HEART. AND A LOT OF IT.

If you walk into Good Brewing in Sultan and Monroe, meet the owners or staff, it’s easy to see all the heart that’s gone into their establishments – and for each other. And if you favor a cold beer, you’ll be glad to know that heart shows up in the drink they brew, as well.

Kevin and Shalliah King aren’t looking to grow big fast. They want to stay small. Yet, they have opened five businesses in five years, beginning with their first location in Woodinville and the latest two in Monroe and Sultan.

“You make community by being in little spaces like this,” Shalliah said, looking out the windows of Good Brewing’s tap house and restaurant on Main Street in Monroe.

Ninety-five percent of their beer is brewed in their home garage, but they have an eye on another property that may become a new tap house and host their brewing operation. That would make six businesses. Their motivation has been to make good beer, brew good relationships, and support the communities that need it. It’s just happenstance, or grace, perhaps, that they continue to be presented with locations of breweries or restaurants going out of business, the infrastructure in place, and a community void waiting to be filled.

Such was the case in Monroe when Harry’s Taphouse left. Three weeks after opening in Monroe, the offer arose once again to open in the former Timber Monster Brewing Co. location in Sultan.

“The community needed it,” said Shalliah, a nurse who dedicated several months at the beginning of the pandemic to serve in New York hospitals. “I was really, really glad I was there. I helped a lot of people either heal or pass peacefully.”

With their two young daughters, Octavia and Aria in tow, and Kevin’s mom, Karen, watching them, the couple surveyed the Monroe tap house together. Kevin built the tables, Shalliah said proudly. Vacating businesses provided all the equipment to make re-opening easy, Kevin added. Kevin isn’t interested in a blank slate. With his woodworking skills he refines the environment with live edge slab tables and comfortable benches. But it’s the staff that brings the vibe. Most are hired directly from the community they open in.

The Sultan location is larger than Monroe’s, with 100 seats. The drive-thru window offers coffee in the mornings, and the menu includes thin crust artisan

The menu in both locations is small but mighty. The King’s own family has dairy and gluten allergies, so you can be sure to find gluten free and vegan options on the menus. The quinoa chili bowl is a family recipe brought by Monroe’s front of house manager Ian Hale Skavdahl, who comes from Woodinville’s wine country and performs as a solo singer/songwriter in his spare time.

“He came from Maryhill in Woodinville,” said Kevin. “He is running this place better than I can imagine. His heart is bigger than you can imagine.”

Most of their fare is made in-house, including the roasted garlic hummus on the veggie platter, and the brew sauces that customers can’t get enough of. Kevin says he plans to hire someone dedicated to making sauces.

The size of the menu and their pace of opening has been entirely driven by staffing concerns and pandemic supply chain issues. But the couple isn’t worried about keeping their staff once they come on board.

“I think they are going to stick with us because Kevin supports his staff, making them feel like it’s not just our business, but they have what they need to do it right,” Shalliah said. “Want to change the menu? The answer is always a ‘Yes’. They appreciate that they are supported. It’s more important than having the beer.”

The beer, though, is excellent — voted third favorite by Evening Magazine’s viewership in 2019. Kevin started brewing with a gag gift from his wife. The brew-your-own kit made horrible beer, Kevin said, which motivated him to learn how to brew it right. After devouring multiple books in the library, the speed reader created relationships with other brewers, all helping each other perfect their craft.

“I take the mineral content of our water and look at mineral content of water in Dublin for our Stout. The difference emphasizes the hop versus malt profile,” he said, adding that he adjusts mineral content for many styles of beer.

That perfect mineral content, said Kevin, makes Something Dark extra smooth. “Something dark” was Kevin’s friend’s consistent order in every bar. So Kevin named a beer for it — an extremely smooth beer somewhere between a Stout and a Porter. That and Hazy by Nature are their flagship brews, and are always on tap. Kevin has about 140 recipes and keeps 20 rotating on tap.

His mom is often found in the tap room, more likely with a hard seltzer, which Kevin brews with pure fruit puree and Norwegian yeast.

“Everyone calls her Mama K,” said Kevin. Adding, “Mama’s been there since day one. I get my personality from her: always loving, always kind, always supportive. Everyone loves her because she loves them, too.”