Elemental Cider Co. opens its Arlington taproom Friday

ARLINGTON — Grocery stores around the county stock beer aisles with colorful cans by Elemental Cider Co.

Each flavor features a different chemical element on its label: Calcium for blood orange, Carbon for semi-dry, and so on.

Now the adult beverages are made here.

The hard cider producer has moved from Woodinville to Arlington. Its taproom opens Friday.

The new building, in the Cascade Industrial Center, is more than 17,000 square feet.

Owners Brian and Christina Callahan began to rent the previous 2,850-square-foot space in 2012. That year they started as a winery and eventually began to make cider.

“People were really digging the hard cider, more than the wine,” Brian Callahan said. “There’s a lot of wine in Woodinville and we didn’t really stand out for any reason. The hard cider made us stand out.”

About two years ago, they ran out of space at the old location.

“We’ve been busting at the seams,” Brian Callahan said.

The couple started looking for larger headquarters around that time.

In recent years the company has sold 5,000 barrels of cider. It’s sent to bars and grocery stores in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Brian Callahan expects the company to grow four-fold while in Arlington, but no more than that. He never plans to sell cider in more than five states.

“The farther we get away from home it’s harder to manage,” he said. “Our goal was always to be a very local business.”

They’ve been hiring people to work at the Arlington location, including taproom manager Mike Dial.

He was a customer in Woodinville, and started the new job on Monday.

“It’s hard to describe how that last taproom felt. It was definitely a lot more crammed in,” Dial said.

He thinks visitors will find the new space to be a more comfortable atmosphere.

On Wednesday, workers were finishing up the final touches.

Three large metal brewing barrels were still in packaging, waiting to be installed. Concrete floors had just been sealed, and a brick pizza oven was being tested.

Much of the big industrial room will be open to customers.

The main entrance opens to seating, a bar and the pizza oven. Lawn games, such as cornhole, are around the corner. Nearby is a fenced-off area for canning, and brewing will happen in the back of the room.

Other breweries inside the Cascade Industrial Center include Skookum Brewery and Whitewall Brewing Co. Elemental has partnered with beer producers to create limited-edition drinks before, but for now there are no plans in the works.

Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com. Twitter:@stephrdavey.

If you go

Elemental Cider Co. is at 6015 180th St. Suite 101, Arlington.

The taproom is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Children and dogs are welcome.

At Friday’s grand opening, 15% of all sales will go to Cascade Valley Health Foundation.