Everett’s beer scene is ready for a boom

Doug Hall and Jeff Sadighi knew they wanted to open a bar focused on craft beer and wine. They just didn’t know where.

The two had lived in just about every city between Bellingham and Olympia. They knew they wanted to open the bar along the I-5 corridor. The robust beer scenes in Bellingham, Seattle and Olympia would at first seem the most appealing, but they focused on Everett. Part of that was due to lower rent, but the biggest reason was getting in early on a bursting craft beer scene.

“We really like the idea of being here on the ground floor of what we perceive to be a good potential,” Hall said. “Everett made a lot of sense for us. It’s better to be the first or second in Everett than the 22nd or 23rd in Seattle.”

The two young men have bought in, moving their families to Everett. They opened The Independent Beer Bar on Hewitt Avenue in downtown Everett in February. Soon, though, if things continue on a recent trend, they’ll have plenty of company.

Beer is big business

Everett’s craft beer scene used to be focused solely on longtime brewing stalwarts Scuttlebutt Brewing and Lazy Boy Brewing. But in recent years brewers have sprouted up in north Everett and along Everett Mall Way like hops on a vine. And starting with The Independent Beer Bar, a number of places focusing on craft beer plan to open or expand in Everett this spring and summer.

“There’s a lot of good beer brewed right here in Everett that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves,” said Scuttlebutt head brewer Matt Stromberg. “Deschutes sells more beer here in Snohomish County than any local brewery. That’s ridiculous.”

Three local breweries are betting big on Everett. Marysville’s At Large Brewing is moving out of a garage in Marysville into a 4,000-square-foot space on California Street later this month. Scuttlebutt Brewing is finishing up an expansion of its brewery that will triple its production capabilities; and opening a small taproom at its production brewery location on Cedar Street. Crucible Brewing, which opened along Everett Mall Way last fall, has already expanded to the space next door to double its square footage for brewing and administrative capabilities and provide some overflow seating.

“The growth of downtown and Everett as a whole really appealed to us,” said At Large owner and head brewer Jim Weisweaver on the decision to move to Everett. “Everett is really trying to get to the point that I feel it should have always been in terms of beer and we’re just glad they want us to be a part of that.”

Carol Thomas, Cultural Arts Manager for the City of Everett, views the cultivation of craft brewers and drinkers, and their passion for enjoying craft beer, as an expansion of the city’s outreach to artists and entrepreneurs. Bringing them to town helps make the city more vibrant.

“For the city, it creates a buzz — a walkable downtown filled with nightlife and spots for friends to gather,” Thomas said. “It’s the kind of urban vitality young professionals who are choosing to live downtown are looking for.”

Scuttlebutt, which is celebrating 20 years this summer, has grown methodically and gradually since opening on the Everett waterfront in 1996. Now it is an international brand, sending beer to 22 states, Japan, China, England, Russia and more.

“You can’t spread your branches without a strong root system,” Stromberg said.

Moving to town

Weisweaver and Karen Larsen, co-owner of At Large, pointed to the proximity to the new Aero Apartments and Hampton Inn as a factor in their decision to move to Everett. Another factor was the zeal in which a Skotdal real estate agent pursued them.

“Skotdal has been wonderful,” Larsen said. “They bent over backwards for us. They knew and were prepared for the things that go on in the brewery world.”

There were very specific things Weisweaver and Larsen wanted if they were going to move, something they didn’t think was realistically going to happen for another year or two. They wanted plenty of parking, multiple bathrooms and room to grow. Along with Everett, they were also strongly considering a move to Lake Stevens or Marysville when the time was right.

Out of the blue, a real estate agent called and said he felt he had a prime location for them. The agent showed Weisweaver and Larsen the location, but it didn’t have everything they wanted so they passed. Months later, the agent reached back out and said he thought he had the perfect spot.

He was right. The location at 2730 West Marine View Drive has dedicated parking and, at 4,000 square feet, room to grow. The old building also has the speakeasy feel that Weisweaver and Larsen wanted for their brewery — which has a 1920s Depression-era aesthetic from its beer names to its logo — and a place for outdoor seating.

“(Skotdal) really wanted us,” Weisweaver said.

The move will allow one of the area’s hottest breweries to make more beer. Currently At Large, which had some of the longest lines at last summer’s Everett Craft Beer Festival, brews on a one-barrel system in 480 square feet of space in a standard residential garage. They’ll be stepping up to a 3-barrel system in the new brewing space, which will be 1,900 square feet.

More of the mermaid

As At Large is just getting started in Everett, Scuttlebutt is doubling down on the city. More like tripling down.

The brewery, well known for its mermaid logo and funny name, recently finished up an expansion of its brewery space that could triple its production. That’s a precursor to Scuttlebutt opening a taproom at its production brewery after running a successful restaurant operation on the waterfront.

The expansion of its production brewery, on Cedar Avenue in Everett, was made possible when a longtime tenant in a neighboring building moved out. Scuttlebutt took control of the 2,200-square-foot space, knocked out a wall and moved in six of its fermenters to give its brewers some breathing room.

At peak, the new space will allow Scuttlebutt to have 14 60-barrel fermenters, six 60-barrel brite tanks and a few 20-barrel tanks tossed into the mix. It increases the brewery’s overall footprint from 5,500 square feet to 7,700 and means the facility will be able to produce 25,000 barrels per year, up from the current production of just under 8,000 barrels. It’s a big addition for a brewery that was on the first wave of craft breweries in the Pacific Northwest.

“Adding to our Everett roots is a natural progression for us,” Stromberg said. “A primary goal of Scuttlebutt has been to be a foundation piece in the community. That comes from the top, (owners) Phil and Cynthia “Scuttle” Bannan chose to move and raise their family here and they’ve been emotionally invested in Everett the entire time. Today Phil Jr. has an active role in steering the company and he’s just as committed to local values as his parents have been.”

The taproom, expected to be done in late summer, will have a more industrial feel, with roll-up garage doors and a view of the bottling line. It’ll also have specialty Scuttlebutt beers on tap and be more focused on the beer than the restaurant.

“It’s going to be more of a craft beer experience,” said Scuttlebutt sales representative Doug Tiede, who is overseeing the design of the new taproom.

When it’s finished, the new Scuttlebutt taproom will allow craft beer fans the ability to start there, walk up Hewitt to The Independent Beer Bar, jog over to Brews Almighty, a craft beer bottleshop and taproom on Grand Ave., and then stumble down to At Large Brewing. This summer’s fifth annual Everett Craft Beer Festival, on Hoyt Avenue between Pacific and Hewitt, will be smack in the middle of it all.

The reasons that The Independent Beer Bar chose Everett are the same reasons At Large is moving to town, and Scuttlebutt and Crucible are expanding: Craft beer is big business in the Northwest. That’s something we can all raise a glass to.