First Look: Seattle's Newest Brewery, Burke-Gilman Brewing

The new brewery opens this weekend in the Laurelhurst neighborhood

By Kendall Jones July 20, 2018

This story originally ran on Washington Beer Blog. Follow Kendall Jones on Twitter and Instagram at @beerblog

On Saturday, July 21, Burke-Gilman Brewing opens to the public. We were there last night for a sneak peek. (See note below about the Founder’s Club if you want to get in a day early.) Located in Seattle’s Laurelhurst neighborhood, the brewery is situated along the Burke-Gilman Trail, very near Children’s Hospital, at that point where NE 45th Street turns into Sand Point Way.

The partners behind the brewery are a gang of old friends: Kenneth Trease, Eric Lundquist, Corey Ovendale, and Ty Ovendale. Though some of then are homebrewers, they sought out a professional brewer to make the beer at Burke-Gilman Brewing. They found Phil Pesheck, who has experience brewing for Georgetown Brewing as well as Mac and Jack’s Brewing.

Phil is excited to spread his wings at Burke-Gilman Brewing and says that, along with sours and barrel-aged beers, he intends to explore beer history and re-interpret some old, nearly forgotten styles, adding his own modern twist to traditional recipes. He mentioned English Mild, which historically was not mild at all, at least not in terms of alcohol strength. His vision involves recreating historic recipes with modern ingredients.

For the opening, expect to find a beer lineup that includes an excellent, semi-hazy IPA and an especially bitter Pale Ale. Also a Porter, a Saison, a Brown Ale, and a Stout. Also, a few guest taps. All of the house-brewed beers are solid. To my taste, the Pale Ale, the IPA and the Stout really stood out. Also, the Saison is very quaffable for a beer of its style; an exceptionally approachable Saison.

Talking with two of the business partners last night we learned that Burke-Gilman does not plan to pursue a distribution model and will instead focus on selling beer to their neighborhood at the brewery’s taproom. They seem to have no interest in fighting for space on grocery store shelves or jockeying for position on other bars’ tap lists.

The brewery’s taproom is dog- and kid-friendly. They do not serve food, but you’re welcome to bring it in with you. There are plenty of options nearby, including Varlamos Pizzeria right across the street and an El Camion taco truck right next door.

Founders Club: Although the official opening day is Saturday, July 21, Burke-Gilman Brewing host a party for its Founders Club on Friday, July 20. There are still spots available in the Founders Club. If you want to learn more about that, go check them out on Facebook.