In a narrow warehouse in central Ballard, Adam Robbings has been working hard to bring his dream of opening a brewery alive. What started as a hobby has turned into a second job for Robbings, who got his first brewing kit three years ago, right around the time his son, Reuben, was born. Now, after perfecting the art of brewing, Robbings is getting ready to open Reuben’s Brews (1406 NW 53rd St.) on Sunday, August 5.
Pfeiffer and Robbings brewing Irish Red
Robbings says his homebrew kit allowed him to develop several popular recipes. He entered one of his brews into the 2010 Phinney beer tasting event, where it won the People’s Choice award. Not long after, his American Rye won silver at the 2012 National Homebrew Competition. He said the brewing had a “snowball effect,” eventually leading him to snag the warehouse where he could brew large-scale.
Robbings and his brewing partner and brother-in-law Mike Pfeiffer have been busy brewing nearly a dozen beers over the last few weeks, four of which will be on tap at Sunday’s opening. Thirsty beer fans will be able to try Roggen Bier, which Robbings describes as a German Rye (like a hefeweizen, but darker); American Rye, which is like a wheat beer but with orange-flavored hops; an American Brown; and a Porter. Soon to come are an Imperial IPA, Rye IPA, California Lager, Dry Stout and the Irish Red, which Robbings says should be ready in a couple weeks.
Brewery interior, photo by Robbings
Robbings says the beer he makes will be mostly sold in-house. They’ll have a number of different beers available most of the time, and plenty of growlers to take home. On the wall above the taps is a brew board that lists the available beers with information on their stats, “for the beer geeks,” Robbings laughs. For example, the Original Gravity (OG), International Bitter Units (IBU), and Alcohol by Volume (ABV) will be listed for each beer. There will also be a “Think” column, where Robbings says he’ll add information about what special flavors are present, such as pineapple for example.
The brewery will be open for their first day on Sunday, August 5 from noon to 5 p.m. From then on, their hours will be Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
