USA, WA: 7 Seas Brewing expanding and opening a second brewery in Tacoma

The city of Tacoma has a proud brewing tradition that fizzled in the 1970s as the beer industry consolidated, but Washington’s booming craft beer industry is now breathing life back into Tacoma’s historic Brewery District. 7 Seas Brewing of Gig Harbor announced on December 21 that it is expanding and opening a second brewery in the historic Heidelberg Brewery building, seattlepi.com reported.

The new location will span two city blocks in Tacoma’s historic Brewery District adjacent to the University of Washington campus. It’s not far from the Harmon Brewery and Eatery. The new facility allows 7 Seas Brewing to plan for the future, providing a location that will accommodate as much as a ten-fold increasing in brewing capacity. They intend to start brewing in the new location in the spring of 2016.

The 80,000 square foot facility will include a taproom and market, a large barrel-aging cellar, with additional space planned for a 60-barrel brew house and other brewery operations.

“This project represents everything we love about our company, our community, and brewing history,” said Mike Runion, co-owner of 7 Seas Brewing. “As brewers dedicated to crafting and keeping our beers local, we cannot think of a better place to expand operations besides the historic Heidelberg Brewery.”

The new 7 Seas brewery is part of a larger plan to create a strong and thriving economy in all of Tacoma’s business districts. Runion says he’s proud to be part of that effort. “We are grateful for the support we have received from City of Tacoma Economic Development, the Chihuly Studio team, Heritage Bank, the SBA, Harbor Reality Advisors, and Mayor Strickland’s office.”

Mayor Strickland and Deputy Mayor David Boe played pivotal roles in creating this opportunity for 7 Seas.

“We are pleased to welcome 7 Seas Brewing to downtown Tacoma and thank them for being part of our shared vision for the renaissance of our historic Brewery District,” said Mayor Marilyn Strickland. “With new hotels, and the planned Town Center development, the 7 Seas Brewing project shows there is growing interest in downtown Tacoma.”

“This is fantastic news for South Downtown and the Brewery District,” said Deputy Mayor David Boe. “It is another important piece in the continued redevelopment of existing building stock in Tacoma.”

23 December, 2015