In 1984, chemical engineer and homebrewer Will Kemper and his culinary crackerjack wife Mari left Boulder, Colorado, and opened Thomas Kemper brewery on Bainbridge Island, Washington, then quickly moved it to Poulsbo. In 1992, Thomas Kemper merged with Hart Brewing, which went on to be Pyramid Breweries. The Kempers signed a non-compete and left to become consultants with East Coast and international breweries. After a bunch of traveling, they moved to Bellingham where they opened Chuckanut Brewery in 2008 — a convergence of technical and engineering concepts developed from more than two decades of professional involvement with craft brewing both home and abroad. They hired Josh Pfriem as their head brewer, and later Kevin Davey grabbed the head brewer paddle. In late 2016, Chuckanut transferred most of their production from their Bellingham brewery to a new 40-barrel production facility, Chuckanut South Nut, in Burlington. In late 2021, Chuckanut opened P Nut in the busy Southeast Division neighborhood of Portland. Currently, the brewery is expanding their Burlington location for more tanks and a canning line. Tune-in to Grit & Grain Episode 51 to hear how the Kempers built Chuckanut, as well as their future plans.
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Alright Grit and Grainers! Email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and thoughts on what might have happened if Mari and Will fell in love with Bellingham’s Elm Street instead of the city’s Chuckanut Drive. Also, listen to Episode 50 to hear Mari and Will’s beer adventures before they opened Chuckanut, including launching one of the first craft breweries in Washington — Thomas Kemper. You can subscribe to GGP on Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and Stitcher, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!
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