Bainbridge Island, WA — Bainbridge Brewing is proud to announce its 3rd Anniversary with a two-day celebration on June 12th (2-9pm) and June 13th (12-9pm) at the brewery’s taproom on Bainbridge Island. Coinciding with the celebration is the debut of the brewery’s brand-new logo and the long awaited release of its first widely available bottled beers.
The brewery’s anniversary celebration will feature a full lineup of Bainbridge beers, including rare beers from its cellar, and the release of its 3rd Anniversary Ale. Clocking in at 9.5% ABV, Bainbridge 3rd Anniversary Ale is an intense Whiskey Barrel-Aged Doppelbock, with a complex malt and whiskey character.
“Anniversary beers should be something outside the norm, something that pushes you. This year we wanted to make something difficult, something we’ve never brewed before – a really big lager. Then we decided to barrel-age it, which is rare for a beer like this,” said Brewmaster and Co-Founder Russell Everett.
The beer will be available in a limited edition 3rd Anniversary commemorative glass at the brewery’s two-day event. Both days will include live music by local bands, including Rye and Barley (Irish Celtic) on Friday and Luau Cinder (Funk Rock) on Saturday. Food will be available from local vendors The Dog Wagon on Friday, and B.I. BBQ on Saturday.
The brewery’s anniversary also coincides with a major announcement: after years of requests by fans the brewery will finally release its beer in bottles.
“There is a huge demand, both on and off the island, for bottles of our beer and it opens whole new avenues for us to let people across Western Washington enjoy Bainbridge beer. It’s been a long time coming but we wanted to take the time to do it right, and I believe we have,” said General Manager Chuck Everett.
The brewery’s initial bottle releases are its two most popular beers: Eagle Harbor IPA and Kommuter Kolsch. Eagle Harbor IPA is a classic Pacific Northwest India Pale Ale and the brewery’s top brand. Last year Eagle Harbor IPA won the Silver Medal in its category at the 2014 Washington Beer Awards, defeating more than forty other Washington State IPAs. A close second in popularity, Kommuter Kolsch is a light, clean, easy drinking German-style ale brewed like a lager. In addition, there will be a very limited release of the Bainbridge 3rd Anniversary Ale in individually hand numbered, signed, and wax-dipped bottles. All three beers will be available in 22oz. bottles, which will be available for sale at the brewery’s taproom, select bottle shops, and at a growing number of grocery stores and other outlets across Western Washington. Additional bottled beers from Bainbridge will be released in the months to come. Bainbridge beer, both on draft and in bottles, is distributed locally by the brewery on Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo, and by Alpha Distributing throughout in Western Washington.
In conjunction with the bottle release, the brewery took this opportunity to refine its overall branding and to introduce a new logo, prominently featured on all of its bottles. Bainbridge Brewing’s logo has taken on a distinctive modern look with a stylized ferry. The new brewery logo design is also reminiscent of a hop cone or a stalk of barley.
“As we went through the design process, what had started as an attempt to simplify the old logo quickly became a larger discussion of who we are, where we are going, and how we wanted to present ourselves and our hometown in the wider Beer World. From a ‘think-outside-the-box’ exercise evolved this amazing new logo. I think people will quickly come to like it and identify it with Bainbridge beer,” said Russell.
Part of its rebranding effort also had to do with how the brewery’s name was commonly used in the marketplace.
“You’d often walk into a bar and see ‘Bainbridge Kommuter Kolsch’ on the beer list. Then one day I caught myself answering the phone ‘Bainbridge Brewing.’ So we knew it was time to simplify our name for the new bottles and taphandles,” said Russell. As a result, Bainbridge Island Brewing was simplified to Bainbridge Brewing.
Another change is the renaming of the brewery’s much-beloved Double IPA, formerly known as Puget Sound Giant Hoptopus. The beer has been renamed Downrigger Double IPA, after salmon fishing tackle used by avid fisherman Russell.
“We used Hoptopus as a name since 2012 and the beer certainly has a cult-like following here. But with potential trademark issues it was time to retire this name in preparation for bottling the beer in the future,” said Russell. Downrigger Double IPA will continue to be made using the same exact Hoptopus recipe as before, and is currently slated for release in 22 oz. bottles in July.
About
Bainbridge Brewing was founded in 2012 by father and son owners Chuck and Russell Everett. The brewery serves beer to thirsty islanders and visitors seven days a week in its taproom, located at 9415 Coppertop Loop NE, Suite 104, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110. Off-island their beer is distributed throughout Western Washington by Alpha Distributing of Kent, WA.