Optimism Brewing Company

I visited Optimism yesterday for the first time. The place has a lot of potential but isn’t dialed in. I tried four of their beers, including their Moxee IPA, and none of them were great. Drinkable, but that’s it. The place lacks soul. It needs some curtains, some couches mixed in and some music. It feels like a high school lunch room with cool wooden tables. I hope they continue to develop the personality of the place. It could really be cool.

This place was the perfect place to kick back with some friends on a Saturday afternoon. The had a food truck roll up mid afternoon that went over well. Super dog friendly (I must have pet 20!) and the staff were very friendly and helpful. There is even a kid pen for parents who want to get their crunk on.

Casual brewery in cap hill with bare industrial décor. This place is an excellent starting point for a night out while waiting for everyone to get there, or a great place for large groups to meet at. It has unique beers on tap, food trucks, and bring your own food option, and is also dog-​friendly.
The place is basically a huge warehouse refurnished. The openness of the area illustrates how big it actually it. It is pretty bare-​bones with a long high-​tables and stools, and a counter selling their beer. They also have a few smaller tables, but most of their tables are communal. The décor is very industrial, but tastefully done. They have gender neutral restrooms, which scared me into thinking I went into the wrong one.
At the back of the place, there is an open area where a food truck sells food on weekends. There are some picnic tables to eat at, if you don’t want to get the food inside. However, you can also bring food from outside, and there are plenty of options within a few blocks. I’ve seen other breweries prohibiting you from bringing your own food when food trucks are present, but this place doesn’t.
The beer is very unique. I had their One and Moxee. The One was pretty neat, with a great intermingling taste of malt and hops. The moxee is an IPA, which I found too hoppy for my taste. I also tasted a few of the others, and they were decent, but I found that most of their beers had a strong taste of hops.
Also, their staff is super-​friendly, and will help out in selecting one if you’re unsure what you’d like. I’d recommend starting out with a few samplers, and then getting a glass or pint of the one you like.
The beers are well-​priced, costing $ 2 for a 4oz tasting sampler, $ 5 for a 12oz (small) glass, and $ 6.5 for a 16oz pint. This is pretty standard for most local beers. Also, the cost includes tax, and they have a no-​tipping policy, and payment is by card only.
This is an excellent place with good beers, and I will bring my friends here. I would definitely recommend trying this place, specially if you’re in cap hill early, or for day-​drinking with some to-​go food.

The beers are excellent and the brewery is beautiful and really well designed. I appreciate that they’re trying to create unique beers that they don’t want to be categorized as a porter, pale, etc. Makes for easier ordering though if they listed the style of beer on their menu — that’s the only reason I’m giving this 4 stars instead of 5. Hardly an issue once you understand what they’re pouring.
We popped in with our kids one late afternoon and they have an area just for the little ones that is «protected/​separated» by gate that keeps them corralled into a fun area with toys, books, bean bag chairs and more. Best thing I’ve ever seen from a brewery or taproom that understands that if parents feel good about where their kids are at, they will happily stay longer and have another pint.

Can’t go wrong with any of the brews. Everyone is super friendly. Every brew is fuego. I can’t wait to come back!
Personally, the Black was unreal. Please try it.

It’s definitely kid friendly. They have a play area for kids. Me personally i love kids but wouldn’t bring them to a brewery. Lots of communal seating and 4 tops and a standing bar area. A rooftop deck would be cool. I tried the Black and the Rushmore, both great beers. Industrial feel. Great service
I will be back

This is a pretty great brewery in Capitol Hill. My friend and I really enjoyed their beers, Moxee (IPA) and Rushmore (Amber). Pretty decently priced, $ 6.25 for a pint. I had a flight of 5 that they had on tap. I think it was around $ 2 for each. They also only accept card for payment.
I didn’t get to try their stouts as they were sold out that night. I didn’t care for the one called Check, it seemed to taste very watered down. Both of us had another Moxee since we really enjoyed it, even though I don’t usually go for IPAs.
I loved how spacious the place is, as well as the large windows. They have long wooden tables and it’s very well-​lit. It’s also dog friendly, which is definitely a plus for me.

One star deduction until they start offering growler sales because I really would have liked to take home a growler of Zest, their citrus/​tropical tasting IPA. As soon as growler functionality arrives, five stars it is!
Many prior reviewers have commented on the size of the space. Yes, it is a very large space and, yes, there is ample room for more seating, and yes, it does feel a bit empty at times. I get the feeling that more seating will arrive as soon as Optimism has proven it is an established business.
Let’s talk about Optimism as a business for a moment. The owners of Optimism pay their employees a living wage. Employee wages start at $ 20/​hour and the owners pay 100% of healthcare insurance costs. This is super in so many ways, including the way it affects us, the consumers, which is that this is a NO TIPPING business. It’s also a NO CASH business.
Positives:
–Reservations accepted for large parties
–Enclosed play area for kiddos so adults can be adults and kids can be kids
–Dogs allowed; water bowls scattered around the space
–Communal bathroom with row of stalls with urinals and a row of stalls with toilets
–Fast service
–No tipping
–Good beer
–Food truck rotation
Negatives:
–No growler sales… yet…
–No food truck food available before 5pm

Location: 5 stars! New brewery in Capitol Hill, right next to Garage.
Ambiance: 3 stars. Really big, almost too big. I like the open seating but on the Friday night that I visited one side of the bar was pretty crowded and the other side was empty. It also closed early.
Drinks: 4 stars. I’m a fan of dark beers which are hard to come by in the land of IPAs. I loved their selection of dark beers and the one recommended to me was the perfect blend of chocolate and coffee that I was looking for.

My first response after walking by and walking in was «What the F*ck?». This place is insane. It’s huge, kind of dreamy, looks like somebody just threw a TON of money into it. They’re either brilliant or absolutely insane, that’s a bold strategy cotton, let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.
But overall I absolutely love the place. Their beer is really, REALLY good. It’s not your typical brewery that is doing what’s popular (although like many breweries they may learn quickly that their sales will soar by giving into that).
At first glance their menu was pretty expensive, but then I read the whole no-​tip policy. I really like it. Tips are included in the price, and they say they pay their staff fairly. Now there are laws around this, but who knows what they consider «fair». Their staff did do an outstanding job and were super good at answering questions, being friendly, and seemed to really care about what they do. So considering that, I’d assume they make a decent wage.
Last but not least — I LOVE the restrooms. I didn’t know until my friend mentioned it that apparently it’s a new law that restrooms are unisex (?) but I absolutely love the way they did their restrooms. Very similar to the Starbucks Reserve (the coffee equivalent to this «throw money at it and see what works» brewery).
I hope to visit a few more times when hopefully they have more beer on tap and add more value to this 1-​visit 5-​star review.

An ok spot in Capitol Hill.
The space itself is absolutely massive and is decorated nicely. The place is covered in wood, including the ceilings. There are a ton of tables and it would be perfect for bigger groups to get together. They had a food truck when I was there, it seems like that happens often.
It is both dog and kid friendly. While it’s nice that parents can come hang out with their kids there can also be a downside to that too. There were several groups with children there when I went. Some of the children were running around. One toddler almost ran out the door with no parents watching it and one of the employees was walking around asking if this toddler belonged to anyone. Just an FYI for anyone stopping by.
The beer was alright. It was difficult to figure out what type of beer you were ordering based on the name. There was a random name, photo and description of the beer. I had the Cheer which was a holiday cranberry beer which was pretty good. I also sampled the Hello, World which I think was a lager.
Overall, I think the space has a lot of potential.

Great new brewery in cap hill and really enjoy it! Huge space for groups to hang out. It is a plastic/​card only operation and gratuity/​service included establishment. The home brews are really good and flights are now offered (up to 6 can fit on the tray).

Thrilled with this place! It’s HUGE and has a really comfortable, relaxed vibe.
They even have a small, gated in area for… children I believe. Maybe dogs. No, I think children.
The beers are great, and they charge you each time with tax and tip included. It was nice not dealing with a tab or tipping each time.
Food trucks out back have been good selections.

High high hopes for this place. We were in on a Saturday night. It was hoppin’ and there was still room to sit which is nice. Loads of dogs but well behaved, no children although a play space is provided in the corner. A food truck pulled into the courtyard, definitely a nice touch. Appreciate the price point and the tip included thing.
A few things that need to be worked out, it feels overly bright and sterile, a huuuuuuge space. I like the community hall seating thing but the whole space is lacking a little character and feels like a cafeteria. Also, I understand they are simply serving their own brews but that makes for a very limited menu. Of the 8ish beers they were serving, one was sold out. There is definitely not a beer for everyone and you don’t have any other bottled options. It’s a big bet that one of 7 beers will satisfy everyone’s tastes. Also the large line seemed to crawl and I don’t know why it was taking so long to serve people up.
Some good things going for it and a prime location + an insane amount a sq footage… I really think they can make this thing work, but for now it’s not a favorite.

A massive space of fun!!!
A brewery right in the middle of all the fun on Capitol Hill? Yeaaaaa!!! 16,000 sqft! 8 in house brews!!! Dog friendly! Kids friendly! Glass covered!!! Glass everywhere! This place is pure fun!
Came here on a sleepy Sunday night and had a blast! I’m not a beer drinker at all. But I know my friends enjoy their brews and Ipas often. And we were looking for a dog friendly bar. Seattle has a few but not that many. We usually have to trek all the way to Ballard for dog friendly breweries! So glad I found this place.
Ambiance: beautiful!!! Wooden tables, chairs! Stunning lights. It’s a laid back modern trend at its best. You can sit at the bar counters, high long communal tables or the shorter benches. All are beautiful. And they have a huge play pen in the corner for kids! If you want to hang and drinks beer while your babies play?
We had a sampling of all 8 brews they had. My favorite was the Moxee. Some are sweeter than the other. And the pours are a good size! They also had a sparkly flavorless carbonated water for $ 1! It’s a good pallet cleanser between the tasting.
Oh and their bathrooms are European style stalls! Left side rooms are for men and right side is for women! But it’s in one room! Should be interesting on the weekend!
Daniella was super friendly and had great recommendations. And I can’t believe how friendly everyone is here. My friend puppy got play time with almost everyone that walked in here. People love puppies! :) No food here but soi and gokan is right around the corner! Or dominos! 8 oz burger bar?! All within a block radius! Talk about a perfect location! I’m a fan!

Love this place. Just opened and while it’s odd they don’t have tasters, everything else is wonderful — from the educated staff to the delicious beer, the atmosphere of this awesome space brings it all together.
Wish I lived in Seattle to frequent this place!

Awesome brewery! For just opening a month ago, this may be one of the top tasting room spaces I’ve ever seen — big, wide open, clean, and trendy. The location is great and the service is friendly.
The beer is well-​made and tasty. Nothing super unique but it is delicious none-​the-​less. The zest pale hits all the right citrus notes with a hoppy foundation while not being overly bitter. Some of the other beers that we were able to taste were pretty good but again, nothing super special.
Two downsides:
1. No tasters, only full pints. The server said they were on their way but not sure why they wouldn’t sell tasters out of the pint sized cups so customers could taste more of the beer.
2. The beer names. While clever, it made the process to choose a beer more complicated than necessary. Sure, the types are on the website, but a simple style can easily be added to the descriptions on each screen.
Regardless, great beer, service, and atmosphere. Would go back in a heartbeat!

I’m so happy that Capitol Hill got another brewery! Optimism Brewery is also a great addition to the Seattle brewery area as well. The tap room is huge and is well equipped for very busy nights in the area. The day we went here though it was completely dead, the whole neighborhood was except for some businesses here and there. Most likely because of the weather and a brief flurry of snow.
So of course the best thing to get on such a cold, winter day was to get a dark beer so I got their Porter for the first round. It hit the spot perfectly and was gentle and warming while we saw the surge of rain and snow outside. We were not eager to leave due to the weather so we got a second round where I got their Golden Ale which was delightful as well.
The bartender was congenial and informative and I would love to come back for a return visit. As often as I am in Capitol Hill the odds are extremely likely.

Optimism is exactly what Capitol Hill needed – a chill, well-​lit, ambient, fairly priced spot to enjoy some drinks and conversation. It welcomes dogs and kids (there’s even a little play area sectioned off for them), and has loads of seating for everyone and their mother. I love how the place has been designed – the unfinished/​industrial look continues to hold fort – with great bits of attention to detail. For instance, there are multiple water taps located across the space – no more queuing up at the bar, or trekking to the other end of the room to find the lone tap.
Now, for the beer. I appreciate that they are against bucketing a beer into a specific type, as that tends to bias palettes to some extent. However, some sort of guideline might be useful. We tried almost their entire lineup between the four of us (over a couple of rounds), and I loved how pleasantly non-​bitter the beers were. Such a refreshing change from the traditional PNW IPAs that I am quickly tiring of! I think the One, Moxee, and Before the Dawn were my favourites from their tap lineup. At $ 6.25 a pint, I think the prices are very fair, especially since they include tax and tip. I’m also a fan of the cashless model as it keeps lines moving quickly.
This is the perfect place to spend a weekend afternoon as the rain pours down outside. They even have plans to open a rooftop deck by the summer, which would make this space even more awesome. There’s a dedicated food truck spot outside in case you want a dinner of convenience along with your beer, but you’re also allowed to bring in any food of your own. I will definitely be back here many a time!

Friendly service, really great mission, cool environment. I love that it’s kid and dog friendly. I really dig this place and I feel like it has a lot of potential to be a sweet place for pet dates, play dates, board game nights.
The beer menu is simple and solid. No food but with their awesome courtyard for future food trucks and their great cap hill location, you can bring food in! I’ll be eager to see how this places develops!
Day 2 of opening and I’m sold!