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close7 Seas Brewery
GH establishment to become first state microbrewery to can its own beer
Susan Schell
of the Gateway
It’s 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon and a crowd of about 20 people is squished into the small tasting room at the 7 Seas Brewery. There are no neon signs on the wall, no blaring music and no wide-screen HDTVs broadcasting a sporting event. So why are all these people here? A rectangular-shaped window looks out over Gig Harbor’s new brewery. What’s inside the tall, gleaming silver vats is why people have come: They just want a good glass of beer.
“It’s pretty cool. People come from quite a distance to taste the beer here,” said Mike Runion, who co-owns the brewery with his partner, Travis Guterson.
In fact, the brewery is about to launch its line of canned beer, the first microbrewery to do so in Washington.
Guterson, down in the brewery, is busy sharing beer-making tips and fielding questions like a pro. Although the brewery only opened in October, they’ve attracted plenty of attention. It seems everyone wants to know about the two 20-somethings who have brought an authentic brewery to town.
“We have quite a list of repeat customers,” Runion said. “They just like to come and hang out. They want the freshest beer. And it doesn’t get any fresher than coming from the brewery door.”
When it gets warmer, Runion plans to put a beer garden outside, where people will be able to sit in the sun. Runion thinks it’s the down-home atmosphere that attracts people the most.
“We purposefully didn’t want to have the zombie vision,” he said. “We get the ultimate compliment. People say it feels like they’re having a beer in their living room.”
Runion makes it perfectly clear that he and Guterson are not in the pub business. They’re in the beer-making business.
“We didn’t mean to be restaurant owners,” Runion said. “We don’t want to be distracted with employees and food and health regulations. That may be a ways down the road, but not now.”
They’re so focused on their product — Runion handles the business side of the brewery and Guterson is the master of the vats — that they keep the brewery gate shut during the morning so they have time to work on their craft without visitors.
“I handle the books, which allows Travis to do his thing,” Runion said. “I give the mad scientist as much room as he needs for his creative freedom.”
Guterson has worked at several breweries in Washington and Oregon, including Silver City in Silverdale. He started brewing his own batches of beer in his parents’ kitchen when he was in high school.
“I wasn’t doing it to get drunk,” he said. “It was just something I was interested in. I grew up pursuing cultural interests instead of chasing money.”
Guterson immersed himself in books on brewing, and he learned about the history of beer. He recalled reading about indigenous tribes in Africa, where the women would chew on the grain and spit it into a pot. The sugars in their own saliva would lead to the fermentation process, he said.
“People have been doing this for hundreds of years,” Guterson said. “Yet it’s something we (Americans) are so oblivious to. We have three massive companies that control most of the market in the U.S., but what they make isn’t everyone’s idea of good beer.”
Guterson credits his parents with his success by allowing him to pursue his passion and encouraging him.
“The reason I’m in my position is because my parents always told me to do whatever makes me happy,” he said. “With that attitude, you can do whatever you want.”
Now, in his 20s, Guterson admits brewing takes a lot of work and motivation, and it’s physically demanding.
“It doesn’t seem like work,” he said. “This is where I spend most of my time, and it’s a major blessing.”
Runion and Guterson are in line with the same vision, to make the best beer they can make.
“We’re not automated here. Everything is made by human hands,” Guterson said. “In this, I feel like a true artisan. We have a human touch on everything and pay attention to every little detail. We’re in this for the love of it.”
It could be that old-world feel and taking the time to create something special that keeps people waiting by the gate for the tap room to open.
“The great thing about the tap room is it’s just people sharing friendship over a good glass of beer,” Guterson said.
“Right now, our beer is our bread and butter,” Runion added. “We’re just taking things slow rather than stress ourselves out. We’re not going to bite off more than we can chew. We’re just taking it one day at a time.”
Four types of beer
7 Seas Brewery, located at 3207 57th St. Ct. NW in Gig Harbor, whips up batches of four types of beer:
Cutt’s Ale — A Northwest-style amber ale, named in honor of Cutt’s Island.
British Pale Ale — A versatile beer brewed with imported Golden Promise malt.
Ballz Deep Double IPA — A mash tun packed with pale ale malt and Crystal malt.
Port Royal Stout — Combines seven different malts with Nugget and Mt. Hood hops.
Tap room hours are from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
For more information, visit www.7seasbrewing.com.