Bale Breaker Is Taking Over Cloudburst, and Honestly? This One Feels Good.
Let’s be real — in the craft beer world, words like “merger” and “acquisition” usually land like a warm, flat pint of Crud Lite. But every once in a while, a deal comes along that actually makes you smile. Like this one. Proof that the term ‘friendly acquisition’ is not always a half-hearted oxymoron. (Above: Kevin Smith, Meghann Quinn, Kevin Quinn, and Steve Luke.)
Yakima’s Bale Breaker Brewing is swooshing in to take over Seattle’s beloved Cloudburst Brewing, and the vibe couldn’t be more wholesome. We’re talking longtime friends and a handshake deal built on years of collaboration projects, hop harvests, ski slopes, and late nights sharing beers around the kitchen table. If a brewery acquisition were a beer style, this one would be a deliciously bright and hoppy West Coast IPA.
For the immediate future, little will change. Cloudburst will still brew in Seattle and self-distribute its beer to accounts around the city. Its employees will continue to work. Steve will still have a guiding hand in the brewery’s direction; however, Cloudburst Brewing will now be part of Bale Breaker Brewing.
Ten Years, Hundreds of Recipes, Zero Chill
Steve Luke launched Cloudburst a decade ago, riding serious momentum from a celebrated run at Elysian Brewing — a tenure so notable it left a little space dust on his reputation. He hit the ground running and never really stopped. Cloudburst quickly became a go-to name for hop-heads across the Pacific Northwest, racking up awards and a fiercely loyal following.
By Steve’s own accounting, the ride has been nothing short of relentless. “It’s been over a decade of all gas and no breaks with this brewery. We’ve brewed, like, hundreds and hundreds of recipes, and I’ve only missed 15-ish brew days and 9-ish canning runs. In addition to running a small business on top of that.”
Honestly, exhausting for me to write and probably even exhausting for you to read. But Steve is proud of every second of it.
“I am proud of what we’ve accomplished. From all the awards and accolades, to providing our team with living wages and healthcare, to operating with little or no debt and turning a profit every year.”
But brewing at that pace — while navigating an industry dealing with rising costs, shrinking margins, and a slow dip in beer demand — takes a real toll. Emotionally, mentally, physically. Steve doesn’t sugarcoat it.
“Ultimately, I was faced with some pretty big decisions on the horizon, which led to something we all know is inevitable: CHANGE.”
A New Zealand Plot Twist
Here’s where the story gets even better. Steve’s wife, Holly — who has quietly supported his beer career for over 20 years — recently landed a job opportunity in New Zealand. So Steve decided it was finally her turn. Time to flip the script with a loving, slightly overdue role reversal.
And hey, New Zealand isn’t exactly a craft beer wasteland. It’s one of the world’s leading hop-producing nations with a thriving beer scene. Something tells me Steve won’t be far from a brew kettle or hop yard for too long.
Friendship, Hops, and a 15-Year Origin Story
The connection between Steve and the folks at Bale Breaker isn’t some corporate convenience — it’s the real deal, going back to 2010.
“I first met the Smith family at the Yakima Fresh Hop Festival in 2010, only a couple of months into my first brewing job out West.”
That first meeting happened over a wet hop IPA brewed with a then-new, just-emerging hop variety called Citra — grown on the Smith family’s farm (AKA Loftus Ranches). The Smiths tasted it, loved it, and a friendship was born that’s been bubbling ever since.
“We just loved everything that Steve and Cloudburst have done over the last decade,” says Kevin Smith, one of the founders of Bale Breaker Brewing. “They’ve inspired us, and we’ve always had the utmost respect for them. They have been so important to the Washington craft beer scene and, honestly, just craft beer in general.”
The Smith family has deep roots in the Yakima Valley, farming hops for generations before Kevin Smith, Meghann Quinn, and Kevin Quinn turned those roots into Bale Breaker Brewing. Two Smiths by blood, one by marriage. A family operation in the most real sense of the term.
Over the years, that first Citra handshake grew into an annual wet hop collaboration (the always-tasty Citra Slicker), countless harvest-season pilgrimages to pick up fresh hops, late nights in the Quinn kitchen, and plenty of runs down the slopes at White Pass together.
“It makes sense they’d be the brewery to carry us into the next chapter of our existence,” Steve says. Hard to argue with that.
So What Actually Changes?
Not much — at least not right away. Cloudburst Brewing continues to brew beer in Seattle on Western Avenue. The whole crew stays on. Self-distribution to loyal Seattle accounts continues as usual. Steve remains involved in the creative direction of the brewery, from writing new recipes to keeping up the wonderfully unhinged Instagram presence everyone knows and loves.
“We want to continue it as undisturbed as possible,” said Kevin Smith. “We don’t want Cloudburst Brewing to become Bale Breaker Brewing or vice versa. In the future, we might start making a couple of Cloudburst beers in Yakima for a little wider distribution in Washington, but outside of that, we just want to keep it rolling and move it into its next phase.”
If it all sounds a little too “Kum ba yah” to be real, you’re too cynical. These are good people who really do like each other and share an abundance of mutual respect. And, given all the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine a better outcome.
As Steve put it: “We’re teaming up with our dear friends at Bale Breaker Brewing in a feel-good acquisition.”
Feel-good acquisition. Don’t hear that one every day — but this time, it fits.
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