Seattleite Leaves Healthcare to Pursue Love of Local Beer

Healthcare's loss is Seattle's beer scene's gain. Seattleite Loren Klabunde left his day job to pursue opening a 64-tap tasting room dedicated entirely to local craft beer sourced within 100 miles of Seattle. Klabunde is looking to raise $100,000 for the taproom, which will be called Growl64, through an Indiegogo campaign that launches tomorrow. Klabunde doesn't have a location secured just yet, but he's aiming to open on Capitol Hill sometime this summer. As the name suggests, Growl64 will emphasize growler pours over bottle sales to minimize waste and work towards sustainability.

"Culture change is risky but believe it’s an achievable goal due to the incredible interest in craft beer. Similar to farm-to-table, craft brewing encompasses ‘buy local’ at its core," Klabunde relayed via press release. "By becoming part of their communities, breweries should experience longevity, similar to small European community breweries."