That's just not fair. What I've made clear, again and again and again, is that I don't like IPA, and IPA is the only thing anybody drinks, which you yourself pointed out. So "really great beer selection" means 77 IPAs and when you ask the server if she has any lagers she goes "uhhhh" (stupidlook) and walks over to the bartender and tries to shape her mouth around the syllables "laaaah" and "grrrrr" because your basic tastes are so fucking alien to the "please put lemon in my beer" crowd that you might as well be asking for a fucking pisco sour. Meanwhile if you ask for what they have in bottles they'll offer you budweiser, bud light and if you're lucky, Heineken but they'll have to check. I drink Jim Beam on the rocks, FFS. I've even been known to drink straight well bourbon because fuckin' Early Times kicks the shit out of Pyramid anything but everyone in the PNW is so busy orgasming over "craft beer" that nobody wants to go anywhere that actually has well bourbon because since the corner joint put in their tap room they don't have the money to afford a liquor license anymore. And it's not like this shit is hard, and it's not like this shit is expensive - I can get a tasting flight of 4 bourbons at my local pizza place for EIGHT BUCKS while the shitty irish pub I used to have to go to in Studio City hit me for $24 for a double of Bushmill's. But people have stopped paying attention to it, because the market wants fucking IPAs, so now I can't even get goddamn Amstel Light at Fred Meyer anymore. I drink bourbon, scotch, tequila, brandy, cognac, gin, pilsners and lagers. What's wrong with the Seattle bar scene is somehow that makes me "picky." I have a feeling that you probably have the pickiest pallet on hubski so if there is a place that you like the rest of us will be quite satisfied.
I guess I see your point about liquor. When I think of a place for a Meetup I usually consider atmosphere first quality of booze 2nd and availability of decent food 3rd. Unfortunately I don't think there have been many new bars opened north of Ballard that have a good atmosphere and a decent amount of space. There are a few places that I know in Ballard, Seattle and cap hill but all of them would be packed on a Friday/sat evening. There are plenty of neighborhood watering holes, but they tend to just be dirty grimy hole in the wall places around me. That's why I wanted you to suggest something because places that serve liquor are not that important to me so I don't go through the effort to seek them out and don't know what they are.