Get ready, I have a lot of stuff to share with you. Below I provide some information about breweries around Washington state that are either new and now open, coming soon, on the move, or opening additional locations. No doubt there are some I’ve missed. Tracking such things is a mighty task, but these are just a few that recently hit my radar.
Enchantment Brewing recently opened in downtown Ellensburg at 416 N Main Street. It’s on the main drag, right around the corner from The Tav and right next door to what used to be Iron Horse Brewery’s Pub. The menu currently offers eight house-brewed beers along with tacos and salads. Open daily 4:00-9:00.
Here Today Brewery and Kitchen is now open on Seattle’s waterfront, near the corner of Elliott Avenue and Broad Street, just south of the Sculpture Park. Currently operating Friday through Monday. The entrance is on the west side of the building. Kids are welcome until 8:00 P.M. Dogs are welcome on the patio. You can read our recent report about this opening here.
Garden Path Fermentation is opening a tasting room in Bellingham. The company, which produces its beer in Burlington, Washington, says it will open The Great Northern Bottle Shop and Lounge in downtown Bellingham. The location is in the heart of downtown, at 1319 Commercial Street, which Bellinghamsters might recognize as the former home of Uisce Irish Pub (pictured above). Follow Garden Path Fermentation on social media to stay informed about the opening date.
Fast Fashion describes itself as a hop-focused brewery in Seattle. It has cranked out some impressive beers for a couple of years but hasn’t really had a place to call home. Well, kind of. Fast Fashion is closely associated with The Masonry, Seattle’s outstanding pizza and beer emporium, so that’s been the best place to find the beers, which were brewed nomad-style, using other breweries’ equipment. Now, Fast Fashion is building its own brewery in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood. We understand that the new brewery on First Avenue, which is very near Hooverville, will have some kind of tasting room. No word yet on an anticipated opening date.
Bizarre Brewing is selling beer and getting very close to opening its taproom in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. If you’ve been a local beer enthusiast for a few years, you’ll recognize the location as the former home of Urban Family Brewing (4441 26th Ave W). Keep an eye on the brewery’s Instagram feed to stay informed about upcoming Bizarre Bazaar pop-up markets and the eventual taproom opening. Pictured below are proprietors Derek Brown and Colette Boilini.
Project 9 Brewing is currently under construction at 1409 NE 80th St, Seattle. It’s at the corner of Lake City Way and NE 80th. It’s taken a lot of work to convert the old auto repair shop into a brewery, as Project 9 clearly shows on its Instagram page, which is probably the best place to find out about an exact opening date. Looks like it is getting close (below).
Darach Brewing is coming to downtown Bellingham. The brewhouse has been installed and should be operational soon. No word yet on when the taproom will be ready. The location at 1015 N State Street is about a block away from Boundary Bay Brewery and Gruff Brewing, which will create a nice, walkable brewery district. Aslan Brewing and Structures Brewing are also nearby.
Down in Gig Harbor, 7 Seas Brewing recently closed its harborside taproom and moved back to its original home up the hill, closer to the highway. Remember that location? This is a temporary move. Eventually, an entirely new building will be built down at the harborside location, and when it is complete it will be the new Gig Harbor home for 7 Seas Brewing. The same amazing location, with the same amazing views, just a lot more space for a taproom. None of this impacts the brewery and taproom in Tacoma. (Below is an architectural rendering of the new, forthcoming location.)
Osbaldo and Dennis hoped to open El Suenito Brewing by this point, but these things seem to happen at their own pace. The brewery and taproom buildout is still underway at the location in Bellingham’s Sunnyland neighborhood. They’ve brewed some collaboration beers, so maybe you’ve seen those around. This promises to be Washington’s first craft brewery and tamale shop. I published a story about El Suenito Brewing last year that introduced you to founders Osbaldo Hernandez and Dennis Ramey (pictured below with Jessie Polin, owner/founder of Ponderosa Beer + Books, which is another cool, recently opened beer business in Bellingham).
As I wrote this story, Moonshot Brewing in Kennewick, Washington announced that it is opening a second location. “We’re excited to announce that we will be opening a second location on the corner of George Washington Way and Lee Blvd at the entrance to Howard Amon Park! We’ll have the same delicious Moonshot beers, our own kitchen serving an elevated pub menu, and a fantastic view of the park and river. Stay tuned for updates!”
More news from Kennewick. Ice Harbor Brewery is moving. Kind of. The relocation project is underway as the brewery moves its flagship brewery and taproom on Benton Street to a new location about 600 yards away on Bruneau Avenue. Reportedly, the company is investing about $400,000 in the move to the new location, which will offer about twice as much space, including seating for up to 120 guests and room for Ice Harbor to expand its brewing capacity and other operations. The existing location on Benton Street will close once the move is complete. Ice Harbor’s other location, at the Marina, will remain open and is not impacted by the move.
In Spokane, The Grain Shed is opening a new location closer to downtown. For the unaware, this brewery is also a bakery. It just announced that it is ready to open the new Grain Shed Tap House at 111 South Cedar this upcoming Friday. “There will be lots of beer, prizes, and of course, fun. We will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend from 3pm-10pm, so swing by!”
So, what did I miss? Reach out and let me know about any other recent openings or other such news.
Newly opened in Spokane Valley:
45 Degree Brewhouse