Snohomish brewery finds new downtown home

On Monday morning, Frank Sandoval arrived at work to find four bags stuffed full of hops on the back doorstep of his brewery, SnoTown Brewery.

“It was like Santa Claus was here,” Sandoval said.

The gift was from Judy Smith, of Snohomish, who visited SnoTown Brewery on Sunday night and was impressed with Sandoval’s beers. She and some friends picked the hops off of Smith’s arbor the next morning, and dropped them off for Sandoval to use in his brewing.

It’s the type of familial atmosphere that Sandoval hoped to bring to his hometown when he, and co-owner Keri Jensen, opened the new taproom/brewery in downtown Snohomish last month. SnoTown Brewery will host its official grand opening at 2 p.m. Sept. 19.

Officially licensed to brew under the name SnoTown Brewery a year ago, Sandoval and Jensen waited to open a taproom. They were initially looking for a space in an industrial area out of town, but in March found the space on 2nd Avenue, which was a longtime pet store and recently a thrift shop. The rent was a bit out of their price range, but Sandoval said they decided to take a leap of faith because of the location.

“We’re planning on getting a ton of drive-by traffic here,” Sandoval said. “And what really sold it for us is it’s right by the Centennial Trail. We’re getting a lot of families coming by.”

Because it doesn’t have a kitchen, SnoTown Brewery had a choice: Serve beer and wine and be 21-and-over or serve only beer and be family friendly. Because of the location, Sandoval said the choice was easy.

“We have a number of families that are regulars,” Sandoval said. “Families will cook a meal and bring it in and enjoy it here with our beer.”

There are board games to play and two flat-screen TVs to watch Seahawks games. Sandoval, who has played Johnny Cash in tribute bands for years, is also building a stage for future music performances.

Being located in Snohomish is special to Sandoval, who is a fourth-generation Snohomish resident and 1992 graduate of Snohomish High School. His mother’s pictures of turn-of-the-century downtown Snohomish grace the walls of the brewery.

Encouraged by Jensen, Sandoval, whose day job is installing gas lines for Infrasource, started brewing eight years ago. He joined Greater Everett Brewers League two years ago and learned from members like R.J. Whitlow, of 5 Rights Brewing, Nate McLaughlin, of Justice Brewing, and Jim Weisweaver, of At Large Brewing.

“There’s a lot of brewing knowledge in GEBL,” Sandoval said.

Sandoval purchased SnoTown’s 2-barrel brewing system from Marysville’s Whitewall Brewing earlier this summer. Going from a 10-gallon system to the new system was tough at first, Sandoval said. For example, Sandoval brewed his Down 2 Earth IPA at home 40 times, but on the new system it came out more like an amber.

So Sandoval decided to make lemonade out of lemons, taking that recipe and stripping the malt back a bit and turning up the hops to make his new IPA, Down 2 Earth Rev B. He did the opposite to make a new amber, which he plans on revealing this fall.

“I’m still learning,” Sandoval said of the new system.

As for the bags of hops, Sandoval said he’s planning on brewing a fresh hop ale.

Grand opening

Snohomish’s SnoTown Brewery will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening at 2 p.m. Sept. 19. SnoTown Brewery recently opened its new space at 511 2nd St., Snohomish. There will be raffle giveaways, live music from The Lowdown Ramblers and food from The Hungry Pelican. Beers expected on tap include SnoTown’s Keri’s Blonde, Cit-Bay, a citrus-basil ale, Down 2 Earth IPA, Loose Rooster IPA, Black Market ESB and Jalapeno Blonde.

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.