We love our microbrews. We love tasty bar food. There’s a one stop shop by the name of Jolly Roger Taproom.

Jolly Roger is the restaurant associated with Ballard’s Maritime Pacific Brewing Company, founded in 1990 by Ballard resident George Hancock.

He and his wife lived on a sailboat at Shilshole for 14 years. No surprise that he named his brewery “Maritime” to reflect Seattle – people coming to Seattle by way of the water. He runs the brewery, and she does the bookkeeping. It’s a true "ma and pa" business.

Although Hancock used to do all the brewing himself, the demands of his booming business call for a handful of brewers. But one thing’s for sure – he is just as passionate about beer as when he first started in the industry, home brewing in the 1970s.

His beer knowledge is wide-ranging. When asked to give a basic rundown of the brewing process, he was eager to explain exclaiming, “It’s not just a science. It’s an art.”

But he broke brewing down to a science. It is surprisingly complex. One gets drawn into his passion, scientific descriptions, and explanations down to the minutia.

The Jolly Roger Taproom is named after their most well-known seasonal beer; an English style of strong ale, a unique beer that is nine percent alcohol but doesn’t taste like it has high alcohol content.

Hancock says, “It’s a high potency beer, and there are lots of jolly stories,” which evidently refers to too much Jolly and the next day not remembering what happened.

The beer’s logo is skull and crossbones, chosen for its symbolic nature to take people by surprise. Since it’s a winter ale, the skull wears a Santa Claus hat. You’ll see this huge logo painted on the back wall inside the restaurant, next to the kitchen window.

Not only is the beer delicious, but many go to Jolly Roger’s for the food, or rather for how the beer and food complement each other.

Executive chef Dave Miller says, “It’s not just about the beer. Everything here is made from scratch.”

He wants people to have a good meal, not just good beer, at a reasonable price.

The concept of Jolly Roger is executed even through the food. The food and beer almost go hand in hand.

Take the Lil’ Jolly’s, for instance. These yummy sliders are paired with suggested beers.

The food is made fresh and all sauces are made in-house. The meat is fresh, as the restaurant goes through a whopping 450 pounds of mahi-mahi per month. Longtime Ballard resident Miller has been with Jolly Roger Taproom since the beginning.

There is much thought and intention behind the business and how it relates to maritime. Hancock names his beers after maritime terms. Maritime’s first beer was the Flagship, as it is the first ship in a fleet of vessels. And of course the restaurant’s decor is reminiscent of sailboats and the sea.

Hancock is very loyal to Ballard.

“Ballard is my home. My father’s first business was in Ballard when the mills were still running. Ballard is a good home for a nautical themed brewery. I don’t want to move out of Ballard.”

That’s good news for us.

So ‘tack-ho!’, and set a course to Jolly Roger for some delicious pub grub and brew.

What:
Jolly Roger Taproom

Where:
1514 N.W. Leary Way
206-782-6181

When:
Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri and Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 12 p.m.-9 p.m.