Copperworks Distilling buys former Pike Brewing brewhouse

June 18, 2024Chris Crowell

After decades of professional brewing and distilling, Seattle-based Copperworks Distilling Co-Founder Jason Parker saw the opportunity to bring his brewing story full circle. When Pike Brewing relocated its production in October 2023, Pike’s 30-bbl brewhouse on Post Alley was the perfect opportunity for Parker to expand the Copperworks’ beer aspirations.

“Copperworks had always aimed to establish our own brewing facility. However, the high costs of building a new brewery and the innovative contract partnerships we have in place with local breweries have continuously postponed this plan for the future,” said Parker. “We believe this turnkey 30-barrel brew house is ready to begin production immediately, meaning we don’t have to spend the time and money to build a production facility.”

“Pike has long been part of the fabric of Seattle’s community, and it was important to us that we leave this production space in the most sustainable way possible,” said Pike Brewing Founder Charles Finkel. “We’re excited to herald in this new era knowing that our original location will be in good hands.”

But why would a spirits distiller need to make beer in the first place?

Copperworks takes a brewer’s approach to crafting its award-winning spirits. It begins by crafting a high-quality beer without hops from a base of locally grown malted barley. For the past 10 years, this process has taken place at local breweries (including Pike Brewing and, more recently, Talking Cedar). Then, Copperworks distills the beer in custom-built copper stills at its waterfront distillery.

“We’ve always believed that from great brewing comes great spirits, so much so that we have that tag-line on the top of every bottle we produce.” said Copperworks Distilling Co. Co-Owner and President Jason Parker. “It’s a ‘coming home’ story, and an incredible opportunity to work with the brewery I helped start so many years ago.”

The new location will also serve as a barrel storage warehouse in addition to the brewing center, said Parker.

“Our team is already trained and available to do the brewing without any additional hires necessary,” said Copperworks Distilling Co. Co-Owner and Vice President Jeff Kanof. “Increased production can allow us to make more product. We can make more vodka, more gin and put up more whiskey for aging. This can be an opportunity for us to immediately be a leader in the industry as an independent craft American Single Malt Whiskey producer.”

“We see this as a win-win situation,” said Parker. “It’s a win for Copperworks having our very own brewing facility steps away from our distillery, it’s a win for Pike being able to expand its production, and most importantly, it’s a win for the Seattle community, as we keep these two companies locally owned and operating well into the future.”

With Copperworks working to modify the space as soon as the ink dries on the lease, downtown Seattle will see one less vacant storefront and a lot less waste. Copperworks will be able to reuse almost all the brewing equipment Pike is leaving behind, greatly reducing the environmental footprint that would have been involved with scrapping the equipment or building a brand-new facility elsewhere.

This is just one of three expansion moves in the works for Copperworks in 2024.

Copperworks Cocktail Bar + Bottle Shop on Post Alley | Copperworks’ second anticipated project has always been to open an additional cocktail bar in downtown Seattle. As part of the Pike Brewing space, Copperworks plans to open a cocktail bar with small bites and a direct-to-consumer bottle shop.

The new cocktail bar on Post Alley will be directly between the entrance to the Pike Brewing Company and what every tourist knows as the Gum Wall.

“Though we’re only three blocks away from the downtown Seattle distillery, we’re looking forward to serving a completely different demographic of tourists in this new cocktail bar location,” said Kanof.

Copperworks Kenmore Farm-to-Table Kitchen | In 2023, Copperworks Distilling Co. opened Copperworks Kenmore, a 5,000-square-foot space featuring a cocktail bar, tasting room, and outdoor seating. Copperworks’ third anticipated project is a partnership with De La Soil a true farm-to-table kitchen. Owned and operated by Chefs Cody & Andrea Westerfield, De La Soil will be located inside Copperworks Kenmore.

“Now that we have a chef and team in place, including a farmer right up the road to deliver farm-to-table food, we’d love to open as soon as possible so we can serve the Kenmore community drinks from Copperworks and food from De La Soil,” said Copperworks Distilling Co. Co-Owner and President Jason Parker.