Outer Planet opened in 2015 — its sign dated to “2014 reflects some of the early optimism and challenges in running a microbrewery

There is a new hope for Capitol Hill-brewed craft beer. A new owner imbued with the force of beer making has stepped forward at 12th Ave’s Outer Planet.

“I figured it’s now or never,” Amory Carhart tells CHS about his decision to swoop in for a beyond the last second revival of the Capitol Hill microbrewery.

CHS reported here on the September closure of Outer Planet after its ownership spent a year looking for a buyer for the 2015-born brewery.

Co-owner Gabriel Villenave and the Outer Planet crew spent the past few weeks winding down their beer making and shutting down the space with final events and parties.

Carhart, who has been working in the industry for about six years since graduating from the South Puget Sound Community College’s Craft Brewing & Distilling program, says he only found out about the neighborhood brewery’s plan to close a few weeks ago. The sides were able to land on a deal that worked only a few days after the closing party and just before an Outer Planet “garage sale” was planned to sell off the brewery’s gear.

The Outer Planet closure was about to join a string of tough news for Capitol Hill-brewed beer. In June, CHS reported on the shutdown of another rare mix of mixed-use and beer-making as the Redhook microbrewery below Capitol Hill’s Pike Motorworks mixed-use development was permanently closed after eight years of production on E Pike.

Now Carhart says Outer Planet will spin back into action almost immediately with the brewery’s crew also coming along to get things restarted. There are hopes the 12th Ave “nano-brewery” will reopen as soon as Wednesday.

Carhart says he hopes to stick to the recipes that have established Outer Planet. “I have a vision and that is to keep it European inspired,” he says. The restart will also require some creativity with Outer Planet getting back into motion by featuring some of its final brews under the previous ownership along with a guest tap or two.

Eventually, the new Outer Planet will hopefully grow with business opportunities like building up the wholesale business and bringing more events to the 12th Ave brewery, along with expanding some of the beer programs, and “cranking out some American pale ales.”

The beer maker is starting his Outer Planet journey with confidence.

“I have years of experience in the industry. Getting product into the world was second nature to me,” Carhart said. “A number of things that can be done that can make it a profitable business.”

Outer Planet will reopen soon at 1812 12th Ave. Learn more at outerplanetbrewing.com.

$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE

Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support 🖤