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It took nearly a full year, but Rooftop Brewing is finally ready to reopen. The tiny, one-barrel brewery opened in a North Queen Anne alley back in the summer of 2013, but closed in September last year to build out a bigger space down the street.
Now their 15-barrel facility and tasting room (at 1220 W. Nickerson St.) are ready to open, along with a rooftop seating area not present at their original location.
"We’re thrilled to remain in the neighborhood, continuing to serve this amazing community that has been so gracious in its support," says owner and brewer Craig Christian. "The idea of ‘place’ has always meant a great deal to us. We tapped into something special with our little garage and we learned a lot about the brewery we wanted to be, but it was definitely time to move on. To become an even bigger part of this community – and to finally have an actual rooftop deck – it’s all very exciting. We’d like to think we’re building a rooftop beer drinking oasis on Nickerson."
Look for 10 taps in the tasting room serving a rotating cast of 13 beers: Gateway Pale (previously called the Hoppy Half Wheat), Pugland Pale, Belgian Wit, ESB, Stargazer IPA (previously just called IPA), Single Hop Simcoe, Coffee IPA, Coffee Blonde, Golden Stout, Makeda Coffee Porter, Hoppin' Honey, Rainier Cherry Kriek, and Imperial Porter.
Rooftop has also hired an additional full-time brewer to help with the expanded capacity. Kyle Feldman comes over from the head brewer position at Barley's Brewing Company in Columbus, Ohio; he graduated from Seattle Pacific University, just a few blocks from Rooftop.
"Kyle is the perfect fit for Rooftop. He’s an amazing and meticulous brewer, a real craftsman, and he has roots in our neighborhood. We’re also excited to add his cask and barrel-aging expertise to our repertoire," Christian says.
Rooftop will celebrate its grand reopening this week starting on Thursday, with hours from 3 to 10 p.m. They'll be open again on Friday from 3 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Beginning the week of August 19, they'll add Wednesday hours from 3 to 10 p.m.
