INNOVATION COMES TO A HEAD AT CRAFT BEER
BREWERIES Washington uses homegrown hops in every pint; Idaho falls ‘barley’ behind BY DAN AZNOFF
W
ith the number of small and boutique breweries rising faster than the head on a stout porter, craft beermakers in Washington have opened the tap to new customers in an increasingly thirsty market.
According to the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB), production almost doubled in terms of barrels per year at many breweries on the western side of the mountains over the past decade. For example, demand at Pike Brewing Company in Seattle jumped from 17,401 to almost 43,000 barrels in the five-year span, an increase more than 245 percent. The state board reported that almost two dozen craft breweries have opened for business over the past two years. As any of the beermakers will tell you, there are more than hops, barley and water that go into the making of a great craft beer. The craft beer industry has grown in terms of both variety and sophistication. Like a fine wine, brewmasters are pairing craft beer with food to bring out the subtle tastes and the differences infused into every brew. “The craft beer industry in Washington is changing. It’s a different animal,” said Ken Nabors, who has been brewing African Amber at Mac & Jack's Brewery for 26 years. “When we first started there were a total of 26 breweries in the state. “Now there are 417.” Nabors emphasized that the majority of craft brewers in the state produce less than 2,000 barrels per year. The Academy Founders Mac and Jack still own and run the brewery with their team of dedicated beer lovers in the Warehouse District of Redmond behind Marymoor Park. “We’re still listening to our customers, still learning how to do it better
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and still laughing about it,” Nabors said with a smile. Mac & Jack’s does more than produce beer. It also serves as a training ground for a growing armada of craft brewers. When childhood friends Dick Mergens and Shawn Dowling decided to make a full-time commitment to their hobby of making beer, the pair made a commitment to learn all they could about the business side of brewing before they opened Crucible Brewing in an Everett retail strip mall in late 2015. Mergens quit his day job at a home improvement center to take a job at the Mac & Jack’s Brewery to learn the business. He worked his way up to the brewhouse before moving to another Redmond brewery—Hi-Fi Brewing. During his time at Mac & Jack’s, Mergens worked with American Brewing head brewer Adam Frantz to understand the intricacies of how to be an efficient brewer in a commercial brewhouse. Mergens described Mac & Jack’s as “The Academy.” His education was apparently a success. Crucible recently opened a second tasting room in the heart of wine country in Woodinville. “You get worked to death over there, but you learn a lot,” said Mergens. “Shawn and I continue to tinker with our formulas to offer even more choices for our loyal customers.” While IPAs and ales are the most frequent pours from taps across the state, the different styles of beer and the diverse patrons who consume the effervescent beverage are as different as the weather on each side of the Cascades.
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