Fish Tale Brew Pub is staying put, but the brewery is moving, owner says
In late 2019, Josh Carrigan and his wife, Kate Craig, acquired Fish Brewing Co., including the Fish Tale Brewpub, out of a bankruptcy-like process known as receivership.
Nineteen months later, the owners have decided to vacate its 36,000-square-foot brewing space, which is across the street from the pub on Jefferson Street in downtown Olympia. The pub is staying put, Carrigan said Monday.
The brewery has to move by the end of August, he said.
Building owner Bryan Kolb confirmed the move, adding that he and the tenant were unable to come to terms on a new lease. He already is marketing the space as available as of Sept. 1 and said two small brewing companies have looked at part of the space.
Carrigan said the current brewery space wasn’t “set up for efficiency,” so they are “ripping the band aid off and doing what’s best for the business.”
“We have a direction now,” he said.
They are still working on the next location for the brewery, he said. And they likely will need to temporarily pause brewing to make the move.
Carrigan acknowledged as much in an email sent to Fish Tale Brew Pub mug clubbers, a copy of which was forwarded to The Olympian.
“We are aiming to pause operations while we explore options for a new home for brewing,” the email reads.
Carrigan said they would like to keep the brewery in the area, and operate in a space that is more modern than the historic building they currently occupy. He said they could probably operate the brewery in about one-third the space.
Building owner Kolb said the brewery occupies most of the space, except for about 2,000 square feet leased to local artists.
“We’re excited to find a new place to brew,” Carrigan said.
Fish Brewing Co., which got its start in Olympia in the early 1990s, wound up in receivership with a long list of creditors and debts of $4.8 million, compared to assets of $2.6 million, in mid-2019.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Fish Tale Brew Pub is staying put, but the brewery is moving, owner says."
