Three Bull Brewing’s new taproom in downtown Snohomish goes well with the owners’ hunting and outdoorsy lifestyle. Think dirt-colored floor, elk horns overhead and a forest mural on one of the accent walls.
But don’t picture some dingy bar with cheap beer and a loud jukebox cranking Merle Haggard. This ain’t your grandad’s hunting bar. There’s pinball in the backroom, an adjoining vinyl record store jamming indie music, open mic night with an eclectic group of artists, and, of course, more than a dozen taps of really good craft beer.
“We have a different vibe than the regular First Avenue party spot,” said co-owner Chris Rither, pointing a finger at Snohomish’s main drag, just a few blocks down from Three Bulls’ taproom. “Not only do we have really good beer, but we have a taproom with really good energy that we’re proud of.”
Some might be surprised that Three Bull Brewing is the oldest licensed brewery in Snohomish, having acquired its license in 2012. The four friends — Rither, brothers Craig and Cary Pritzkau, and Brian Felske — have been hunting buddies for years and actually named the brewery after a stretch of road where they spotted three large bull elk.
Craig and Felske are the main brewers and make beer out of a brewhouse in a residence north of the city. For years that was Three Bulls’ taproom. One day a week, the brewers would open the house and invite in their ardent fans for a pint or a growler.
Over time, the group realized they needed to grow and open a taproom closer to a commercial area of town. Prior to the pandemic, they started looking. They were interested in a former Alfy’s location, an old lumberyard and the former train depot, all in Snohomish. All fell through for myriad reasons.
Then, early last year, they stumbled upon a small building with great parking and tons of potential on Avenue C downtown. Formerly housing the Snohomish Tribune, the building was partitioned off into cubicles and meeting rooms, but it was too good to pass up.
“We knew it would take a lot of work, but you could see the potential in the location and the dedicated parking lot,” Felske said. “That sold us.”
Fortunately, the Three Bulls owners are the type who can easily spruce up a space. Craig Pritzkau owns a construction company, Felske owns his own plumbing company and Rither is a carpenter. All three did their own work on the space, turning it into an open bar/taproom layout with a horseshoe bar, comfy booths and plenty of room to stretch out.
Their day jobs came in handy in helping them turn their taproom into a pinball haven as well. Big fans of the classic arcade game, the Three Bulls guys always wanted to have a couple of pinball machines for patrons to play while they sipped on a pint.
“We wanted this to be a place you could grab a beer and play some pinball,” Craig Pritzkau said.
So when he and Rither found a Star Trek-themed pinball machine for sale in Puyallup, they drove down to take a look. Once there, the owner of Flip Off Arcade in Puyallup made some remarks about how he was struggling to get the remodel of his location finished so he could re-open.
It was a light bulb moment for Craig and Chris. They offered their services and in return they’d take some more pinball machines. They ended up with nine high-quality pinball machines in all, helping turn the taproom into a mecca for pinball enthusiasts. Members of the online pinball enthusiast group, Pinside, frequently visit and Three Bull hosted their first pinball tournament a few weeks ago. They plan to host another on April 26.
“Finding those machines and then being able to use our skills to help Flip Off while adding to our collection was just one of those amazing moments,” said Craig, who took third place at the inaugural pinball tournament.
Since opening in late January, Three Bull has become a community hangout spot for many. Local musician Kyle Mistretta stopped by and asked if he could host his open mic nights at Three Bull on Thursdays. The guys quickly agreed.
“Soon as I walked in you could feel the great vibe going on,” Mistretta said. “We wanted to be a part of it.”
The neighboring record store, Stargazer Records, is also an outgrowth of the Three Bull community the four men have nurtured over the past decade. Over a pint, Derek Florian, who lives near the original brewery, would often talk about eventually opening a record store with his son, Mark.
After laying out their new space, the guys realized they had a small room left over — one just big enough for some records. They subleased the Florians the space, created a separate entrance and helped them build out a small indie record store. Stargazer Records, which has been open about four months, will celebrate Record Store Day on April 22.
“Really Three Bull is bigger than any one of us,” Rither said. “We are proud of the vibe that it brings the community.”
Three Bull Brewing
127 Ave. C, Snohomish
Hours: 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, 4-9 p.m. Thursday, 2-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2-7 p.m. Sunday
More info: threebullbrewing.com
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