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Redhook announces plans for a Capitol Hill brewpub inside Pike Motorworks

Putting up the Redhook sign in Fremont in 1982.

Putting up the Redhook sign in Fremont in 1982.

Capitol Hill’s newest king of beers hasn’t even held its grand opening and already a local-gone-national brewery has stepped up to take the crown. The Woodinville-based, Seattle-born Redhook Ale Brewery announced plans Monday to open a new brewpub inside the nearly complete Pike Motorworks project on E Pike between Harvard and Boylston.

“I’m looking forward to my first ESB in the new brewpub on Capitol Hill,” said Redhook co-founder Paul Shipman. “This new location is a perfect opportunity for Redhook to brew great-tasting, local craft beer in one of Seattle’s most vibrant neighborhoods and to help celebrate Redhook’s 35th anniversary since it first introduced Seattle to craft beer in 1981.”

Redhook said they plan to open the new brewpub in fall 2016 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the brewery’s launch in a Ballard garage. Redhook moved its operation from Seattle to Woodinville in the mid ’90s. It also operates a brewery in New Hampshire. The company is owned by the Craft Beer Alliance, a company partly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev.

UPDATE: The project timeline shifted over the summer and now is being planned for a “February of 2017” grand opening.

The new brewery at 714 E Pike will feature a 10-barrel brewing system, about half the size of Optimism Brewing, which opens this week just a few blocks away at Broadway and E Union. According to Redhook, brewer Nick Crandall plans to use the space to create small-batch beers with neighborhood partners like Caffe Vita.

The new brewpub will reflect the spirit of Redhook’s beginnings and create a unique opportunity to experience some Redhook classics such as ESB and Ballard Bitter, alongside innovative small-batch brews, some of which will be available exclusively at the new brewpub location.

Redhook's lineup. (Images: Redhook Brewing)

Redhook’s lineup. (Images: Redhook Brewing)

The Washington Beer Blog was the first to report the Redhook news Monday afternoon.

The ambitious preservation incentive-boosted development project includes some 300 apartments but developers don’t believe the mixed-use proximity will pose a challenge for Redhook’s beer making designs.

The wide open passageways and preserved facades of the massive Pike Motorworks project will also put yet another Capitol Hill light manufacturing operation on display, joining the ranks of Melrose’s Starbucks Reserve Roastery and E Union’s Optimism Brewing. Other businesses continuing to honor the neighborhood’s manufacturing past include Capitol Hill’s distilleries — Sun Liquor on E Pike and Oola on E Union at 14th. The neighborhood also boasts several coffee roasting facilities in addition to the Starbucks showcase. Meanwhile, Richmark Label has been running its machinery at 11th and Pine for 45 years.

With buildings designed by Weber Thompson around nearly 20,000 square feet of ground level retail conceived by Graham Baba, the Wolff Co.– developed Pike Motorworks project replaced an old BMW showroom, an E Pine facing service warehouse and three parking lots with a jigsaw-shaped development intersected by restaurant and shopping corridors. Parking for more than 200 vehicles lurks below. How Redhook will share the commercial space with any other tenants hasn’t yet been announced. CHS has learned that a Los Angeles-based home furnishings and design company will put around 2,000 square feet to use for a new store in the building near the new Redhook project.

Like Starbucks, Redhook also appears to be another large brand experimenting with craft creations on Capitol Hill. Starbucks played with the idea of opening independently-branded cafes around Capitol Hill before rolling back the idea and returning to a focus on the core SBUX brand. Roy Street Coffee, born in 2009, lives on as a real live test lab for the coffee giant.

It’s been a busy time for big beer on Capitol Hill. Along with the ambitious Optimism opening, Capitol Hill-born Elysian was bought out by international conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev to start 2015. Meanwhile, little Outer Planet is already in orbit around the gassy giants with its puny “nanobrewery” below a 12th Ave microhousing development.

Redhook executives will be attending a media event Tuesday at the development site to make the official announcement.

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8 Comments
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Ian
Ian
8 years ago

I think it’s worth noting that anheuser busch owns over 30% of red hook. Interesting that they’ll have 2 brewpubs on the same street.

jseattle
Admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Ian

Yeah, just added

Bill Knight
Bill Knight
8 years ago

I am not sure who jumps the shark with this one… Red Hook or Capitol Hill….

DB McWeeberton
DB McWeeberton
8 years ago
Reply to  Bill Knight

Maybe Redhook can UN-jump the shark by making their brewing interesting and Seattle-based again.

It would also help if they backed away from from brand-cheapening things like this Carl’s Jr. fish sandwich ad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNqqUvLVqiA

Robert
Robert
8 years ago
Reply to  DB McWeeberton

Wow, that’s awful! I had no idea Red Hook was whoring itself out to fast food joints…but I suspect AB InBev is behind that nonsense. With a 30% AB InBev ownership, I’m speculating that Red Hook is getting dragged into all sorts of idiocy. This is your future, Elysian.

As far as their beer…it’s still tasty and interesting. I still go to the Woodinville restaurant and have sampled plenty of seasonal, not-in-store brews. All is not lost, but yeah. Jesus.

NM
NM
8 years ago

I don’t understand the complaints. We are so fortunate to live in Seattle, the land of ubiquitous excellent beer. And why do we fault the entrepreneurs who cashed out, or cashed in? God bless them all.

HuskyDown
HuskyDown
8 years ago

Oh look, mediocre corporatized simulacrum of craft beer finds a home in a corporatized simulacrum of a historical building serving cookie cutter tech drones in search of the sterilized version of “authenticity”.

Redhook hasn’t been a serious craft brewer – or taken seriously by actual craft brewers – for quite a long time. Their product is middling at best, insipid, unmemorable and uninspired. Its the “craft beer” stuck on a bar handle in airport bars, sports stadium concession stands and the like.

Capitol Hill – though has jumped the shark so far you’ve landed on the moon.

Feedback
Feedback
8 years ago
Reply to  HuskyDown

Cool story, bro