Drink This: Salish Sea expands into former American space

Call it a case of the tortoise taking over the hare.

Five years ago, Edmonds’ American Brewing was a fast-growing brewery with a strong distribution network, dedicated fan base and a large brewing facility that could handle it all. Salish Sea Brewing, just up the street in downtown Edmonds, was a small, neighborhood brewery that was crammed into a cozy retail location.

As American went through a series of ownership changes and brand refreshes, though, Salish Sea kept on doing what it did best, churn out tasty beer, slowly expand and continue to serve local fans.

That’s why it wasn’t too surprising to hear that Salish Sea recently purchased American Brewing’s taproom and brewery, including all of its vessels and equipment.

“You know real estate is expensive in downtown Edmonds, so we’ve always been intrigued by the location and size of American and the ability to move most of our production away from the brewpub,” said Salish Sea Brewing owner Jeff Barnett.

The purchase of American was made possible by Salish Sea’s ability to navigate the pandemic. The brewery’s downtown location resulted in regular walk-up business and, despite having a limited distribution network, Salish Sea made use of 32-ounce mason jars to sell beer-to-go.

“We really didn’t let down too much,” Barnett said. “We’re part of the Edmonds community and our customers supported us.”

Salish Sea will move the large majority of its brewing to the former American location, taking advantage of the seven-barrel brewhouse and pair of 15-barrel fermenters. In all, Barnett said that the new brewery will allow Salish Sea to brew 1.5 times its current capacity.

Barnett, who opened Salish Sea in 2013 with his wife, Erika, plans on producing a wider variety of beers.

“We’ll continue to evolve all the time,” Barnett said of the beers they’ll produce, adding that Salish Sea will continue to have a revolving beer lineup instead of a set of flagships.

Salish Sea will also keep a taproom at the American location with more of a brewpub vibe and limited food menu. Salish Sea’s current location, meanwhile, will turn into more of a restaurant-style experience.

Salish Sea, which purchased and signed a lease at the American Brewing location earlier this month, will not take ownership of the American Brewing brand and will remain Salish Sea at both locations. Barnett said that it will likely take a few months to renovate the American location, move equipment and get the taproom ready for customers.

“It’ll take a bit more than just putting our name on the door,” Barnett said.

Barnett said he’d like to invite friend Skip Madsen, the original brewer at American Brewing, to the grand opening later this spring. Madsen, who lives in California, brewed at Pike Brewing, Boundary Bay and others before landing at American, and is a legend in the brewing community.

Hazy Days indeed: Need a respite from the snow and chill? Marysville’s 5 Rights Brewing is hosting its tropical-themed Hazy Days of Winter from Feb. 17- 21 at the brewery. There will be hazy IPAs on tap from 10 Washington breweries, including Skookum, Trap Door and Varietal.

Tickets are $20 and include a taster tray of five beers and a souvenir glass. Tickets are limited and available at the taproom or by calling the brewery at 425-344-1026.

Big E Ales closes: Lynnwood’s Big E Ales closed its doors for good on Feb. 6, according to a post on the brewery’s Facebook page. Big E Ales wasn’t a flashy brewery, but quietly went about serving its customers out of the same industrial park by Hall Lake since 2005. According to the post, the impact of the pandemic was too much to overcome for the brewery.