Brewing up new opportunities

Chris Moore, local entrepreneur, has big plans for a vacant warehouse in Queen Anne.

Moore, Queen Anne resident and cofounder of Old Stove Brewing in Pike Place Market, and his partner, Brian Stan, announced plans last month to expand their brewery to a new location in Queen Anne.

The pair plans to open Old Stove Brewing Ship Canal, a production brewery, taproom and beer garden at 600 W. Nickerson St., near the Lake Washington Ship Canal, north of Seattle Pacific University. Plans call for the development to be 24,000 square feet with room to grow. The facility is slated to open in 2022.

Moore said, when choosing a location, the area off of Nickerson was ideal because it had the space needed to expand their operations and offer a venue for live entertainment in the form of music.

It is also part of an area that has its roots in the maritime industry, and Moore said paying homage to heritage and community are central to Old Stove Brewing’s philosophy.

As well, rather than tearing down and rebuilding, plans are to rehab the old building, which is also important to Moore.

“That’s our DNA, and to have the chance to do that in an old, historical maritime building in Queen Anne, Seattle, is a big deal,” Moore said. “It’s going to be a big deal to have a brewery that celebrates the maritime industry.”

Along with the restoration of an old warehouse, Moore said they will bring a piece of brewing equipment back to life. They will install Fremont Brewing’s original 30-barrel brewhouse at the new Ship Canal facility. Moore said the brewhouse kept Fremont Brewing going until 2017, and he and his partner are proud to take over the equipment that had so much success.

With the move, Moore said the current Pike Place Market location, which was opened in 2016, will be used for smaller batches of brew, while the Ship Canal location will be the hub for its larger operations.

Moore said one of the reasons for the expansion came from COVID-19.

The brewery started canning its beers during the pandemic because it couldn’t sell anything else, he said.

But Seattleites’ willingness to drink canned ales and beers and desire to support smaller craft breweries allowed Moore and his partner to consider expanding more seriously.

Once the brewery is operational, Moore expects it will increase its production and retail sales in Seattle.

As well, all brewing, taproom and beer garden operations will create 60 new jobs at the new location with additional growth over time.

“It’s a unique opportunity to do good in Seattle,” Moore said.

In addition to locating in an area steeped with maritime history, Moore said this expansion is a way to further grow the craft brewing industry in that north side of Seattle Pacific University.

“When you get a concentration of breweries together, it becomes a district,” he said. “So, the hope is that this emerging maritime district gets some other breweries in it so it becomes a sought out district.”

He also sees an opportunity to  create a place in the neighborhood where people can enjoy some food and music with their brews, adding the facility will have some sort of food court, although he does not know what the scale of that will be yet.

Moore said, if all goes well, Old Stove Brewing Ship Canal will begin limited operations from the site this fall, but he anticipates a full-scale opening next spring.

Visit Old Stove Brewing at www.oldstove.com.