Reuben’s Brews: Brewing Great Beer and Giving Back

, Reuben’s Brews: Brewing Great Beer and Giving Back

*Photo from EatBallard.com

Seattle has many different neighborhoods: Georgetown, Capital Hill, Fremont, Magnolia, Greenlake, West Seattle, and Columbia City to name a few. All of these areas are unique; filled with fascinating locations, great restaurants, and many with a brewery or two to fill your needs.

, Reuben’s Brews: Brewing Great Beer and Giving BackBut then there is Ballard; where you are guaranteed to see beards and flannel, you will probably run into a cast member from Deadliest Catch, and you are sure to find a great beer. That’s because there are 10 breweries in a 5-mile radius including: Maritime Pacific, NW Peaks, Peddler, Stoup, Hilliards, Populuxe, and Reuben’s Brews.

Adam Robbings is the Co-Founder and Head Brewer at Reuben’s. From the United Kingdom, Adam had home-brewed a little while in college, but never really thought it would be his job. He stayed in the US, met his wife, had his first son, and the rest is history.

“When Reuben was born my wife bought me a home-brew kit – we didn’t realize the path she had set us on,” Adam told me. “Within a year we poured at a commercial beer festival as home brewers, and the almost 1,000 attendees selected us as their people’s choice. We were getting bars emailing us asking for our beer, but we weren’t commercial brewers – I literally brewed in my garage.” 

He took an intensive course at UC Davis and continued to enter competitions, ultimately winning a medal at the National Homebrew Competition. This meant he had built a name for himself. This meant that people knew his beer. This meant that he had a brewery.

That’s when he started getting asked for donations. Every company knows about this: if you sell good or services, some auction somewhere would love a donation. Hell, I used to help solicit these for a local non-profit. And while Adam and Grace wanted to help, they didn’t have the production numbers to support it. So when Adam heard about “thank you” days at a Craft Brewer’s Conference, he implemented it quickly and simply; for each pint purchased during Thank You Thursday at Reuben’s, $1.00 goes towards that charity.

Adam: “A big part of why Grace and I started the brewery was to be able to give back.  We are firmly committed to family ownership – so we make decisions that focus on community, family and the long-term rather than profit maximizing decisions.”

Thank You Thursdays started in May of 2013, and Adam estimates that by the end of the year they will have raised more than $40,000 for local charities and non-profit organizations.

, Reuben’s Brews: Brewing Great Beer and Giving BackI made my first trip down to the new Reuben’s building for one of these nights. This particular night was for the Boyer Children’s Clinic, a group very close to me. The place was packed with people I knew from the clinic, and I heard many of them saying “I’ve never been here before,” or “this is really good,” and “I will be back”. This opportunity to give back to others around the community has helped to create a community around Reuben’s – these people now have positive thoughts towards a place with great beer.

Adam and Grace (and Reuben, and their newest addition Warren) have built something special in the middle of Ballard. They are creating award winning beers, in a very inviting new space, and they are working to build up the community around them.

Make sure to stop by for a Thank You Thursday and pick up a pint; you will be supporting a great brewery and a great organization. 

 

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