Summer will end on Capitol Hill with one of the neighborhood’s most enduring beer institutions preparing to mark a significant milestone. In September, Hopvine Pub will celebrate 30 years of pouring craft beers, serving comfort food, and fostering communities and open mics at its 15th Ave location.

The story of the Hopvine is fully linked to Seattle’s craft beer revolution. When owner Bob Brenlin first opened the doors in 1995, the city’s beer landscape looked dramatically different.

“Back in ’95, we were one of the first places focusing exclusively on local microbrews,” Brenlin recalls, leaning against the well-worn bar that has borne witness to three decades of stories.

General manager Taelor Sloane, who has worked at Hopvine for 18 of its 30 years, explains how this legacy continues today: “We have a very fine-tuned beer list of beers that are difficult to find other places. We focus on getting people the local beer that is the freshest, the best, and you can’t necessarily find in the grocery store.”

The pub remains committed to the details of beer service. “There are a lot of ways that beer gets mistreated – wrong temperature, dirty lines, improper glassware,” Sloane explains. “We make sure everything is served the way the brewer intended.”

While Hopvine built its reputation on craft beer, its kitchen has become equally legendary among regulars.

“Our sandwiches are really what we’re known for,” Brenlin says of the menu that has sustained generations of Capitol Hill residents. “But even before that, the soups that we make – all freshly made soups, change all the time. We’ve had reputation for that from years back.” The pub even published a soup cookbook years ago featuring recipes from their kitchen.

The kitchen’s commitment to quality took on new dimensions during the pandemic. “During the pandemic, I decided we could up our sandwich game by smoking our own meats,” Sloane says. “Now we smoke our own turkey, chicken, and wings.” This innovation led to their popular monthly smoked burger barbecues, where patties are smoked fresh in the beer garden.

What truly sets Hopvine apart is its role as a community hub. The pub hosts Seattle’s longest-running open mic night.

“We’re trying to bridge that gap between open mic and actually having a show. We focus on newer artists and rewarding the people who come to open mic with performance opportunities.”

More recently, Hopvine has become a gathering place for Seattle’s Deaf community. “We’ve been doing ASL Social Hour every Monday for about a year now,” Sloane says. “We’ve created a community space where Deaf people can come and know there’s a bartender who signs. About half our staff know some sign language now.”

Hopvine’s 30-year journey hasn’t been without challenges. The pub survived the 2001 Nisqually earthquake (“One bottle fell off the shelf,” Brenlin recalls with a laugh) and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We survived by selling beer to go in mason jars,” Sloane remembers. “Customers would bring the jars back to be refilled. it was me and Lily mostly, working six days a week.”

CHS reported here on the Hopvine’s 20th anniversary.and the pub’s connections with a beer-y family of Seattle hangouts including the Latona Pub and the Fiddler’s Inn.

Meanwhile, another pillar of 15th Ave E is celebrating this summer as Victrola marked its 25th anniversary. CHS last visited with the Capitol Hill-born coffee roaster last year as it gave its original 15th Ave E cafe a modest makeover.

At the Hop, challenges these days include rising costs that threaten many Seattle small businesses. “Rent is a huge part of our expense right now,” Brenlin admits. “We’ve been here so long we’re at the top of the CPI adjustment for rent.”

For their anniversary celebration September 12th through the 14th, the Hopvine team is planning special events that reflect their community spirit.

“We’re having old school regulars night, calling everyone we’ve known forever to see if we can get them all here at once,” Sloane says. “For open mic, we’re bringing back alumni performers.”

The weekend will feature live music from staff bands including Dopamine Cowboy. Food specials will highlight their smoked meats and the beer will pour.

When asked what’s kept Hopvine thriving through changing trends and challenging economic times, Brenlin points immediately to his staff. “Probably the employees and the quality of people that worked here,” he says. “Stay true to your goals and what you do. I’ve had good people to deliver the product – that’s the key thing.”

This sentiment is echoed by Sloane, who describes the pub’s ability to adapt while staying true to its roots: “We adapt to the changing needs of customers but not necessarily the fads. We have quite a bit of cider we serve, we have CBD drinks — but we maintain our focus on quality local beer.”

As Hopvine enters its fourth decade, Brenlin and Sloane remain committed to maintaining what makes the pub special while continuing to evolve.

“It’s a community gathering place,” Brenlin reflects. “People come in to see our employees, to see events, to socialize. It’s kind of a classic pub scenario.”

Hopvine Pub is located at 507 15th Ave E. Learn more at hopvinepub.com.

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