Jeff Winn, left, and Chris Swedin owners and opertors of Yakima Craft Brewing Company explain the brewing process. Chris Thorn photo

By CHRIS THORN

The Yakima valley is the heart of hop production, but that hasn’t translated into beer production. 

Yakima Craft Brewing Company, established in 2007, is currently the only brewery in the upper valley.

Before Yakima Craft Brewing Company opened in 2007; the valley was home to Yakima Brewing & Malting Co., established by Bert Grant in 1982. 

Grant later opened the country’s first brewpub restaurant since Prohibition, Grant’s Brewery Pub, located smack in the middle of downtown near Track 29. 

After Grant sold the business in 1995, multiple sales of Yakima Brewing & Malting Company occurred and in 2005 both the brewery and brewpub were closed.

The Yakima Valley went without a brewsery for two years before Boise native Jeff Winn and Selah resident Chris Swedin established Yakima Craft Brewing Company.

“Yakima didn’t have a brewery and that didn’t make any sense,” said Winn.

Winn had worked in the high-tech industry for 20 years and decided he needed to do something else. 

With a past of brewing beer in his home, on his 40^th birthday he decided to follow his passion and start up a brewery and Yakima seemed like a logical place to do it.

Winn soon met Swedin, who was very experienced and also a veteran of Yakima’s beer scene. 

Swedin was born and raised in the Yakima Valley and began working at Grant’s after he graduated from Washington State University.

“We were both home brewers,” Swedin said.

After getting to know each other a bit, they decided to give the brewery a shot and Yakima Craft Brewing Company became a reality in December of 2007 at 2920 River Road.

“Chris had the background and access to some of the equipment,” Winn said.

They said the brewing part didn’t start right away though. It took about four months to get the building ready, and then the duo began making their awarding-winning beer.

Just seven months into brewing, Winn and Swedin received an A+ rating from one of the United States’ leading beer publications, Beer Advocate, for their India Pale Ale. 

Winn said he wasn’t completely surprised that they won an award for their IPA because of the quality of beer Yakima Craft Brewing Company produces, but he was taken aback by how quickly it happened.

“There’s a lot of good beer out there,” Winn said. “We’re not the only ones.”

He added that there’s a lot of bad beer out there as well. 

Their goal as brewers at Yakima Craft Brewing Company is to make high-quality beers first and not cater to any particular interest.

“We hope people will like it but we brew to our own taste,” Swedin said.

Currently, Yakima Craft Brewing Company produces five beers year round, including a Pale Ale, 1982, their beer honoring the Yakima Valley, an amber ale, their award winning India Pale Ale and their Twin Stag Scottish Ale.

Yakima Craft Brewing Company also offers a few seasonal brews such as Bad Monkey, a dark Belgian-style ale, Good Monkey, a light Belgian-style ale and Heather, a Scottish inspired heather ale.

When asked which was his favorite Winn said, “Honestly, it’s like asking which is your favorite kid.”

Even though the brewery already puts out seven first-class beers Winn and Swedin aren’t planning to slow down anytime soon. 

They said they recently bought two more tanks used in the fermentation process, which will allow them to maximize their output in the 2,500 square foot building.

Within the next couple of years they said they’d like to open another brewery about eight to ten times larger and possibly a brewpub sometime down the road.

With the quick national recognition they received, it seems like the door for future success is wide open.

For more information about Yakima Craft Brewing Company call 654-7357 or visit www.yakimacraftbrewing.com. 

Their beer can be found here in Selah at Carmen’s Comedy Club, Magic’s Pizza Shack and Red Rooster Bar & Grill along with many other locations across Central Washington.