Tag Archives: microbrewery

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

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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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.

Manchester could be getting a microbrewery

Tad Sooter

10985869_1574322029508290_7102575816289966737_n Two entrepreneurs hope to open a microbrewery and restaurant in Manchester by the summer of 2016.

Cody Morgan and Ludomir Wanot are co-founders of the aptly-named Manchester Brewing Co. Morgan, an avid homebrewer, is developing the beer lineup.

The partners have begun applying for the necessary licenses. They’ve also picked a location, a vacant two-story building on Colchester Avenue.

Wanot said codes in Manchester require them to open a restaurant before they begin selling beer. They plan to install the brewery on the ground floor of the building and open the restaurant upstairs.

The duo have an investor lined up for the project and plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign soon.

Wanot said Manchester is a growing hub that seems primed for more business development.

“I think it will be a really nice crowd,” he said. “It’s a great area.”

See the Manchester Brewing Co. page on Facebook for updates.

Kitsap’s brewery scene is buzzing this year. Silver City, Slaughter County and Sound are all in the midst of major expansions. Two breweries are under construction in Bremerton, and another is planned in Silverdale.

Contributed photos.

Silver City introduces new beer and new look

Tad Sooter

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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.

New Kingston brewery starts pouring Saturday

Tad Sooter

10469077_632285936869231_1134511466380340708_n A much-anticipated Kingston brewery and taproom is set to begin pouring this weekend.

The aptly-named (given our recent weather) Downpour Brewing plans to open Saturday in the former Sacks Feed building on Highway 104.

Suquamish electrician-turned-brewer Dan Williams and wife Kristen began work on the brewery early this year.

Dan said the Downpour taproom features seating for 30 and bar seating for nine. There’s also a play area for kids and outdoor seating for when the sun reappears.

Nine tap handles will pour a rotation of Downpour’s brews, including an IPA, blond, pale, stout and SMASH (single malt, single hop), among other styles.

“We love trying new recipes using fresh local ingredients and experimenting with our standard favorites, substituting different malts and hops to vary the flavor profile,” Dan said in an email.

Downpour will offer its own root beers and cream sodas, a guest hard cider and beers from other microbreweries. Like most microbreweries, Downpour will also provide a selection of snacks and patrons are invited to bring their own food. Menus from local restaurants will be on hand.

For information and updates check the Downpour page on Facebook, visit the brewery website (under development), email downpourbrewing@gmail.com, or call 360-881-0452.

Downpour is the eleventh brewery open in Kitsap County. It joins Hood Canal Brewery in the Kingston area. You can find more local brewery info on our beer page.

Watch for a full story on Downpour in our upcoming Monday edition.

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.

Kitsap on Tap: Sound Brewery

Tad Sooter

Founded: 2011

Location: 650 NW Bovela Ln, Poulsbo

Online: Website, @soundbrewery, Facebook

Beer sold in: Taproom, kegs, bottles

Signature beers: Monk’s Indiscretion Belgian ale, Tripel Entendre Belgian tripel, Humulo Nimbus double IPA

What’s brewing: The Northwest craft beer scene is dominated by hoppy pale ales, which makes Sound Brewery’s offering stand out. Sound specializes put a modern touch on traditional Old World styles (it swept the “Abbey-Inspired Ales” category at the 2014 Washington Beer Awards), and produces nearly 30 varieties.

Because of its unusual selection, Sound markets farther afield. Its beers can be found across the Pacific Northwest and in several Canadian provinces. The brewery ships 45 kegs a month to Japan. Sound is expanding production to keep up with demand.

Viewpoint:

“Our motto is ‘tradition liberated.’ That means, to us, doing traditional styles really, really well, and then doing our own spins on traditional beers that are a little outside of the box.” — Mark Hood, founder/manager

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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: Slippery Pig Brewery

Tad Sooter

Founded: 2010

Location: 18801 Front Street, Poulsbo

Online: Website, @SlipperyPigBeer, Facebook

Beer sold in: Taproom, limited kegs

Signature beers: Rhubarb IPA, Curly Tail Stinging Nettle Pale

What’s brewing: As the signature beer list suggests, Slippery Pig is no run-of-the-mill microbrewery. Dave and Shawna Lambert opened the business on their Finn Hill farm in 2010 and found inspiration close at hand, incorporating fresh-grown ingredients into their recipes.

Slippery Pig made a bold move to downtown this year, opening a new brew house, taproom and live music venue on Front Street in late June. The new location will allow the brewery to expand production and fatten up its bar business with more walk-in customers.

Viewpoint:

“The more impossible something seems, the better of an idea it is. If anyone says you can’t do that, we’re going to figure out why you can’t.” — Dave Lambert

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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.