USA, WA: Nomadic brewery Stillwater settles down in Grand Mount

A lot of beer aficionados around the country are familiar with Stillwater®, perhaps the most revered name in the nomadic brewing movement. Founded by Brian Strumke, Stillwater recently decided it was time to settle into one location and landed in Grand Mount, Washington. For the first time, Stillwater is concentrating its production in one place, the Washington Beer Blog reported on October 3.

In his former life, Brian Strumke earned acclaim and international recognition as an electronica DJ and producer but for the past decade-plus he’s directed a lot of his creative energy to Stillwater beers. A few years ago, the Baltimore native relocated to the Seattle area. It has been a very poorly kept secret that Strumke and Stillwater were looking to settle down somewhere around the Northwest.

As a nomadic brewery, Stillwater® took advantage of unused brewing capacity at other breweries across the country and around the world to create beers that won awards and garnered a reputation for creativity. Today we share the news that Stillwater has formed a partnership with Chehalis Tribe Enterprises, which owns Talking Cedar Brewery. Also, Stillwater beers will see distribution across Washington state by Browar Polska and Kendall’s Pioneer.

The brewing facility in Grand Mound, Washington is a 35,000-square-foot complex that houses a state-of-the-art brewery with a 60-barrel brew house, 120-barrel fermenters, and large oak foedres. It is also a distillery, which Strumke plans to utilize to make Stillwater® spirits.

“I love having the ability to create quality beers in a region where people really know and appreciate great beer. At the same time, it’s great to help the Chehalis tribe by making full use of their excellent facility,” said Strumke.

Following almost a year of pilot testing and fine tuning, the first wave of Stillwater® offerings were recently packaged in Grand Mound. They include Filson Rustic Gold IPA and Filson Maritime Gose, two beers commemorating the 125th anniversary of Filson, the iconic Seattle-based apparel and outdoor goods manufacturer. Parties showcasing the co-branded releases are planned in Seattle and New York City this October. Three more anniversary beers – Filson Charred Timber Stout, Filson Huntsman Amber, and Filson Classic – will arrive during 2023.

Other Stillwater beers rolling off the line include classics like Extra Dry sake-inspired saison, Insetto Italian plum sour ale, and Yacht premium lager. Strumke is also reimagining past Stillwater favorites, like the Wavvy double IPA series (now fermented with a proprietary blend of Nordic kveik and wine yeasts) and Shoegaze distorted farmhouse pale ale.

Products will be distributed across Washington state by Browar Polska and Kendall’s Pioneer, both which are part of Corwin Beverage Co. The company had a hand in connecting Stillwater® and the Chehalis tribe after Strumke relocated to Seattle at the end of 2018.

“With Stillwater, we now have one of the craft beer and spirits industry’s most creative minds at work in our backyard,” said Sam Madrid, COO of Corwin Beverage Co. “Beer enthusiasts should ask their local retailer to bring in their favorite Stillwater beverage because many consumers don’t know their voice matters.”

The core Stillwater team is rounded out by Sales Director Samantha Morin and Head Brewer Ryan Myhre. The brewery expects first year production to top 6,000 barrels with the majority of its product distributed within the state of Washington. Broader national and international distribution is envisioned over time.

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