It’s Beer Week in Seattle, and for the first time, Greenwood is a major destination for keg-tapping, pint-sipping event-goers. The reason: Naked City Taphouse.

Opened in October by local beer enthusiasts Donald Averill and Don Webb, Naked City features a rotating selection of 24 regional craft brews complimented by some tasty, European-inspired bar fare.

Despite the name, clothing is not optional. The brewpub is named after the 1948 film noir "Naked City."

For Averill, the objective of opening the brewpub was simple: “My partner and I wanted to create the kind of place we would want to go,” he said. “As a result, part of our selection process comes down to which beers we like.”

Averill and Webb were both long-time homebrewers with a combined 25 years of experience prior to opening their Greenwood pub.

This know-how is put to good use at Naked City, which currently features two of their own handcrafted beers, a Belgian dubbel and an Imperial Rye India Pale Ale (IPA), some of the pub’s most popular picks.

“Their beer is definitely up there in quality. It doesn’t disappoint,” said Greenwood resident Matteus Vaga. A homebrewer himself, Vaga was impressed by Naked City’s rotation of premium beers. “Their entire selection is great. There really isn’t a bad tap in the house.”

Although Naked City occasionally offers a beer from outside the Northwest or the country, the emphasis here is on Washington state microbreweries. At Naked City, you will find porters, IPAs, stouts, pilsners and lagers from Anacortes to Leavenworth and everywhere in between, all hand chosen by Averill and Webb.

Keeping 24 beers on tap — and 24 good beers at that — takes no small amount of passion on the part of the owners.

Both Averill and Webb quit their day jobs to get Naked City off the ground, working long hours to keep their growing customer base happy and well-buzzed.

Previously a UW employee working in the oceanography department, Averill has found small-business ownership as challenging as it is rewarding.

“It’s a ton of work, but I’m having a good time and really enjoy the beer industry,” he said. “It’s pretty cool providing our customers with something new, something they haven’t tried before.”

In line with their selection of premium regional beers, Naked City’s menu features deluxe appetizers, sandwiches and soups, emphasizing locally produced ingredients.

This is not your typical deep-fried bar fare, and Naked City does not, in fact, even have a deep fryer.

Dining options includes the ham and smoked Gruyere, a unique and delectable sandwich featuring Beecher’s Smoked Flagship cheese, quince paste and served on a fresh bolo roll from Grand Central Bakery.

Their appetizers are equally refined and include a surprising vegan white truffle country pâté and a sampling plate of French olives, great for pairing with a pint of craft beer.

But, in the end, it’s not the food that brings people to Naked City Taphouse. As Vaga puts it: “I came for the beer.”

Reach reporter Joe Darda at arts@dailyuw.com.