At Large Brewery celebrates one year on Everett’s waterfront

At Large Brewing owners Jim Weisweaver and Karen Larsen equate opening their taproom to having a child. You nurture it, you clean it, you keep it breathing, you feed it, you serve it beer …

OK, maybe scratch that last one.

Parents and brewers can relate on at least one aspect. The time going into both is so engrossing and all-consuming that there’s little time to rest. Weisweaver and Larsen figure they worked an average of 85 hours per week for the first nine months of the taproom being open.

“There are so many things to take care of: taxes, compliance paperwork, budgets, ordering, brewing, running the taproom,” Weisweaver said. “We were surprised at just how much work it would take to open a taproom.”

They opened At Large last May, and moved the brewery and opened a taproom on the Everett waterfront last June. Weisweaver said little has gone wrong in the first 12 months, but that doesn’t mean it’s been a smooth ride.

“Some guys looking to open a brewery came in for advice recently and I said, ‘What do you like to do?’ ” Weisweaver said. “They said, ‘We like to fish, hike, hang out with our kids.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s all gone, except your family, and even that is going to be limited.’ It’s just a ton of work.”

One thing that has gone well is the response of the Everett community. Local businesses like Providence hospital, the Navy and other downtown businesses welcomed At Large to the community, with many holding meetings there and employees visiting for post-work beers.

“We picked up a number of local regulars right away,” Larsen said. “It’s critical for craft breweries to have community support, and we’ve received that. And they keep coming back, and that’s the ultimate sign we’re on the right road.”

At Large is starting to take the next steps in growth. Weisweaver and Larsen recently hired the brewery’s first full-time employee, Dan Custer, and a part-time employee, Ryan Donk. The two have helped diminish Weisweaver and Larsen’s time at the brewery. Now they spend an average of 75 hours per week at the brewery. That doesn’t mean it was easy.

“Like your newborn baby, it’s hard to just hand it off to someone,” Weisweaver said.

Custer will be doing a little bit of everything, including brewing and delivering, cleaning kegs and serving beer. Custer is an accomplished home brewer himself, having just placed second in the Greater Everett Brewers League IPA Bracket Challenge.

“Dan brings a lot to the table,” Weisweaver said. “I can bounce things off him, ask questions, get advice and brainstorm recipes.”

The building that At Large took over is in a historical part of Everett. Weisweaver said that a recent visitor told him that the original settlement of the city was centered just a few hundred feet from the taproom. In accord with the brewery’s 1920s gangster concept, Weisweaver has been researching the history of downtown at Everett Library. He found a photo from the late 19th century of a group of men on a long dock protruding into Port Gardner from where the brewery currently sits.

“We’re looking forward to incorporating some of the photos and articles from that era in the brewery,” Weisweaver said.

The future is also important. Weisweaver is looking forward to Nate McLaughlin’s Justice Brewing moving in up the street on Everett Avenue and is excited to see what the Port of Everett is doing on the waterfront.

“The port folks have come in and visited and they’re tight-lipped about what’s going on down there,” Weisweaver said, motioning his hand toward the north of the brewery. “But they assured me that we’re in a great spot for the type of business we are.”

At Large Brewing, which has started to distribute its beer as far away as West Seattle, is planning for a busy summer. Weisweaver said that they’ll be at the upcoming Washington Beer Festival, Snohomish Brewfest and the Bothell Beer Festival.

At Large Anniversary Party

Everett’s At Large Brewing is celebrating its one-year anniversary in their waterfront taproom from 1 to 10 p.m. May 27 at the taproom, 2730 W. Marine View Drive. There will be more than 20 beers on tap, including four new beers brewed specifically for the celebration: Chicago Typewriter, a New England-style IPA; Hold Up, a session IPA; Empty Hat, a hoppy saison; and Dora, a saison. The PinkyQ’s barbecue food truck will be on hand and there will be hourly prize drawings.