Rainier Beer to be brewed in Washington again

SEATTLE — In spring of this year, Pabst will contract with Redhook Brewery in Woodinville to create a new Rainier Pale Mountain Ale.

On June 7, a photographer captured Mount Rainier with a Rainier Beer truck in front of it.

The company said in January that the ale is a historic beer from its archives that will come in a 16-ounce pounder glass bottle. The new brand is inspired by a pale ale made by Rainier Brewing Company just after the repeal of prohibition. The brew will be made with Washington-grown hops and two-row barley to provide a solid malt backbone.

“It looks promising to me. So I’m excited to brew it and be able to make it,” said Nick Crendall, the lead innovation brewer at Redhook, in January.

The Redhook Brewery will be also be brewing other Rainier brands to be added later. The traditional lager will still be brewed in California.

Redhook currently produces about 60 brands of beer every year. Adding this new brand will not necessarily require hiring extra help, but depending on how it picks up, Crendall said it’s possible there may be more positions added later.

While Crendall is invested in the craft, he also said adding the Rainier brand is historic.

“You always see the ‘R’ when you’re driving down I-5, so it’s a staple there,” he said.

Beer drinkers we talked to said the brand is important to their Northwest experience.

“We had a softball team,” said Steve Bard. “And we all drank Rainier beer, and so me and another guy named the team and I named it the Rainiers.”

Kassidy Warren said he’s not from the area, but likes the idea of a local brand returning to the area.

“I definitely appreciate that – keeping local business local, brewing local,” Warren said.

Rainier beer was first introduced by the Seattle Brewing and Malting Company. At the beginning of the 20^th century, it became the largest brewery west of the Mississippi River.

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