“My Hops are Real”: Craft Lagers at Emerald City Beer Company

Although the old Rainier Brewery closed its doors in 1999, the facility has not yet seen the end of its brewing days. In 2010, the Emerald City Beer Company moved in with a beer lab and tasting room built directly into the old Rainier cold room. Though the Emerald City Beer Company made some renovations to the space (such as adding a bar and covering the cork lining on the walls), the historical significance is not lost as you take a tour of the facility. The tasting room is built upon an old loading dock, and you can view the old Rainier lagering tanks through a window in the (new) brewery.

ECB has made a name for itself as a craft lager brewery, a rare breed throughout the country and particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Although “70% of the beer people drink is lagers, no one addresses the lager on the West Coast,” explains Steve Wilson, brewer and Director of Sales. Rick Hewitt, the founder and Brewmaster, elaborates on the lager focus. “Washington is behind [in the lager industry]. We wanted to focus on true Seattle lagers – there are too many IPA, porter, and hef houses.”

ECB is doing exactly that. All of their ingredients are grown in Washington, and their flagship beer, the Dottie Seattle Lager, is a complex-yet-smooth Amber session lager with a clear copper color and gorgeous white head – a genuine Seattle lager. In addition to using Washington ingredients, they’ve also embraced the active, outdoorsy lifestyle that’s typical among Seattlites and many Pacific Northwesterners in their decision to can – and not bottle – the Dottie. Rick explains that lagers are often the preferred beer for “being active, being on mountains and boats”‘ and the portability of cans made canning over bottling an easy choice.

So what’s next for the brewery that, in the words of Rick, hopes to be “the new Rainier”? First, they’ll focus on perfecting their new brew, the yet-unnamed Gold Lager. The Gold Lager is currently in development, undergoing the same recipe-refining process as Dottie and the rest of the ECB fleet experienced (ECB’s other two sweethearts, the Ivana Pale Lager and Betty Black Lager, are offered on tap in the tasting room). This development process entails brewing small batches of each new brew specifically during open tasting hours – the brewing system is part of the tasting room, so customers can try the latest batch on tap, give feedback, and watch Rick brew the newest recipe all in one visit to the taproom. Rick hopes to complete the series with four seasonal session lagers and if the success of the Dottie is any indication, ECB’s new craft lagers will be hitting taphouses and shelves soon.

ECB’s website encourages beer drinkers to “demand more from your beer” and we at ACB are happy to oblige. With their innovative, flavorful, and drinkable line of lagers, ECB brews are sure to be in high demand from craft beer newbies and aficionados alike.