I’m proud to be a Washingtonian and a Washington Beer Lover (WABL). That said, sometimes I get a bit bummed out about how little recognition Washington breweries get beyond our borders, but I realize that the real problem is that so few of our breweries actually ship beer out of state. I mean, how would people in Portland know what great beer a brewery like Reuben’s Brews is making if they need to drive three hours north to get it?
Well, for that one brewery, it’s about to change. Reuben’s Brews is about to start distributing beer south of the border. Actually, the expanded distribution includes Southwest Washington (Vancouver), Eastern Washington, Portland, as well as Northern Idaho. So the cat is about to get out of the bag.
“For the last couple of years, people have been asking us when our beers will be available outside of Western Washington, particularly in Eastern Washington and Portland,” says Robbings, founder of Reuben’s Brews. “We believe we have to earn the right to be called a Pacific Northwest brewery, and we hope that the quality of our beers – underlined by our beers’ recognition both nationally and internationally – will encourage beer lovers throughout the region to try and enjoy our brews.”
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The brewery signed on with two new distributors: Maletis Beverage in Portland, Oregon will distribute Reuben’s Brews to the greater Portland area, including Vancouver, Washington; and Spokane-based Click Distributing East will cover Eastern Washington. Beers are expected to hit taps and store shelves in May and June with a detailed release schedule to follow.
Reuben’s Brews has earned no shortage of accolades since opening in 2012, bringing home more than 100 medals from some of the nation’s top beer competitions. Among many others, this includes Gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.
In 2016, the brewery more than doubled its production, making it possible to expand distribution outside of Seattle. The brewery recently signed a lease on another small warehouse in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. In that new facility, they will focus on barrel-aged beers and other specialty beers, including sour beers.
“We decided to wait until we had a separate facility before commencing barrel aged sours,” says Robbings. “We’re excited to build on our GABF Gold Medal winning Gose with new brett and barrel-aged sours in the coming months and years.”
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