Category Archives: Kitsap On Tap

Western Red Brewing approved in Poulsbo

13692467_492195667657390_684730540229642233_nA craft brewery planned for downtown Poulsbo received approval Tuesday from the city.

Western Red Brewing will open sometime next year at 19168 Jensen Way NE, near the post office.

It’s set to become the city’s fifth brewery, joining Rainy Daze, Slippery Pig, Sound and Valhöll.

Plans for Western Red include a 4,702-square-foot brewery and 1,552-square-foot tasting room, with room for about 97 occupants, according to a city notice.

In a recent interview, co-owner Marianna Smyth said Western Red will launch with a 15-barrel brewing system, which would place it among West Sound’s largest breweries in terms of production capacity.

I wrote more about the Smyths’ plans in this October story.

Valhöll Brewing celebrates 5 years

imgresPoulsbo’s Valhöll Brewing has come a long way in five years. 

Founder and head brewer Jeff Holcomb started the microbrewery in 2010. Since then, Valhöll has expanded, garnered awards, built a loyal following at its tap room and become a staple at local bars. 

The Norse-themed brewery is throwing is throwing itself a birthday bash starting at noon Saturday.

The party will include BBQ and a special beer release. Musical guests Mike Hererra and Branden Daniel & The Chics will perform at 2 p.m. 

Valhöll isn’t the only Kitsap brewery marking five years in 2015. Poulbo’s Slippery Pig Brewery and Bremerton’s Der Blokken were also born in 2010.

See the brewery’s Facebook page for details.

Kitsap brewers medal at Washington Beer Awards

wba_007_bwPoulsbo’s Sound Brewery and Silverdale’s Rainy Daze Brewing claimed gold at the Washington Beer Awards this month.

Overall, four Kitsap-based breweries — Sound, Rainy Daze, Silver City Brewery and Bainbridge Brewing —  combined for 13 medals. 

Kitsap breweries made an especially strong showing in Belgian- and Abbey-inspired categories, where Sound picked up three golds.

Rainy Daze won the American-style pale ale category with its Stash Box III.

Here’s the full list of Kitsap medalists:

Other Wheat and Rye Beers

Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. – Rainy Rye IPA

English Ales

Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. – English Pale Continue reading →

Kitsap brewer takes action to defend brand

Screen Shot 2014-06-20 at 5.15.34 PMWith hundreds of Washington microbreweries producing countless varieties of beer, some trademark conflicts are inevitable.

Kendall Jones of the informative Washington Beer Blog posted this week about one such brand kerfuffle involving a popular Kitsap brewery.

According to Jones, Three Magnets Brewing Co. of Olympia renamed its Rainy Day IPA after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Rainy Daze Brewing Co. of Silverdale.

Rainy Daze owner Mike Montoney told Jones he didn’t want to take legal action against another brewery, but felt it necessary to protect the brand he’s worked to build.

For its part, Three Magnets said the IPA in question was named in honor of Rainy Day Record Co., an iconic store in Olympia. The beer has been renamed 3Mag Rain IPA.

Read the full story on the Washington Beer Blog.

In happier beer news, Rainy Daze just won the Favorite Brew Award at the Gig Harbor Beer Festival for the second year in a row.

Silver City introduces new beer and new look

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Silver City Brewery is welcoming the new year with a new beer and new look.

The Bremerton microbrewery announced the introduction of Cold One Pilsner to its seasonal lager rotation with a news release Tuesday.

Cold One is being distributed in bottles and cans this month, with draft available in January.

Cold One is the first Silver City release to showcase the brewery’s new branding. Silver City worked with Blindtiger Design of Seattle to create a new master logo and logos for each beer. New packaging will roll out in 2015.

“While we have great pride in that lineage and our history, we felt it was time to update our look,” Silver City owner Scott Houmes said. “After a long in depth process we really feel the new look is befitting the quality, consistency and culture of Silver City Brewery.”

Silver City was founded in 1996. It’s Kitsap County’s largest brewery.

Bremerton brewery meets fundraising goal

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LoveCraft Brewing Co. felt the love from donors.

The planned downtown Bremerton microbrewery received contributions from more than 300 people on Kickstarter, exceeding its $30,000 fundraising goal before the Monday deadline.

Founders Jesse and Tasha Wilson say the seed money will help them secure financing and launch the business. They hope to have the brewery up-and-running in 2015.

“Our next steps are finding the right location, building it out to our needs and acquiring equipment,” Jesse said in an email.

Jesse Wilson is an Olympic High School and Olympic College graduate who gained brewing experience as an assistant at Port Townsend Brewing Co.

See my previous post about LoveCraft’s plans here.

Brewery proposed for space next to Admiral Theatre

693808_6341520_ver1.0_640_480We know many brewers see untapped potential in downtown Bremerton. One local couple has taken the first official step toward bringing a brewery to fruition on Pacific Avenue.

Jon and Sheree Jankowski filed a liquor license application this week to place a microbrewery and taproom at 555 Pacific Ave., a space at the base of the “Tim Ryan Building” at Sixth Street and Pacific. The business would be called Wobbly Hopps Brewery.

555.pacific2Jon, a shipyard worker, and Sheree, a city employee, are negotiating a lease on the space. The homebrewers said they are responding to public demand.

“We heard a lot of interest in Bremerton having a brewery,” Sheree said.

Wobbly Hopps could open  in the spring of 2015 if it secures federal and local approval as well as the state license. Sheree said they plan to start with a five-barrel brewing system.

The towering Tim Ryan Building is already home to offices for Edward Jones and Group Health. A Navy Federal Credit union branch is slated to move into the ground floor.

Another brewer is eyeing space in the same area. Jesse Wilson, an assistant brewer at Port Townsend Brewing is running an ongoing Kickstarter campaign to open a “LoveCraft” microbrewery in downtown Bremerton.

Bremerton is not bereft of beer makers – Silver City Brewery and Manette’s Der Blokken Brewery both have strong support in their own corners of town. But momentum seems to be growing for a brewery in the downtown business district.

Bremerton native raising money for downtown brewery

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Bremerton craft beer drinkers have long craved a brewery in downtown. An Olympic College grad wants to satisfy their thirst.

Jesse Wilson and wife Tasha recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for LoveCraft Brewing Company, a small-batch brewery they plan to locate in the midst of downtown. Their goal is to raise $30,000 by the end of October. As of Wednesday evening, 76 backers had already kicked in close to $9,000.

bruthulhuThe crowdsourced money won’t cover all the costs of launching a brewery, but Jesse said it will give them critical boost.

“It’s enough we can go to a bank with a solid business plan and collateral,” he said.

Jesse, a 2004 Olympic High graduate and 2006 OC graduate, is currently an assistant brewer at Port Townsend Brewing and has previous experience at Hale’s Ales in Seattle. He and Tasha met while working in the craft beer industry.

They like brewing “farmhouse” beers – traditional Belgian and French styles. But Jesse said he also has a lineup of Northwest favorites like IPAs.

When it came to picking a location, the couple saw untapped opportunity in downtown Bremerton. They’re looking for space near Sixth Street and Pacific Avenue.

“We see a lot of potential there,” Jesse said. “It seems like a great place to open a brewery to us.”

LoveCraft would join Kitsap staple Silver City Brewery and Manette’s Der Blokken Brewery in the Bremerton area. An additional eight breweries are scattered across the county, with another set to open in Kingston soon.

If all goes to plan, Jesse believes LoveCraft could be brewing by mid-2015.

“I’m excited to join the ranks of Kitsap brewers,” he said. “I think there’s plenty of room.”

Courtesy images. Inset art by Eric JS Wahlquist.

Check out my Kitsap On Tap coverage from earlier this year and the Sun’s beer page to read more about the county’s brewing scene. You can also find beer news and profiles of every Kitsap brewery here.

Poulsbo brewer finishes Seattle row: ‘Everything kind of hurts’

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When I last saw Dave Lambert Sunday morning he was rowing vigorously off into Puget Sound.

The Poulsbo brewer was about two hours into his mission to deliver a keg of beer to Seattle “the old-fashioned way.”

blog.beerrowI chased Lambert and his rowboat through Agate Passage in my kayak and snapped some photos before pulling out in Suquamish. Lambert, it turned out, had another five hours to go.

He covered the 14 miles across Puget Sound and through the Ballard Locks in about 6 hours and 45 minutes, according to an email he sent Monday.

“Everything kind of hurts,” Lambert reported, “but not nearly as bad as I thought it would.”

The Slippery Pig Brewery owner was inspired to deliver the keg of beer by rowboat after learning about early residents of the county and the long distances they rowed on a regular basis. Lambert’s journey to Seattle reinforced his admiration for those sturdy souls.

“I have gained an entirely new respect for Poulsbo’ s forefathers and the tough women who settled Kitsap,” Lambert wrote. “That was so much water to cross. So much water.”