Seattle’s 23-year-old beer bar the Collins Pub closing
The Collins Pub has been an oasis for craft beer and quality American pub food in Seattle, Washington’s pioneer square since 2003.
Before Brouwer’s Cafe, Pine Box, Full Throttle Bottles, and Chuck’s Hop Shop, there was the Collins Pub.
The Seattle Times declared The Collins Pub the 5th best beer bar in Seattle in 2011, saying ““They do about as good of a job of rotating craft beers and imports here as anywhere else in town.” And in 2009 wrote, “Seth Howard's Collins Pub remains a beacon of light in Pioneer Square.”
Fellow Seattle publican Gary Sink also opened his beer bar, Beveridge Place Pub, in 2003.
“For all the struggles of downtown since Covid I'm amazed they were able to keep going this long. 20+ years is a good run in this industry,” said Sink.
Geoff Kaiser, founder of the now defunct Seattle Beer News, was a longtime fan of The Collins Pub and had this to say;
“Collins Pub was important in large part because it was one of the few places in the downtown business core of Seattle that really cared about beer. ~20 years ago they were doing cask nights every Thursday, doing a great job of curating an interesting tap list, and doing beer dinners and other special events. One of the most memorable beer dinners I ever attended was at Collins for a HOTD dinner with Alan back in 2008. I don't remember the details, but both the food and the beers were epic. I recall a Strong Ale Fest they had back around the same time, as well.
As times changed for the beer industry and in Seattle, Collins changed over the years. They haven't had the focus on events or dinners for a long time. But they've always kept up an outstanding tap list that focused on fresh, local beers, and it's been a regular spot for many of us that work downtown for the past 20 years. The owner, Seth Howard, was an advocate for local breweries and would have been among the first to bring in stuff from new breweries making good quality beers (like Holy Mountain and Cloudburst when they started out). The food was always very good and reasonably priced, as well.
On a personal note, I've had too many good times at Collins over the years to remember. My wife and I started our first date there 20 years ago. We just held a remembrance there last month for a friend who recently passed away that used to spend a lot of time with us there. It's been the type of place that becomes a part of you, even if I haven't been going there as much these days (which was part of the problem...). It will be missed by many.”
Collins Pub closes at 11pm on Friday, July 24th. 526 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
