Lucky Envelope Brewery Brings Thai-Infused Beer To Ballard Soon

With Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery hitting Greenwood come June and Cloudburst Brewing opening in Belltown this fall, it seems only natural that Ballard should have a newcomer too. Lucky Envelope Brewery hopes to open at 907 NW 50th Street in April or May—and there's a slight Asian bent to what Brewmaster Barry Chan and Director of Operations Raymond Kwan have in the works. For starters, the brewery is named for the Chinese tradition of giving red envelopes with money to celebrate Chinese New Year and major holidays.

Chan and Kwan hope to offer four to six beers and a homemade soda or two on tap to start. They'll build to over ten taps eventually. The regular rotation includes traditional German-style beers like Munich Helles and Schwarzbier lagers, along with Asia-inspired beers like a Belgian Style Tripel infused with Thai ingredients. Also anticipate a kid- and dog-friendly public tasting room, as well as partnerships with food trucks. The brewery will have some snacks on hand, although they don't have a full-service kitchen.

"We are excited to be entering the industry during this [craft beer] uptick," Kwan says. "We are also lucky to be located in Ballard with many other craft breweries who started from similar backgrounds as us. The possibilities seem to be endless right now, so our goal is to establish ourselves locally and expand to other states—maybe even other countries."

According to Seattle Beer News, this is the the tenth brewery in Ballard. — Sara Jones