Tag Archives: craft beer

Western Red Brewing approved in Poulsbo

13692467_492195667657390_684730540229642233_n A 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.

New brewery planned in West Bremerton

Tad Sooter

badbulldogs The former Grainger building across from Safeway could soon be home to Bremerton’s fifth brewery.

Silverdale residents Dave and Dawn Dodge (pictured) bought the Callow Avenue building last year and have applied for licenses to begin brewing in a portion of the 11,000-square-foot space. They hope to launch their Bad Bulldog’s Brewery as early as December.

Dave is a retired Arizona police officer who home brews beer and now works at Sound Brewery in Poulsbo.

“It was a blessing,” Dave said of landing his job at Sound, which has familiarized him with brewing on a commercial scale. “They’ve been really inviting to me.”

14034912_1412432445437392_2110010914126635088_n The Dodges plan to build out their Bremerton brewery in stages. They’ll start by installing a 3.5-barrel brewing system in the lower level of the building and open a simple tasting room with a patio for outdoor seating.

Later the couple will add a full-scale tasting room one of the building’s street-level storefronts. A bar built around an opening in the floor will allow patrons to sip beers while watching brewers at work below.

Eventually the Dodges hope to transform the entire building into a beer-centric hub. The structure encompasses four separate commercial spaces with individual addresses, giving them plenty of room to experiment. They envision hosting a home brewers collective and perhaps a bottle shop.

It’s an ambitious vision, but Dawn is confident they can pull it off.

“When Dave decides to do something, he does it right,” she said.

Marijuana, not beer, was the Dodges’ initial plan for the building. They owned Emerald Coast Collective on Wheaton Way before it shut down at the end of June along with other medical marijuana dispensaries.

The couple applied for a license to place a recreational marijuana shop in the Grainger building, but were never approved. They joined a class action lawsuit against the Liquor and Cannabis Board with the hope of still landing a license.

If they prevail, Bad Bulldog’s Brewery could share the building with a marijuana store.

New owner, new name for Bremerton’s Wobbly Hopps Brewery

Tad Sooter

bremertonbreweries01_27506929_ver1.0_640_480 One of Kitsap County’s newest breweries is set for a relaunch.

Wobbly Hopps Brewery, which opened on Fourth Street in Bremerton last fall, will change hands at the end of August and be rebranded as Dog Days Brewing sometime in the next few months.

Wobbly Hopps owners Jon and Sheree Jankowski are selling the business to fellow brewing enthusiast Jeffery Scott of Port Orchard. Scott takes the helm Sept. 1, just in time for Blackberry Festival.

The Jankowskis originally planned to hire a professional brewer to oversee operations at Wobbly Hopps, but that never came to pass. Jon said the couple has too many other interests and obligations, including full-time jobs, to carry on running the brewery.

“I haven’t mowed my lawn in a year,” he said.

Jon believes Scott will preserve the friendly atmosphere and unorthodox brews customers enjoy at Wobbly Hopps.

“I waited until someone came along who I could trust to take it over,” Jon said.

FullSizeRender — Jeff Scott brewing at Wobbly Hopps

Scott said he’s been homebrewing for five years and worked an apprenticeship at Sound Brewery in Poulsbo.

He was considering opening another brewery in downtown Bremerton before striking a deal with the Jankowskis.

Scott will take over a five-barrel brewing system and a lively taproom with an outdoor seating area. He’ll continue serving Wobbly Hopps’ beers at first, while gradually adding his own recipes to the mix.

Scott’s first beer, a “Dog With No Name IPA” is already brewing for the Sept. 1 opening.

“I can’t wait to serve some beer to the neighborhood,” Scott said.

Check the Wobbly Hopps and Dog Days Brewing Facebook pages for updates. And keep an eye on this blog for more Bremerton brewery news coming soon.

Kitsap’s Year in Beer 2015
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Graphic: Beer production soars in Kitsap

Tad Sooter

Kitsap’s Year in Beer 2015
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Of course, Kitsap breweries represent just a tiny portion of Washington’s ballooning craft beer industry.

Here’s an interactive map showing licensed breweries and production across the state:

Kitsap brewer takes action to defend brand

Tad Sooter

With 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 announces major expansion

Tad Sooter

Silver City Brewery, already the county’s largest beer maker, is tripling the size of its brewing system, according to a Wednesday news release.

The Bremerton brewery plans to add a new 35-barrel brew house in May to replace the 10-barrel system it’s used since 1996. AAA Metal Fabrication of The Dalles, Oregon, is manufacturing the hardware.

“They do quality work and we can’t wait to employ the new system and continue making great beer for our fans,” Silver City owner Scott Houmes said in the release.

Silver City already installed larger fermentation tanks and bright beer tanks (tanks where beer matures after fermentation) to keep pace with increased output.

The brewery produced about 8,600 barrels (267,000 gallons) last year. The new system could allow Silver City to eventually brew 20,000 barrels annually, said Kurt Larson, director of sales and marketing.

While Silver City has grown, Larson said the brewery is still focused on serving the same Western Washington market.

“The number one goal isn’t to sell more beer,” he said. “The number one goal is to sell beer fresh.”

Silver City is rolling out new branding and packaging this year. Larson said the new logos are intended to give the brewery’s offering a “clean and crisp look” that’s easier for customers to find on busy supermarket shelves.

Four Silver City beers — Ridgetop Red Ale, Cold One Pilsner, Ziggy Zoggy Summer Lager and a Sieben Braü, set for release next month — will be offered in 12-ounce cans.

The Sieben Braü is being brewed specially for Seattle Beer Week. Silver City is the first brewery outside Seattle to be invited to brew the official beer for the event, which runs May 7-17.

Silver City introduces new beer and new look

Tad Sooter

335
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.

Kitsap on Tap: Unicycle Ale

Tad Sooter

Founded: 2013

Location: 22391 Stargaten Lane, Poulsbo

Online: Facebook

Beer sold in: Bottles, limited kegs

Signature beers: Schwinn Belgian Style Ale, Eire Tire Irish Style Red, Tandem Orange

What’s brewing: A newcomer to the Kitsap beer scene, Hartley rolled out Unicycle Ale in 2013, building the brand around his lifelong hobby.

Hartley, who also serves as a vice president of sales for a Seattle firm, brews and hand-bottles about 40 cases of beer a month, focusing on just three styles.

The Poulsbo Farmers Market is Unicycle’s main retail outlet, but Hartley has interest in opening a taproom somewhere in the county.

Viewpoint:

“This is all about learning the business of brewing, developing a brand and testing the market. So far, the response has been really solid.” — Darin Hartley

Kitsap on Tap is an exploration of West Sound’s rising craft beer industry. Find the print story, more beer features and ongoing coverage at kitsapsun.com/beer.

Kitsap on Tap: Slaughter County Brewing

Tad Sooter

Founded: 2012

Location: 1307 Bay Street, Port Orchard

Online: Facebook, @SCBC_Beer

Beer sold in: Taproom/pub, kegs

Signature beers: O’Cairdubhain’s Irish Stout, Gorst Light pilsner, Ol’ One Eye IPA

What’s brewing: After selling his software company, longtime homebrewer Scott Kirvan carved out a nook on the Port Orchard waterfront.

His brewery serves up English-style ales in an “Irish pub overrun by pirates.” A menu of hearty food helps attract customers to his South Kitsap outpost.

The colorful brewery name harkens back to the early days of Kitsap, when the county was called Slaughter. Kirvan plans to grow his brewery into a regional business and hopes to see more beer makers join him in South Kitsap

Viewpoint:

“Beer is just fascinating to me. The chemistry, the art of it. Curiosity has driven me into making beer.” — Scott Kirvan

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Kitsap on Tap is an exploration of West Sound’s rising craft beer industry. Find the print story, more beer features and ongoing coverage at kitsapsun.com/beer.

Kitsap on Tap: Rainy Daze Brewing

Tad Sooter

Founded: 2012

Location: 14974 Olympic View Loop Road, Silverdale

Online: Facebook, @RainyDaze Beer

Beer sold in: Kegs

Signature beers: Rainy Rye IPA, Belgian Bastard (NW IPA with Belgian yeast)

What’s brewing: Partners Mike Montoney and Mike Painter started Rainy Daze in 2012, but zoning issues forced them to close their taproom after two months. That didn’t keep their hoppy beer from creating a buzz in brewing circles.

The Rainy Daze partners are searching for a new location while picking up as many wholesale accounts as they can handle. Montoney recently closed his auto repair business to focus on brewing full-time.

Viewpoint:

“I’m a hophead anyway. I figured I could bring that style out here, make it not too unapproachable, but give them a lot of flavor.” — Mike Montoney

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Kitsap on Tap is an exploration of West Sound’s rising craft beer industry. Find the print story, more beer features and ongoing coverage at kitsapsun.com/beer.