (Not to say he's not MAN ENOUGH for it or anything!) Anyway, lateish Friday works for me, but Saturday would also work -- is traffic actually guaranteed better on Sat. night than Fri. night?

[jeffd]

I have NEVER driven through Tacoma on a Friday evening (on the way to Portland) without hitting traffic hell. It's also been home to the only road rage and guy-pulling-over-in-traffic-to-pee-in-front-of-everyone incidents I've had on that drive. I hate hate hate hate hate I-5 through Tacoma.

So, the thought of a Friday evening meetup is less than enticing to me, as much as I love you guys...

I'm with Denny; there is no way I'm driving down to Tacoma on a weeknight. :)

[nixon66]

Alright then, let's make it Saturday night, to keep the nastiness of I-5 in Fife from keeping people away. (I drive it everyday at five and I hate it, so I can understand the reluctance).

Saturday December 12th. - 7 PM.

Now it's just a matter of where!

[jeffd]

Actually fuck - I'm a total dick; I just realized I'm out of town entirely that weekend. Sorry!

[RepoMan]

http://rlv.zcache.com/tonguestickingout_my_inner_child_thinks_youre_tshi rt-p235855873312846102q6xx_210.jpg

[DennyA]

It's a bit crazy being all holiday time and stuff, but I'll try to make it. More confirmationy post as we get closer to the actual day.

[nixon66]

Excellent. Now as to place, I'm great with any of the choices above. I've not been to The Hub but heard great word of mouth about the place, and Doyle's is a great place. I live just up the hill from the Spar and frequent it often! Any large preference to any of the above?

[Ryan A]

Engine House No. 9 is like a smaller, higher quality version of Seattle's U-District Ram. Like the Ram, its crowd varies from families to college kids depending on when you're there. I really enjoy their food and their beer: this is a solid choice if we're wanting something that's more restaurant than bar.

The Hub is another option that has more of a restaurant feel. It has a wood-fired pizza oven and sort of has a yuppie vibe in there. They serve beers from Tacoma's Harmon Brewery, who I think does a pretty good job with just about all of their varieties.

Doyle's is fun and has a good selection of both whiskies and beers with a definite Irish bent. Now that I'm living in the area, I intend to spend time at Doyle's with some friends to watch soccer... it's a cozy little pub with a fairly broad range of patrons.

The Spar is large and can be noisy (maybe lively is a better word). If memory serves, it's the only place we've listed that has a pool table, dart boards, etc. It has a pretty typical bar but a very broad selection of beers.

I think they're all good options (and probably all in the same price range... The Spar might be a touch cheaper than the rest?) -- I don't have a preference and would defer to any that have a specific request.

[RepoMan]

Since I ain't never been to none o' them thar places, I ain't got CLUE ZERO. All I really care about is BEER BEER BEER. Though wings would be great too, I'm sure EHno9 and Hub would be wing-equipulated. In any case, someone other than me has to make The Call. Darts are fun, but I have trouble with really loud environments so maybe The Spar is suboptimal. OK, I'll veto The Spar and see if that helps motivate a decision.

Also, who do we got? RyanA, nixon66, myself, and DennyA? That's cool with me but I know we have other Seattleites in the vicinity -- Bulhajj? bago? Denny, who was the other guy who joined us at Pallino's last year?

Also, I am delighted to announce that on my way there I will be stopping at Full Throttle Bottles to pick up the FOUR CASES of A. J. Stephan's ginger beer that they are holding for me, so I can share that around (wonder if I can get them to mix me a Dark & Stormy wherever we're going?), and then also at Abruzzi Pizza just to get a coupla pies to go :-D (loves me some o' that and I only went there once so far....)

[nixon66]

I'll pick then for us and say Engine House No. 9.

What really sells it for me?


Beers: We feature at least 8 fabulous fresh ales from our award winning brewery as well as import and guest handles including 3 cask conditioned ales. Fine wines and top shelf spirits are also available. The Beer Club is a fun way to explore the diverse draught and bottled beer selections in this "trend setting" establishment.

http://www.ehouse9.com/

[RepoMan]

Rock! Sounds dandylicious.

[Ryan A]

This will be fun!

[Alan Au]

Also, who do we got? RyanA, nixon66, myself, and DennyA? That's cool with me but I know we have other Seattleites in the vicinity -- Bulhajj? bago? Denny, who was the other guy who joined us at Pallino's last year?
Sorry, can't make it on the 12th. :(

- Alan

[nixon66]

Sorry to hear it Alan. Any other Seattle or Eastside folk? I know there are a ton of you out there lurking seeing if the cool kids are going to be there. Rest assured we will be.

[RepoMan]

Can we shift it to more like 8 pm? If not, no biggie :-)

[Sidd_Budd]

Yea, you guys should totally move it to 8 pm. That will increase the chances that at least a few of you will still be around at 10:30 pm PST, and then we can call you from the Michigan gathering that will be just getting started on East Coast Time. It'll be like Hands Across America, except with cell phones. And geeks.

[nixon66]

Sounds good. Eight works for me.

[Ryan A]

I'm looking forward to this one. Send a PM for my cell number if you'd like to be able to call/text upon arrival, etc. Or to arrange what might just tear a whole in the fabric of reality -- a call from the Detroit meetup to the Tacoma meetup.

[DennyA]

I'm still iffy on whether I'll be able to attend, alas... Taking my son to Seattle during the day, and it'll kind of depend on when we finish up, as I'll have to take him back to Duvall, and then head down to Tacoma after that.

Logically, I'd just wait for a closer meetup. But I'm a highly social person, so you never know. :)

[nixon66]

Looking forward to it all. I'll get there a few minutes early and find a table for us all.

[RepoMan]

Arrrrrrgh. My wife threw her neck out and the mother-in-law is not much help and I have to help with the kids. I will be late. Don't know how late yet. Very sorry.

[nixon66]

No problem! I'm at the first table you'll see when you enter pretty much.

[DennyA]

So, how did it go? My kid and I didn't get back from Seattle till almost 9, so it was too late to turn back around and get to Tacoma.

Hope it went better than our attempts at ice skating for the first time yesterday...

[Ryan A]

We had a nice time. The evening began with a phone call from the Detroit area meetup, but the ambient noise and the weak speakerphone mode on the iPhone conspired against true party line fun.

RepoMan wowed us with his bravery AND his pipes as he got up for not one, but two rounds of Karaoke. I'll post pictures once I have them uploaded.

[nixon66]

Yup, great time, pretty good IPA's and a decent reuben provided some great times. Ryan, Repo and I enjoyed a good evening. Looking forward to another here already.

[RepoMan]

Ya it was fun. How'd you guys like the ginger beer? I was glad I got some applause for the first song I busted out... the second one, on the other hand, the less said the better. Moral: bars = loud = worn voice before even getting on stage!

[Ryan A]

How'd you guys like the ginger beer?

I love ginger ale and I cook with fresh ginger pretty frequently. I also was appreciative of your gift of the ginger beer. All that said, it saddens me to admit that neither my wife or I was able to finish the half bottle we shared over ice. You weren't kidding about it packing a punch.... my lips tingled for about five minutes after my first sip. That was an interesting sensation, but the flavor was just a bit too strong for me to enjoy drinking. It was literally like chewing on a piece of fresh ginger.

[RyanMichael]

Tell me more about this ginger beer! I've had some from Stewart's and another company whose name escapes me. Also, I've got a bottle of Ginger Mead from B Nektar meadery sitting on my shelf. Ginger rules.

[RepoMan]

Ah yes, I was worried it would be overkill for you guys :-) Sorry about that! I think. Kind of. Maybe you would've liked it and then it would've been a good idea.

A. J. Stephan's Ginger Beer is the kind I gave these guys. Stewart's Ginger Beer and Blenheim's Extra Hot Ginger Beer are my other two favorites. And yes, if it doesn't burn, it's hardly worth drinking. I'm mostly off of sodas these days, but when I do have one, I want to make sure the experience is worth the sugar bomb. Regular sodas, not so much anymore.

[nixon66]

I didn't try it yesterday, but I will tonight. It'll be nice and chilly cold and ready to go for me after I get home from work. Ryan's warning has me intrigued about it's gingerness.

[RepoMan]

So... did it kill you with pure ginger power?

[nixon66]

Wow, so I'm sipping it right now Repo. Damn that's got a bite at the end! It's good, but the ginger is amazingly strong!

[RepoMan]

OK phew, at least you're not dead :-) Yeah, getting real ginger beer (e.g. as strong as that) is hard as hell around here. Full Throttle Bottles has my back, but even they get only like five cases every six months.

Beware: you can totally build up a tolerance, and we all know what happens then.