She’s into altitude. The Watering Hole:

Porterhouse, 2329 California Avenue SW, (206) 932-2575The Atmosphere: First, Porterhouse is not a steakhouse; the porter of the house is the strong dark ale that is this West Seattle establishment’s specialty. Open for a little over a year, Porterhouse prides itself especially on its West Coast beer selection. It’s got over twenty offerings, including 15 Washington state microbrews; notable seasonal beers on tap include Big Al’s Winter Warmer (brewed in White Center, a mere two miles away), and 21st Amendment’s Fireside Chat from San Francisco. It’s a upper-crust alehouse that feels new, quite matching the moderately posh Admiral neighborhood vibe. On a late afternoon, the dining hall was rather sparse, but the bar had a steady stream of locals perched at tall tables for Happy Hour, watching the basketball game on their two screens. The Barkeep: Sarah Humeston moved to Seattle two years ago from Minnesota “for the mountains,” she told me. A West Seattle resident herself, she is a student at Seattle Central, a Taurus, and an avid mountain climber and REI loyalist. Before starting at Porterhouse six months ago, she worked at Athenian in Pike’s Place, which she greatly enjoyed. Chipper and conversational, Sarah graciously walked me through the laundry list of beers and breweries. The Drink: It took Sarah a long minute to choose from her selection, but she finally arrived with a 12 oz glass of Vertical Epic by Stone Brewery in California. “It’s got hints of chamomile and Sauvignon,” she told me. The beer was light, sweet, and tasty, and while I sipped, Sarah launched into a lengthy and enrapturing tale about scaling the 12,000 ft summit of Mount Adams this past August with her roommate. It involved garbage bags, jet boilers, and losing and then finding her roommate’s false tooth amongst the rocks on their descent. It was a great story, and by the end of it, to my surprise, I was kind of drunk. I’m on the lighter of weights when it comes to alcohol, but I was startled and a bit embarrassed that a petite glass of beer–particularly one that tasted so flowery and delicate–was making my sight wobble. “I may not be able to finish this,” I told her.”Oh yeah, it’s like 9.2% alcohol. That’s why we serve it in the small glass.” The Verdict: Porterhouse has got the premium top-shelf regional beer game on lock, and drinks are reasonably priced compared to the food menu. It’s a bit out of the way for anyone who’s not already at the top of West Seattle, but for the serious microbrew enthusiast, it’s fairly unmatched. Don’t be fooled by the light brews, though. They’ll get you.