Brewery News From Ballard
- by Kendall Jones, Washington Beer Blog -
I have some news to share from Ballard. Guess what? Another new brewery just opened. Nothing too surprising there. Depending on where you draw the lines, Ballard is home to something like 10 breweries, so you’ve heard that story before. But what if I told you that a brewery was leaving Ballard? Now, that would be some unusual Ballard beer news.
First up, 2nd Chance Brewing recently started selling beer. The company introduced its brews at an event last Thursday at the College Inn Pub in the University District. Ballard’s brand new nano-brewery is located (literally) right across the street from Stoup Brewing, but does not have a tasting room yet. We’ll keep you posted and hope to learn more about the beer’s availability soon.
“We had a fun opening night [at the College Inn Pub] and dusted both of our kegs that were on tap - Raincheck Red and Minor Infraction IPA,” said Mike Fox, of 2nd Chance Brewing. “We don’t have a tasting room yet, but hope to have one sometime in the future. We’re still building our business.”
Vast. Urban Family Brewing’s new, larger brewery and distribution space. Courtesy Urban Family’s Facebook page.
Secondly, Urban Family Brewing recently announced that they are moving the brewery away from Ballard. Well, not very far away from Ballard. The company has secured a location across Salmon Bay in the Interbay neighborhood, near Fishermen’s Terminal, where they are building-out the new space in anticipation of the arrival of a new, larger brewing system. Don’t despair, Urban Family will not be shutting down the Urban Family Public House. They just won’t brew there anymore.
If you’ve ever visited the pub and brewery, you know that Urban Family has been brewing in a cramped space. The company really wanted to keep the brewery in Ballard, but needed more space and could not secure a location, so they are moving across the pond to Interbay. As I said, the Urban Family Public House will remain open on Ballard Avenue.
“Last night we brewed our final beer in the bar and we couldn’t be happier or more excited to move into our new location near Fisherman’s Terminal,” Urban Family said on its Facebook page the other day. “We’re still mid-construction there, but the new system is coming in on May 5th. Please keep in mind our brewed beer is going to be less plentiful over the next month or so. We’ve done our best to stockpile, but we’ll also be stocking up on the beer of others to get you through!”
One last little bit of related news. Holy Mountain Brewing also plans to open its brewery in Interbay, on Elliott Avenue. No word on the schedule but construction is underway.
Trench drain, curbs, construction at Holy Mountain Brewing. Courtesy Holy Mountain’s Facebook page.