In what is best described as a friendly acquisition, Ackley Brands is taking over Silver City Brewery. This was not a hostile takeover by some faceless corporation. Ackley Brands is a local, family-owned company based in Seattle. The company also owns Mac & Jack’s Brewery, Hogue Cellars, Columbia Winery, Charles Smith Wines, and some other Northwest businesses.
Beer fans might recognize it as the company that acquired Mac & Jack’s Brewery in 2023, providing Mac Rankin and Jack Schropp with an opportunity to fully retire while also enabling the brewery to continue operating.
Brandon Ackley, who describes himself as the company’s founder and president, told me that he is glad that Ackley Brands will help Silver City Brewery move into the future, recognizing that other legacy breweries have sadly just disappeared. He’s glad this brewery will not meet the same fate. In 1996, Scott Houmes and his brother founded Silver City Restaurant and Brewery in Silverdale. The brewery eventually expanded and built a larger brewery in nearby Bremerton, where it also operates a taproom. Now we know what’s next.
“We’ve been working on this with Scott for some time and I’m glad he’ll still be here to help us with the transition,” Brandon Ackley told me in a conversation last week. “We’ll keep thing pretty much the same at the brewery and taproom. I’m excited about how this will help us grow the two brands [Silver City and Mac & Jack’s]. It will enable our brewers to pursue more creativity. It will give our sales teams more product to work with.”
sponsor
He pointed out something that many industry observers recognize: Mac & Jack’s is notoriously busy brewing its most popular products and that leaves little room or time to experiment with new things. Silver City Brewery has some room and capacity to provide some flexibility. He envisions this helping to keep everyone at both breweries busy, not just working on flagship products like African Amber and Tropic Haze, but also working on innovations and new beers.
Brandon Ackley is right. It’s sad to think about the groundbreaking, once-familiar craft breweries that simply ceased to exist. The craft beer industry is now moving into its fifth decade of existence. One thing that many brewery founders did not write into their business plans, if they had business plans at all, was an exit strategy. Many of our beloved legacy breweries do not have a way to endure across generations. In my opinion, Ackley Brands is doing beer lovers a favor by helping to keep businesses like Silver City and Mac & Jack’s brewing.
Here is the press release from Ackley Brands announcing the acquisition of Silver City Brewery.
Ackley Brands Adds Silver City Brewery to its Expanding Portfolio
Seattle, Wash. (June 17, 2025) – Ackley Brands, a family-owned company based in Seattle that owns and operates premium beverage brands from the Pacific Northwest, is proud to announce the acquisition of Silver City Brewery, a legacy brewery based in Bremerton, Washington. In a move that strengthens Silver City Brewery as a Pacific Northwest icon, the acquisition means that the brewery, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, will remain dedicated to its principles of quality and innovation for decades to come.
sponsor
Founded in 1996 by brothers Scott and Steve Houmes, Silver City Brewery sits nestled between the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains on the Kitsap Peninsula. The brewery is known for its high quality, award-winning beers that celebrate the best of the Pacific Northwest’s legendary craft beer scene. The winner of nine Great American Beer Festival medals over its history, Silver City Brewery has crafted regional favorites including Tropic Haze, Ridgetop Red, Silver City Pils, and Ride the Spiral Double IPA.
Brandon Ackley, CEO of Ackley Brands, expressed his enthusiasm for this new chapter: “Silver City’s dedication to crafting exceptional beers alongside community engagement align perfectly with our mission. This acquisition not only strengthens our craft beer portfolio but also allows us to continue in our pursuit of creating the next craft beer alliance through stewarding beloved local beer brands.”
Scott Houmes, founder of Silver City Brewery, shared his excitement about joining Ackley Brands: “Becoming part of Ackley Brands is an exciting opportunity for Silver City Brewery. We have always been passionate about innovation and community, and with Ackley’s support in management and reach, we can elevate our brewery to new levels. We are eager to join a company who shares our passion for the Pacific Northwest and look forward to a promising future.”
Silver City Brewery will continue to produce beers from its brewery and taproom in Bremerton and will continue to be distributed locally by Columbia Distributing, alongside the other brewery in the Ackley Brands portfolio, Mac & Jack’s Brewing Co. The Silver City Restaurant & Ale House is not a part of this acquisition and will continue to operate separately.
Ackley Brands was founded in 2016 when the Ackley family purchased Montinore Estate, a leader in the world of Biodynamic® viticulture that has been producing wine in Oregon’s
Willamette Valley for nearly four decades. Since partnering with Montinore, Ackley Brands has steadily acquired legacy brands across the Pacific Northwest, including Mac & Jack’s Brewing Co., Hogue Cellars, Columbia Winery, Charles Smith Wines, and more. Ackley Brands is dedicated to developing premium beverage brands across Oregon and Washington, with twelve wine brands and tasting rooms including The Grove in McMinnville, Oregon and Montinore Estate Tasting Room in Woodinville, Washington. In June 2025, Ackley Brands will open The Cove at the Lake Union Piers, a wine bar and bottle shop that will feature a rotating selection from their portfolio of products, including beers from Silver City Brewery.
###
ABOUT ACKLEY BRANDS
Ackley Brands is a family-owned company based in Seattle, Washington that owns and operates premium beverage brands throughout the Pacific Northwest. Driven by an ambitious and discerning team, Ackley Brands continues to launch origin-obsessed brands across the beverage category that undeniably reflect the regions and terroirs from which they hail. Across the Pacific Northwest, Ackley Brands is committed to curating innovation, blending time-honored brewing and winemaking practices with modern creativity. Learn more at www.ackleybrands.com
ABOUT SILVER CITY BREWERY
Silver City Brewery is a locally owned and operated brewery nestled between the shores of Puget Sound and the peaks of the Olympic Mountains. Crafting independent, much-loved brews since 1996, Silver City Brewery proudly offers choice beer that brings people together at their hometown taproom in Kitsap County and across the Pacific Northwest. Learn more at www.silvercity.beer
