Redhook Brewery Returns to Seattle Roots August 17

Redhook Brewing will mark a return to its Seattle roots with the grand opening of its Capitol Hill brewpub, the Redhook Brewlab, on August 17. The company was born in 1981 in a former Ballard transmission shop before departing for Woodinville in 1994.

Redhook left Woodinville earlier this year when its parent company, Craft Brew Alliance, decided it no longer needed to hold onto the Woodinville brewery, which was running at only 30-percent capacity.

Brewer Nick Crandall is looking to shake up the traditional Redhook lineup, adding 16 rotating, small-batch beers like the cloudy Bicoastal IPA, a raspberry saison, tangerine IPA, and more. The aim is to brew more than 100 different small-batch beers every year, a goal that will be enabled by a state-of-the-art eight-barrel brewing system, a smallish setup in line with that of many modern craft brewers.

Also among the beers to look forward to are selections from the brewery’s new Washington Native series, which will craft IPAs with ingredients sourced from Washington.

“Redhook was built on experimentation and taking risks back in the early 80s,” Crandall said in a press release. “Redhook Brewlab will allow us to experiment and test brewing boundaries, as well as get feedback directly from our guests. We’ll see what works and what might not. Ultimately, the next generation of Redhook’s core and seasonal beers will be born at Brewlab.”

The Brewlab is also planning to host live music events, and pub-goers will be serenaded by Crandall’s selection of vinyl. The space will be large, able to accommodate some 200 people, and there’s promises of a patio for nice-weather days. There will be food, too: Chef Adam Stevens is crafting a menu centered around a stone-hearth oven.

“I’d describe the menu concept as unabashedly good bar food, the kind of food we like to eat while drinking great beer,” Stevens said. “Our stone-hearth oven, the seasons, and local ingredients will dictate the menu, which will rotate throughout the year. In this way, the food aligns with our beers — we won’t limit ourselves, we’ll be experimental, and we’ll always be having fun.”

The long-delayed project, originally announced in December 2015, was scheduled to open in fall of 2016, but construction got a late start due to permitting issues. Now the project in the Pike Motorworks building at 714 E. Pike Street is finally wrapping up. To celebrate, Redhook and KEXP are throwing a party on August 17, with live music and one-off collaboration beers.