They grow up so fast. For the past 4 years, we’ve been watching Schooner Exact Brewing come of age. It’s amazing how time flies. Like any brewery, they were so cute when they were young, then you wake up one morning and they’re all grown up. “And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon…”
When we first met Schooner Exact, it was an ultra-small brewery operating a nano-sized brewhouse out of an Active Space location in West Seattle. Eventually they moved into a shared space with Trade Route Brewing (back then, Laughing Buddha Brewing) in South Park. That’s when Schooner Exact started to look like an adolescent brewery, installing a real brewhouse and everything. More recently, they moved to a new, larger location in Seattle’s SODO district and continued the expansion.
We intend to wish Schooner Exact a happy third-and-a-half birthday this Thursday night when they visit the Beveridge Place Pub for a brewers night celebration. Coincidentally, the Beveridge Place is where Schooner Exact made their world debut nearly four years ago. I guess you could call it their home field.
The most recent round of expansion at Schooner Exact included the addition of equipment and employees. Not too long ago, Schooner Exact opened a tasting room at the brewery in SODO. They recently announced that they’ve expanded their hours for the summer. We encourage you to stop by and check it out.
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Who are they?
It’s been nearly four years since we first met Schooner Exact. They’ve come a long way, starting out small and growing steadily. Two recently liberated school teachers, co-owners Matt and Heather McClung, have now officially quit their day jobs and are doing the beer thing full time. Like the children they have taught all these years, they’ve grown up and moved along with their lives.
Matt McClung taught high school chemistry. Last month at the Washington Brewers Festival one of his former students actually stepped up to his booth to order a beer. Heather was a kindergarten teacher, so it will be many years before she gets to experience the joy of serving beer to one of her students. She is currently the President of the Washington Brewers Guild, a job for which she is uniquely qualified given her past professional experience.
Where is it?
The brewery and tasting room is located on First Avenue South, just south of the Spokane Street Viaduct (A.K.A the West Seattle Bridge). We admit that First Avenue South is a bit of a mess these days, but a visit to Schooner Exact is worth your time and effort. Right now we recommend approaching the brewery from the south, but the ongoing construction on First Avenue makes it a bit of a moving target.
First Avenue South features an overpass that goes over the train tracks. Perhaps you’ve never noticed it before, but you’ll notice it now that I’ve mentioned it. If you are driving northbound on First Avenue, you will find Schooner Exact on the left just past the overpass. If you are driving southbound, you will find Schooner Exact on the right just before you go over the overpass. It may sound confusing, but if you see it on the map I think you’ll understand. Map below.
The tasting room is open Monday and Thursday 3:00 – 7:00; Friday 2:30 – 7:00; Saturday 12:00 – 7:00. (Note – Monday AND Thursday, not Monday thru Thursday.) They serve tasters, pints and growlers to go.
Schooner Exact Brewing
3901 1st Avenue South
Seattle, WA
(206) 432-9734
