It was a sliding doors situation. In 2017, R.J. and Kristi Whitlow were full steam ahead on their dream brewery project in Lake Stevens. But midway through construction of the beautiful two-story building and brewhouse that were custom built to R.J.’s specifications, the plan was abruptly scrapped when their relationship with the builder fell apart.
The Whitlows shifted their vision and focused on their hometown, Marysville, where R.J. had been brewing out of the family garage for two years. Soon after, their brewery, 5 Rights Brewing, opened its first off-site location, a small taproom and brewhouse in the old Carr’s Hardware building in downtown Marysville.
It’s a place that has seen 5 Rights blossom. The brewery has incrementally overtaken the entire old hardware building, built a large outdoor pavilion behind the brewery, opened a small restaurant and increased brewing capacity in their brewhouse. As many breweries close or see dwindling sales as the craft beer industry wanes, 5 Rights is still seeing significant growth and an uptick in sales.
“We always knew there was a plan, but as we were going through it, we didn’t know how it was going to turn out,” R.J. said. “Our main goal was to always serve people and welcome them into our business wherever we ended up. The fact is we’ve been blessed so much more by them.”
This week, 5 Rights Brewing is celebrating its 10th anniversary with beer collaborations with friends, special releases and live music. It’s the culmination of a long journey that saw 5 Rights go from tiny garage brewery to heavy hitter in Washington’s craft beer scene that has drawn the interest of much larger breweries up and down the west coast.
“Craft beer doesn’t have to be small, but being a ‘smaller’ brewery does give you the chance to curate the customer experience a lot more than when you get larger,” said Ben Edmunds, brewmaster at award-winning Breakside Brewery in Portland. “I think R.J. has done amazing work to build a welcoming, community-focused space that serves great beer and food.”
For the Whitlows, their faith has been a steadying force for them through the many ups and downs.
“It was absolutely God’s plan for us to build 5 Rights here,” Kristi said. “He wanted us to build our community in Marysville.”
The Whitlows have taken on mentoring roles through the brewery and restaurant. They’ve helped grow the skills – both work and life — of their staff. Currently, R.J.’s assistant brewer, Kent Spangenberg, has returned to the brewing business after a short hiatus, learning and renewing his interest in the craft.
“We see it as a way to impact our community through our staff,” Kristi said. “It’s helping people learn how to flourish and be part of a team. It’s been humbling.”
For R.J., he sees it as a way to pay forward what he’s learned from mentors in the business. One of the first was Reuben’s Brews’ Adam Robbings, who was on his own meteoric rise as a top Seattle brewer. Even before he opened his own brewery, R.J. would pick Robbings’ brain about hops and yeast and then help out wherever he could.
“He was genuinely interested in learning more about brewing and packaging,” said Robbings. “After helping with bottling runs, he’d stay behind and watch us brew to learn. His constant willingness to learn has been key.”
Fully invested in the city, R.J. is now facing a new opportunity to take his belief in building a positive, loving community to, well, the entire community. He’s recently thrown his hat in the ring for a Marysville city council position.
“It was humbling to be asked and prompted to run,” said R.J., who admitted it wasn’t something he’d ever thought of doing on his own. “We see running for council as a natural extension of who we are at 5 Rights, and it’s a testament to the depth of relationships we’ve built along the way.”
The Lake Stevens building that was at one time destined to be 5 Rights Brewing has had a number of tenants since opening soon after the pandemic. The most recent, Dwellers Drinkery, and its chef Denny Ludwig are friends with the Whitlows. In fact, R.J. and Ludwig collaborated on a beer together for the restaurant’s grand opening in June.
“It took seven years, but we finally sold a 5 Rights beer in that building,” said R.J. with a laugh.
10 Years of 5 Rights
The Marysville brewery is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a week full of celebrations, starting Wednesday. Some of the highlights include release of a collaboration beer with Seattle’s Georgetown Brewing, Southsiders Hazy IPA, live music with Harvey Creek Band in the brewery’s outdoor pavilion on Thursday, and a release of 5 Rights’ 10th annual Boom City FAB IPA on Friday.
Friends of 5 Rights
5 Rights Brewing co-owner and head brewer R.J. Whitlow has made some strong friendships with other brewers in the region, including the three significant players in the Northwest’s craft beer scene:
“I find (R.J.) to be a very curious brewer, and he listens to feedback. He knows that there’s a world of beer to learn about and thousands of techniques and tricks to help make beer better, and he incorporates those ideas and lessons into his own brews.” — Ben Edmunds, Breakside Brewery (Portland, Ore.) brewmaster
“5 Rights has done a really good job of establishing itself as a community hub where folks can gather, have a good time, let their guard down and relax. It’s very accessible and approachable to all walks of life, and if people can come into an establishment and immediately feel welcome, they’re going to have a positive experience.” — Matt Edwards, Georgetown Brewing Company (Seattle) research and development brewer
“RJ is one of the nicest guys in the industry. He’s always fun to be with and is really interested in driving the industry forward. I have always felt that he’s someone if I can help, I’m more than willing to. As I know, he could do the same thing for people if they asked him.” — Adam Robbings, Reuben’s Brews (Seattle) co-founder
Aaron Swaney is a freelance writer for The Daily Herald.
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