January 13

Are you ready for the Maple Leaf Brewery?

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92  comments

In true neighborhood style, a Maple Leaf family with a young child and dog is reaching out to the community to gauge interest in their proposal to create the Maple Leaf Brewery.

The brewery would be located at 849 N.E. 94th St., behind A.W. Hoss & Son, and would include a child- and dog-friendly tasting room (but not a restaurant).

They hope to move forward with leasing the space in the next couple of days, but would like to get your feedback first. They’re distributing the following flier to neighbors:

Land Use Proposal for Your Neighborhood: 94th and Roosevelt

Maple Leaf Microbrewery & Family-Friendly “Beer Garden”

Hello Neighbors,

We are a young family who reside in Maple Leaf.  We would like to lease the warehouse at 849 NE 94th Street and establish a small beer brewery and tasting room there.  The Department of Planning and Development has assured us that a micro- or “nano”-brewery is an approved use of that space.

We wanted to take this opportunity to explain our idea to you, our neighbors; and answer any questions you might have.  We are, of course, open to your feedback and commentary as well.  Our goal is to make this business a positive contribution to the community, and your opinion is important to us.

Our vision for the Maple Leaf Brewery is to create a community gathering space.  We would brew small batches of beer and root beer to be sold as affordable pints in the tasting room (neighborhood beer garden), and for take-away as growlers and perhaps bottles, cans or kegs.  This would not be a restaurant (no food would be served, though all would be invited to bring their own food).  Children and well-behaved dogs would be allowed, and substantial play space would be included.  In summer months, a small amount of outdoor seating may be available in front of the building.

Current plans would be to open the beer garden (tasting room) from roughly 3-9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.  There would be opportunities for live acoustic music shows on occasion.

We would mitigate traffic and parking concerns by offering a discount to customers who walk, ride, or take public transportation.

We have not yet leased the warehouse but would like to move forward over the next few days. Please contact us with concerns or support – including ideas that we could incorporate into the brewery – ASAP at lemoinekm@yahoo.com and murphymonica@yahoo.com.  Sometime over the next month, assuming we secure a lease, we will also be holding an informal face-to-face meeting to allow for further questions/comments.

Thanks so much for your time and attention.

Cheers!

Even if you email them with your feedback, we’d love to hear what you have to say in our comments below, too!

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  1. I know it’s too late for now but you have a great idea. I am speaking without his permission, but my brother-in-law just opened a very similar brewery to yours in Spokane this fall. I hear the brewing community is mutually supportive. Check it out:
    12stringbrewingco.com.
    Keep trying. It’ll work out.

  2. Thanks, all, for your great feedback and support. After a lot of thought and hard number-crunching, we decided against leasing the warehouse space at 94th and Roosevelt. It was a difficult decision given the overwhelming positive commentary from the neighborhood, and given our dream of building Maple Leaf’s first brewery and community beer garden.

    We are still very much interested in creating, or co-creating, the Maple Leaf Brewery and tasting room, and will be on the lookout for properties that make financial sense for this, as well as people who might be willing to partner with us to make this happen in some form. If you are interested in helping us brainstorm ways to make this happen or perhaps partnering in some way, feel free to drop us a line: lemoinekm@yahoo.com.

    One last thing to clarify: somebody asked about the idea of minors in an alcohol-serving environment (with no food). Our understanding is that minors are allowed only if beer is produced on premises, ie in the tasting room of a brewery.

    Cheers! -m/k

  3. As an avid beer drinker and a supporter of local products, I think this is an excellent idea. Personally, I love the taste of hops, but I appreciate almost all styles of beer, so I will happily taste all your brews.

  4. First of all, I would like to say Thank YOU! As a Maple Leaf resident, this is something that this community needs in a big way. The location is perfect… 2 doors down from me on NE 94th and surrounded by homebrewers! Our block probably has 5. I believe this new micro will draw much attention and plenty revenue. It will definitely have unlimited support from our hood! Good luck.

  5. @Concerned Citizen

    It’s that kind of instant attack response you gave that separates communities. They asked for opinions and I gave mine.

    @Susan

    Any business, especially one like a brewery, will draw people from other local neighborhoods. People from neighborhoods that get slammed all the time like Lake City. People will come for the tastings and when it closes down at 9pm where do you think they’ll go? They’ll stay.

    Maybe the resolution to be made is to really think things through as a community and consider what direction we want to go in as a community. Not everything gets reported to the police, Mike. I’ll leave it at that.

  6. God forbid that any Lake City Residents go to your precious Maple Leaf. This is a family brewpub they are talking about not the Rose Tavern which by the way is an awesome Lake City establishment now, El Norte. I really don’t think you are going to be attracting the hardcore drinkers or smokers.

  7. Anonymouse -how about buck the internet trend and not have a naysayer/devil’s advocate. We are early in 2012, make it your New Year’s resolution.

  8. There always has to be one naysayer/devil’s advocate.

    After the addition of the Roosevelt Ale House just a block from the Reservoir Tavern has given way to loud groups of people meandering down the street. I know it’s just tastings and you’ll have better hours but I’m not up for the type of people this type of establishment may attract. It’s bad enough trying to walk past such places without hitting a cloud of cigarette smoke or running into couples engaged in shouting matches. There were unopened cans of beer near one establishment in broad daylight. Then there’s the fist fights, loud groups (especially during Summer), and seriously drunken driving like the other night when a white pick up peeled out from there and speed off running the light at 75th. Have you met some of our regular neighborhood alcoholics at the 7-11? Unfortunately, I have. Most of them drive.

    What’s with all the alcohol in our neighborhood and why can’t we get a good reasonably priced family restaurant? Yes, I know it’s *just* a brewery but it will increase business for local bars and Lake City residents are often the ones frequenting them. We have a lot of crime concerns and it’s important to look ahead and anticipate the impact things will have on the neighborhood. I’ll say it now, after finding addicts shooting up and leaving needles in our lot near the new park: I told you so.

  9. Love the idea of having a fun hangout place in the hood. Maybe you can offer deliveries from Flying Squirrel Pizza or Pagliacci. 🙂

  10. No food at all? Just beer? And barking dogs?

    I love new Maple Leaf business, but honestly that would have to be THE BEST beer in Seattle. I think that’s honestly what it would take for this type of place to really last and not just be another quick-to-fold establishment.

    Because really, it’s just a few short blocks down the street to get really good beer and food.

    If you still want to pursue, and you’re not quite sure you’ll have THE BEST beer in Seattle, you will need ways to bring in entire families. Some suggestions:

    1. Have games. Find some skeet ball machines, air hockey, some old stand up video games, even an indoor batting cage — any type of fun family stuff. You’ve got a big space so make use of it. Even a small climbing wall for kids. Make it fun for kids and families will consistently show up.

    2. Family Trivia Night. This is huge at some places. Visit the Kangaroo and Kiwi pub on Aurora during their trivia night. It’s a blast! Just make it more family oriented where the kids will know many of the answers. Needs to be a Fri/Sat.

    3. Kids movie night. Again, you’ve got a big space, so find a big white wall and project onto it for a fun out of the ordinary movie experience. Needs to be a Fri/Sat.

    4. Paint the inside some awesome fun theme that will make kids go “Wow!” I would try finding the artist that did such a great job painting the street intersections. Check the MLL history for the articles.

  11. I live in Roosevelt, but I would definitely frequent a dog-friendly brewery in Maple Leaf that features live music. My suggestion would be to have an open “bring your own food” policy (similar to what Teddy’s Tavern does), if there isn’t going to be a kitchen.

  12. I’m looking forward to my first of many pints of Fairview IPA! ( name suggestion from one on the very South side of Maple Leaf )

  13. Ummmm, beer. We recently joined Flying Bike Brewery, the new co-op. According to their business plan, a brewery + eatery is over $1 mil in startup (think Naked City in Greenwood or Big Time on the Ave). Keep it affordable. Despite my hopes (yeah right), a German-style beer garden was not included in the plans for the new park however, this is the PERFECT alternative. There are lots of breweries and pubs, for that matter, that supply beer, pretzels, and lots of takeout menus. This is great news for the Snappy Dragon, Pagliacchi and any other places looking for customers for delivery. The food truck idea is also great. Look forward to supporting another great Maple Leaf business. Thanks for posting the info.

  14. I’m thumbs up for the idea, but not really. Because I was looking to do this myself. 🙁 Best of luck to you and you’ll see me drinking pints at your brewery often. Awesome idea

  15. Great idea, GOOD LUCK! ….how about parking a food truck outside the location, to get around the no food thing? Make gin! Make whiskey! Make fun!

  16. I support this business venture! It would be in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. Anything to keep the business community thriving in Maple Leaf! I’ll be a regular customer.

  17. Love the idea. I would suggest you tackle the food issue as Black Raven has. Have a partnership with a local pizza joint or restaurant. Put their menus on tables and people can order food for delivery to your brewery. We’ve ordered many a salad and pizza for delivery while at BR- it’s a great set up that benefits two businesses.

  18. I think this is a fantabulous idea! Not only do I welcome it, but I help write for the Washington Beer Blog and would love to help you out with a story to tell the masses when you’re ready to open. I realize that there is a whole different permitting process and added costs in offering food, so I think the idea of getting takeout/delivery from neighboring spots is a great solution. Can’t wait to taste.

  19. Would attend for root beer, or if there were a gluten free beer, I’d be there even more. Requesting that long phone conversations be taken outside is reasonable but banning cell phones is a bad idea. If one wants to appeal to parents, some of us have older kids that may need to reach us while they are out and about. In addition, the use of social networking is an important form of cheap advertising for new businesses. The value of “check ins ” and similar posts can be pretty high as essentially your customers are advertising for you!

  20. I’ve been looking at doing something similar in the ravenna/wedgewood neighborhood. I say go for it, the more the merrier. For all of the people asking for food, it’s a different licensing process, more complicated and expensive, to prepare and sell food on premises. They can, however, give out bar-type munchies (pretzels, etc…), or do what Two Beers and other nano’s do and have local food trucks come by. Best of luck!

  21. dickellingson is right – ditch the wi-fi, and zombie phones only permitted outside – on the other side of 94th! if i show up, and all tables are full of computer addicts and dumb phone users, i´ll probably never return – give us some human space, and i´ll be there. make beer, not morons.

  22. Ella is correct. A Barking Dog-style establishment is a better idea, though I welcome most any business that renovates something old and unsightly. And I know I’m in the minority here but I’m tired of over-hopped American ales. Hopefully these folks will brew something that doesn’t taste and smell like pine sol…

  23. Bring on the beer and the goodness of neighborhoodness, but forget the wifi. Ban smartphones too. Who needs a bunch of zombies staring at their screens and taking up space where humans could get together and actually speak to each other? Does anybody remember conversation? My pooch and I will be there. Please pet Max. He loves it.

  24. Please make this happen! In regards to community, would it be possible for any local home brewers to share their bottles/kegs?

  25. It sounds as if the Cloud City Coffee is going to lose a lot of business in the afternoon. That means that CCC will perhaps look less like a day care center, than it does (at times) now.

    Of course, unless Maple Leaf Brewery offers free Wi-Fi (take that as a suggestion), Cloud City will still look a study hall at the UW. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before the brewery has that, too. You can’t have a beverage center, these days, without it. Or so it seems.

  26. I’m a medical student at the UW. As most gluten intolerant people know, gluten is a huge molecule and cannot be aerosolized (hence the safety of distilled liquor for gluten allergies). Beer brewing (especially on a “nano” scale) isn’t going to cause any allergic reactions via fumes…unless of course the allergy is to fun.

  27. Sounds like you have a great opportunity for some co-op and complementary marketing with burgers/snacks from the Ale House, Piccolo and Snappy Dragon, etc… 🙂

  28. We would love to come to a place like that. Really miss the wine store where they used to have kid and dog friendly tastings…

  29. Thanks to all so far for your great comments and feedback. We are so excited to move forward with this plan and glad to have the support of so many neighbors. We are logging your comments away and will keep you posted on progress. A few responses:

    1) Somebody mentioned brewing fumes potentially affecting our gluten-intolerant neighbors. At this point, we don’t have an answer but we will definitely look into it and take that concern into consideration.

    2) Regarding free wifi, at this point we are leaning toward NOT offering that service (although again, up for discussion!) It may be idealistic, but we have an image of people coming here to interact with each other, play cards, drink beer, listen to music, gather, and converse.

    3) Regarding food…we totally understand the need for good, *affordable* eating options. From the beginning, Kevin’s idea included a rotating food truck at the brewery. We’ll also encourage patrons to get take-out or deliveries from Flying Squirrel, Judy Fu’s etc.

    Thanks again, and we’ll keep you posted!

  30. Sounds great.

    Also, note to Mai Ling:

    See Seattle Weekly did a piece today on the “pruning” at the park, near the Beaver Pond, and mentions the reaction on your blog.

    Turns out the damage was $5,000 and the Parks Dept. this week reported the vandalism to the police. Maybe someone’s going to pay for all that damage after all.

  31. We’d definitely frequent a place like this (and bring friends with kids from other neighborhoods). A place for kiddos to play while parents converse/drink beer—what more could a parent want?

  32. This sounds like a great addition to the neighborhood. Most of the bars I’ve been to in the neighborhood have either been too loud and/or divey.
    You should talk to Kevin Klein over at NW Peaks Brewery (a nanobrewery out of a warehouse space in Fremont) about how his unique funding idea has worked out for him.
    I’m a long-time supporter of homebrew and have an event every year that celebrates local brew and supports the non-profit I work with.
    If anyone has any homebrew they’d like to donate, send me an email at the Bike Shack (bikeshack.org) and we’ll talk.

  33. I live almost across the street from there and would be extremely supportive. I’ve been a homebrewer for quite a while and would love to volunteer there as well.

  34. When we lived in Highland Park, West Seattle there was a similar place in White Center that we went to all the time. Nice to have a casual place where kids and grown-ups could both hang out and creativity could happen. Adding dogs is a big bonus! Best of luck!

  35. @Jon—I’m not saying there isn’t good food in the ‘hood. But I would like to see a neighborhood restaurant that welcomes families and has good, reasonable food (and I guess good beer for those who indulge:-)) Check it out:http://thebarkingdogalehouse.com/
    Something similar would be awesome!

  36. I think this idea is awesome, and fits perfectly with the neighborhood character and other businesses. I’m a homebrewer and would love to lend a hand if needed.

  37. Editor’s note: A couple more folks have left their comments linked to the map, so you’ll have to click on it to see them. (They’re both in favor.)

  38. Supported! Lighter beers would be fantastic! So many brewers are into super deep, dark, malty and strong beers.
    Yay! Bring it!

  39. I have a family member who gets sick from gluten (which includes barley). Will there be odors coming from a microbrewery that could make sensitive people sick?

  40. As a homebrewer with a family and a dog, I’m predictably in favor. I also appreciate that the idea was floated to the community for advance buy-in (and/or criticism). Smart thinking and best of luck!

  41. Sounds like a good plan. Are you just going to brew ales or are you going to have a lager as well?

    Ella- Cafe Piccolo is great and so is COA if you’re in the mood for mexican. Piccolo’s food is good (I love the lasagne) and the service staff is excellent. COA is a good new place for HH or dinner. The Diablo Prawns are off the charts.

  42. I’m not too excited since I don’t drink beer. What I would REALLY like to see is really good, neighborhood restaurant with great food at a reasonable price. Are you familiar with the Barking Dog in Ballard? Essentially, just like that, it would be awesome…and they specialize in Belgian beers I think is (see, told you).

  43. Awesome!! Two thumbs for the idea. I would even volunteer help if needed.

    I am very interested in the brewing process and work/consult with food processing and beverage companies.

  44. It sounds like the same concept as Fremont Brewing Company (among others). Not sure who would oppose this fashionable idea, especially if it meets the existing zoning.

  45. Excellent idea! It would be a great addition to the neighborhood. Dog friendly and kid friendly – bonus! Good luck!!!

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