TLDR: Reuben’s Brews is having an anniversary party on Saturday, August 8th. Along with an anniversary beer release, they’ve planned all sorts of fun stuff for the beach-themed party. Details below.
In the beginning
It was Seafair weekend in Ballard — the Blue Angels roared overhead a couple of times, turning eyes to the sky. It was Sunday, August 5th, if memory serves, though fourteen years does funny things to my little gray memory cells. (For fun, take a look at the report I published from that opening day.)
I remember opening day. I was standing in a brand-new, little brewery in Seattle called Reuben’s Brews. And I mean little — a compact taproom, a scrappy setup, a single space cleverly engineered to function as a brewery one day and a taproom the next. At the time, Maritime Pacific Brewing was the only other game in town in what would soon become the Ballard Brewery District. Just the two of them. Try picturing that now.
It didn’t take long for things to change — for Reuben’s in particular, and for Ballard in general. The brewery outgrew that diminutive first space fast, moved down the street to its current home, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, Reuben’s is one of nearly a dozen breweries in the neighborhood.
2,100 and counting
As Reuben’s Brews gears up to celebrate its anniversary on August 8th, there’s one number rattling around in my head that I can’t quite let go of: 2,100. Like a lot of breweries — though arguably further than most are willing to push it — Reuben’s has made an identity out of variety, cranking out one-off and experimental batches right alongside its core lineup. We’re talking somewhere between 150 and 200 different beers a year, every year. Take the conservative end of that range, multiply by fourteen years, and you land at 2,100 unique beers. That’s the floor, not the ceiling. The real number is almost certainly higher.
Two thousand one hundred different beers. From one brewery. Read that again. Happy anniversary, Reuben’s. Here’s to beer number 2,101. Or whatever the real number is.
Here’s what’s waiting for you on the beach
“Fourteen years ago, Reuben’s Brews opened its doors in Ballard with a passion for brewing bloody GOOD beer,” said the announcement from the brewery. “We’re beyond grateful for our incredible community! To say thank you, we’re turning the Ballard taproom into an open-air beach bash complete with fresh beer releases, live music, a hog roast, and a stacked lineup of activities for the kids!”
Gather your family, text your friends, and come celebrate 14 years of independent craft beer with us. Hawaiian shirts and sunhats heavily encouraged!
- Fresh Beer: Beach Crush Hazy IPA
- Live Music Lineup: The Delstroyers & Ian Dobson’s Pan Leggo
- Hog roast & feast + delicious smoky Jackfruit option so our vegetarian friends don’t miss out on the feast
- Family-Friendly Kid Zone
- Custom hat & koozie pressing
- Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026
- Time: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Location: Reuben’s Brews – Ballard Taproom (5010 14th Ave NW)
- Admission: Free & open to all ages!
Visit our events page and calendar to learn about all sorts of other upcoming beer events. To submit an event for inclusion on our events calendar, use our event submission form. Got more details to share, reach out to us.
