Redhook to close brewery in Woodinville, WA.

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This shocked me when I first learned of it today-

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seattletimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fretail%2Fredhook-owner-will-close-and-sell-large-woodinville-brewery-focus-on-capitol-hill-brewpub%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGIIFwtik63DCUG0QNeN0yR_kxFCA

Redhook was arguably the first craft brewery in WA state back in '81, moving from their original digs in a transmission shop in Ballard to a larger state of the art facility in Fremont in '91.  A few years later they built a large facility in Woodinville and closed the Fremont location.

They also built a clone of the Woodinville facility in NH, but ended up closing that a few years later. Didn't realise the brand had suffered so much attrition, but it's certainly not been as prevalent as it once was. And frankly it ceased being an interesting brand a long time ago.

Apparently the brand has been brewed at the Widmer brewery in Portland, OR and will be for the foreseeable future. Whether or not the involvement of AB (now AB InBev) had anything to do with all this is best left for discussion over a pint.

Pity that, the end of an icon.



Cheers,

RR
 
Alot of tings are shutting down. I'm shutting down my hog operation and selling off my hogs and I am going to only raise them for my self. It's hard to be a small operation in today's time with all the corporate big wigs breathing down your neck. The day a small and a large busines can stand side by side and respect each other equal to for the markets they fill that's the day we can make it all of us. It is a shame to see this happen and wish them the best.
 
Another one bites it, huh. You're right about one thing, over the last 5-10 years craft beer has evolved yet again (imo) and the Red Hook breweries of the world kind of stayed in the background and not in a good way. There are lots of Micro Breweries that fit into this category, I think... here's hoping AB In-bev won't get any other new guys any time soon :roll:
 
Every town here in upstate NY with more than one stoplight has a microbrewery. I suspect subsidies, grants, whatever. Somethin' ain't right. If true*, imagine an unsubsidized brewery competing against one that is. Just thought I'd mention it.

*It is. I checked. Federal HUD grants, among others.
 
They're popping up everywhere here in western pa, too. I love it!
 
Interestingly enough it seems that for each small beer place that closing down a spirits place is popping up. Bodes well for small batch spirits . All that said its a real bummer about Red Hook. Pretty tasty stuff
 
What a shame. I had my first Redhook ESB in college (Austin), and it was one of those moments that really opened up beer to me. Before that, it was all Budweiser and Coors (before discovering Shiner Bock, which seemed to run from the faucets in Austin).
 
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