"Just before the holidays, Hale’s Ales, one of Seattle’s oldest craft breweries, posted a sign on the door of its Ballard brewery announcing it was closing temporarily, to reopen in the new year as a taproom only. The taproom is now open, pouring Hale’s beers as usual, but the former menu of burgers, pizzas, salads, and fish and chips has been reduced to just five items: house-smoked pork sliders; mac and cheese; a deli sandwich with salami, pepperoni, and turkey; chili made with the brewery’s Mongoose IPA; and Bavarian-style pretzels." - Megan Hill