South Everett brewery, set to close, finds lifeline in new owners

EVERETT — Crucible Brewing, set to close at the end of the year, will be closing no more.

The south Everett craft brewery’s owners, Dick Mergens and Shawn Dowling, announced in August that unless new owners purchased the location, the brewery would close.

It was perfect timing for Erik Andresen and his wife, Johanna Watson-Andresen, to step up and take over.

“We’re honestly just very relieved,” Mergens said. “It wasn’t necessarily something Shawn and I wanted to do, as far as closing goes, but we’re very happy we’ve found someone passionate about the industry, business-minded, and intelligent. I feel like we’re leaving it in good hands.”

Andresen and Watson-Andresen were regulars at the brewery, having met across the street at a now-closed gym, North Corner Studios. Andresen had been a customer since Crucible opened in 2015, and the couple had some of their first dates there once COVID-19 restrictions loosened.

After the husband and wife duo signed an agreement in October, the purchase of Crucible, located at 909 SE Everett Mall Way, will become official Jan. 1. The two hope to start renovations that day — a process Andresen estimated will take a couple of weeks. The couple plans a grand opening in mid-January.

For Andresen, who has been brewing homemade beer for almost 15 years, it was the realization of a yearslong dream.

“I’ve known Dick and Shawn for about 10 years now, and we came to an agreement where we thought it would be a good opportunity for us to continue it as a brand and improve upon what they did,” Andresen said.

After more than a decade of consistent growth, craft beer sales nationwide have fallen over the past couple of years, according to statistics from the American Brewers Association, a brewery trade group. In that time, the number of breweries has continued to rise.

Andresen isn’t worried about the state of the industry, though.

“If you look at it, a lot of the breweries either have bad beer, bad experiences or are the big guys that can’t be ever-changing,” Andresen said. “It’s not the idea anymore to have flagship brands as the majority of the menu. People want to come in, have a beer they know will be there, and then try something else as a second beer. And the big guys, they’re not able to do it.”

The brewery’s low production volume, Andresen said, means new batches of beer are gone within two to three weeks. This allows brewers to experiment with new flavors, bringing enthusiasts back more often to try the new beers, he said.

Craft beer sales make up about 13% of the overall beer market, according to the brewers association.

The reality of the purchase “hasn’t sunk in yet,” Watson-Andresen said. Both she and Andresen will keep their full-time jobs on top of being new owners — she is a welder, he works in IT. But she feels the hard work will be worth it.

“You get the feeling of, this actually meant something to stay up late,” Watson-Andresen said. “Not just binge watching or going partying, it was different. It was a different feeling to help be a part of something that’s going to bring a community together.”

At the back of the brewery, a plaque with a photo of a dog reads, “Employee of the Month: Brewno T. Doggins,” in honor of Mergens’ pet. He made the award because the dog had “perfect attendance.” Yes, Brewno is the correct spelling, and he’s the only employee of the month honored in the brewery.

Andresen’s own dog, Monkey, practically grew up there, Mergens said. The dog was born just before the brewery opened and has been a regular since, tagging along with Andresen in the nine years he’s been coming in, as he started dating his wife, and as the two dreamt of running it themselves.

So, as new ownership comes in, Crucible may not just see a change in leadership — but a new mascot too.

Mergens said: “It’s entirely possible that Monkey will be the future employee of the month, over and over again.”

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.