History of Snoqualmie Brewery?
- Thread starter Doryman
- Start date
starcrafttom
Active member
Tax write off with good benefits? :beer
Pat Anderson
New member
OK, Warren, since you asked again (honest folks, I don't put him up to this!). The public part of the story is here.
The story behind the story is a little longer. I started home brewing in 1965. For those good at math, I was a little shy of 21 at the time! I home brewed regularly over the years, except when we were in the Peace Corps in Turkey from 1968 - 1970.
In the late 1970s - early 1980s I got really serious, switched from extract to all-grain, and joined a home brewing club in Seattle (The Brews Brothers, a drinking club with a brewing problem). In 1985 one of my Brethren was a professional brewery consultant, and he asked me to speak not as a brewer but as a lawyer at the 1985 Craft Brewing Conference in Denver on a model brewpub statute. The problem was, most states had laws that prevented producers from selling their beer at retail (so-called "Tied House" laws). These laws are generally a good thing, otherwise Budweiser would have owned every tavern in America, but they also prevented a little brewery from selling its own beer at retail. So I researched and wrote a law creating an exception to Tied House for small producers selling their own products on the brewery premises, and presented it to the assembled craft brewers of America. For a few years, I heard from small brewers around the country about how the law they got passed looked nothing like what I presented, but telling me they finally got a law passed!
My own take-away from this conference was that damn, this looked like a fun business! But from 1985 to 1995, it was just a thought in the back of my mind. In 1995, I moved my law office from Issaquah to Snoqualmie, and right across the street was the Dairy Queen Distribution Center. That year, they pulled out because the facility was too small, and I got inside to take a look around. Concrete floors, high ceiling, a big walk-in cooler - damn, it sure looked like a brewery to me. I realized that if I didn't do something then, I never would. So I negotiated an option to lease the building, and set out to start a brewery business.
David can chime in here how he got hooked up, but he was there from the start, and we quickly had the original group formed (see the web site). We spent 1996 trying to sell stock to raise $1m to build a substantial brewery. But Redhook and Pyramid had sold stock, which promptly tanked, and we were doomed trying to sell a good idea. We had pretty much lost all of our initial investments trying to raise money.
Then a neighbor told me she knew of some brewery equipment for sale. It was Mac and Jack's original equipment (Mac and Jack's is a popular Seattle area microbrewery). It was in Jack's garage, I went over and looked at it, realized it was just a big home brew system, and I knew how everything worked. I negotiated a good price, and we all dug down deeper and wrote one more check to buy it. David, the real hero here, mortgaged some business property to fund the installation, and we were up and running.
This is kind of where the story on the web page picks up. As we watched Rande, our master brewer, scurry around like a madman 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, producing this great beer, David continually would say "Tell me again how you and I were going to do this in our spare time?" Getting Rande on board no doubt saved two marriages, and is mostly responsible for the fact that we are still in business today!
We have grown about 10% or more each year over the last 11 years. We opened the Taproom in 2006, which has turned out to be the second best thing we ever did (after hiring Rande).
I know this is probably way more than you wanted to know, that is the story of Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company!
And yes, it has been a sizeable tax write-off, but we are hoping that will change pretty darn soon!
The story behind the story is a little longer. I started home brewing in 1965. For those good at math, I was a little shy of 21 at the time! I home brewed regularly over the years, except when we were in the Peace Corps in Turkey from 1968 - 1970.
In the late 1970s - early 1980s I got really serious, switched from extract to all-grain, and joined a home brewing club in Seattle (The Brews Brothers, a drinking club with a brewing problem). In 1985 one of my Brethren was a professional brewery consultant, and he asked me to speak not as a brewer but as a lawyer at the 1985 Craft Brewing Conference in Denver on a model brewpub statute. The problem was, most states had laws that prevented producers from selling their beer at retail (so-called "Tied House" laws). These laws are generally a good thing, otherwise Budweiser would have owned every tavern in America, but they also prevented a little brewery from selling its own beer at retail. So I researched and wrote a law creating an exception to Tied House for small producers selling their own products on the brewery premises, and presented it to the assembled craft brewers of America. For a few years, I heard from small brewers around the country about how the law they got passed looked nothing like what I presented, but telling me they finally got a law passed!
My own take-away from this conference was that damn, this looked like a fun business! But from 1985 to 1995, it was just a thought in the back of my mind. In 1995, I moved my law office from Issaquah to Snoqualmie, and right across the street was the Dairy Queen Distribution Center. That year, they pulled out because the facility was too small, and I got inside to take a look around. Concrete floors, high ceiling, a big walk-in cooler - damn, it sure looked like a brewery to me. I realized that if I didn't do something then, I never would. So I negotiated an option to lease the building, and set out to start a brewery business.
David can chime in here how he got hooked up, but he was there from the start, and we quickly had the original group formed (see the web site). We spent 1996 trying to sell stock to raise $1m to build a substantial brewery. But Redhook and Pyramid had sold stock, which promptly tanked, and we were doomed trying to sell a good idea. We had pretty much lost all of our initial investments trying to raise money.
Then a neighbor told me she knew of some brewery equipment for sale. It was Mac and Jack's original equipment (Mac and Jack's is a popular Seattle area microbrewery). It was in Jack's garage, I went over and looked at it, realized it was just a big home brew system, and I knew how everything worked. I negotiated a good price, and we all dug down deeper and wrote one more check to buy it. David, the real hero here, mortgaged some business property to fund the installation, and we were up and running.
This is kind of where the story on the web page picks up. As we watched Rande, our master brewer, scurry around like a madman 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, producing this great beer, David continually would say "Tell me again how you and I were going to do this in our spare time?" Getting Rande on board no doubt saved two marriages, and is mostly responsible for the fact that we are still in business today!
We have grown about 10% or more each year over the last 11 years. We opened the Taproom in 2006, which has turned out to be the second best thing we ever did (after hiring Rande).
I know this is probably way more than you wanted to know, that is the story of Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company!
And yes, it has been a sizeable tax write-off, but we are hoping that will change pretty darn soon!
Alyssa Jean
New member
Pat pretty much told the "rest of the story". My interest started because Pat was generous enough to donate a basic will to a local organization for a silent auction fund raiser. Kate and I needed our will done so we bought it. I hadn't seen Pat for probably 20 years other than an occasional meeting here and there. We met at his office and during the catch up on our lives his interest in starting a brewery came up. Pat and I had been 2 years apart in HS and also both were members of a small dance band. Our parents had been good friends and we often would get together and the adults would play Canasta and the kids play.
I like to cook and brewing is nothing more than cooking with a recipe and adding a ton of sanitation to the equation. I expressed interest and started learning brewing in Pats garage every Wed. evening for a year while we tried to put the brewery package together.
We brewed our first beer Dec 20, 1997. I brewed it and Pat would come over from his office every hour to check on my progress. In January 98 Rande came aboard and I spent the next several years assisting and doing office stuff.
I like to cook and brewing is nothing more than cooking with a recipe and adding a ton of sanitation to the equation. I expressed interest and started learning brewing in Pats garage every Wed. evening for a year while we tried to put the brewery package together.
We brewed our first beer Dec 20, 1997. I brewed it and Pat would come over from his office every hour to check on my progress. In January 98 Rande came aboard and I spent the next several years assisting and doing office stuff.
Great strory. I have the utmost respect for individuals that have a vision, take the risk and are successful. I must confess however, that I have never had any of your beers. 
I think the IPA will be first on my list.
I'm giving the Mrs a "mission" the next time she goes to...where are they sold?
Edit; Disregard the question. I went back to your website and found Jay's Market. Not too far from me.
I think the IPA will be first on my list. I'm giving the Mrs a "mission" the next time she goes to...where are they sold?
Edit; Disregard the question. I went back to your website and found Jay's Market. Not too far from me.
Capital Sea
New member
"And that's ......the rest of the story. ...Good Day"
Alyssa Jean
New member
Pat can go into the economics of doing 6 packs better than I. 6 packs involve a lot more cost that doing 22 oz bombers. An example is the six pack printed carrier, we haven't that expense with the bombers.
Just think of the 22 oz as a beer for two. Or not.
Just think of the 22 oz as a beer for two. Or not.
I'm working my way through a Steam Train Porter right now... ummmm!
Snoqualmie Falls really is a neat tourist attraction...get the family excited to see it and then casually mention, "Well, since we're in the neighborhood I've heard a lot of good things about the Snoqualmie Falls Brewery Taproom. It's kid friendly and the food is very tasty." All true by the way, I'll vouch for that.
One of the Brew Brothers might be on the premises and you can talk history.
One last thought, I really found the SFB stickers cool! Might be a nice accessory on a C-Brat boat.
My porter is getting warm, gotta go.
Snoqualmie Falls really is a neat tourist attraction...get the family excited to see it and then casually mention, "Well, since we're in the neighborhood I've heard a lot of good things about the Snoqualmie Falls Brewery Taproom. It's kid friendly and the food is very tasty." All true by the way, I'll vouch for that.
One of the Brew Brothers might be on the premises and you can talk history.
One last thought, I really found the SFB stickers cool! Might be a nice accessory on a C-Brat boat.
My porter is getting warm, gotta go.
Pat,
Little did I know that you bought your original brewing equipment from Mac & Jacks. I spent last Saturday with Jack at his brewery. We have mutual friends and he was generous enough to provide me with a great tour and helped with the makings of a Mac N Jack Brew Basket to auction off at our Renton Rotary Auction this Saturday. Jack is also an avid boater. In fact he was into wooden boats when he started brewing. He only has good things to say about Snoqualmie Brewery. I also have a good friend Lyle Morris who is an owner in Fishtale Ale out of Olympia. Brew & Boating a great combination when the brew takes place on the dock and boating takes place without influence.
Little did I know that you bought your original brewing equipment from Mac & Jacks. I spent last Saturday with Jack at his brewery. We have mutual friends and he was generous enough to provide me with a great tour and helped with the makings of a Mac N Jack Brew Basket to auction off at our Renton Rotary Auction this Saturday. Jack is also an avid boater. In fact he was into wooden boats when he started brewing. He only has good things to say about Snoqualmie Brewery. I also have a good friend Lyle Morris who is an owner in Fishtale Ale out of Olympia. Brew & Boating a great combination when the brew takes place on the dock and boating takes place without influence.