Wouldn’t it be cool for a brewery to be located on a hop farm? Well, that’s what we thought, anyway.
Bale Breaker Brewing Company is the newest craft brewery to open in the heart of our nation’s hop country, but while the brewery is new on the scene, the family behind the beer is not. The great-grandparents of owners Patrick Smith, Meghann Quinn, and Kevin Smith first planted hops in the Yakima Valley in 1932, the year before Prohibition ended. Now, 81 years later, their love of hops and passion for craft beer has led them to where they are today – a week away from opening the doors to their new production brewery surrounded by their family’s hop fields, just down the road from where they were born and raised.
“We’re thrilled about the excitement and support we’re getting from our local community, but no one is more anxious to get this place open than us,” said Bale Breaker Brewing’s Meghann Quinn. “It’s time.”
Bale Breaker beer is set to be released in the local Yakima market on Friday, April 12. The taproom at Bale Breaker Brewing Company will open its doors the next day, Saturday, April 13, with an all-day grand opening party. Details can be found at www.balebreaker.com.
Initially, Field 41 Pale Ale and Topcutter IPA will be distributed draft-only in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, with plans to eventually enter the Seattle market. The brewery is hoping for an early summer release for their 12-ounce cans. For more on Bale Breaker beer, visit www.balebreaker.com/beer.
The brewery is located in their family’s hop field #41, but Bale Breaker Brewing Company is operated as a separate entity from all farming operations. Meghann Quinn is in charge of administration and marketing; Kevin Quinn spearheads sales and distribution; and Kevin Smith, most recently a brewer at Two Beers Brewing Company in Seattle, assumes the role of lead brewer. The family’s farm, B.T. Loftus Ranches, is now in its fourth-generation of family ownership, with its daily operations managed by Patrick Smith and his parents Mike & Cheryl Smith.
For more on Bale Breaker Brewing Company, visit www.balebreaker.com.
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