Professional passes on brewing knowledge through Olympia class

In five years, Jerry and Jeanne Blue hope to leave Yelm and settle in the Columbia River Gorge, on the sunnier side of the state.

There, Jerry Blue hopes to open a small taproom, serving his friends and neighbors beer he brews himself. It wouldn’t be a large operation, just something to keep him busy, and to generate a little income during retirement.

“Brewing beer has always interested me,” Jerry Blue said. “So why not give it a try?”

The Blues were two of about a dozen people who gathered at the Fish Brewing Company on Saturday to learn the basics of home brewing. Brewer Paul Pearson taught the class through South Puget Sound Community College’s continuing education program.

The goal, Pearson said, was to teach the aspiring brewers the process of making beer. Once that’s nailed down, it’s a lot easier for people to experiment with flavors and make the beer their own.

“After this class, they should be able to brew beer on their own,” Pearson said. “But brewing is something you need to do a few times before you get the hang of it.”

The group worked together to make an IPA. The process takes between six and eight hours of work the first day, two weeks of fermentation and another two weeks after it’s bottled. Throughout the process, Pearson taught the class about grains and hops — and even the appropriate attire for brewing.

“When you’re brewing, wear clothes you don’t care about,” Pearson said. “Boots are nice, too.”

Heidi Behrends Cerniwey, Tumwater’s assistant city manager, said Saturday’s class was one of the first offered by SPSCC to boost the brewing industry in Tumwater and the rest of Thurston County. The city and college hope to join forces to create a Tumwater Craft Brewing and Distillery Center, which they say could generate an estimated 662 jobs and more than $101 million for the local economy.

“We’ve got some great instructors in this area, and some great knowledge,” Behrends Cerniwey said. “Classes like this help bring awareness about the industry, and help provide some education for people hoping to join the workforce.”

The passion for brewing beer and distilling spirits isn’t unique to Thurston County — it’s a statewide phenomenon. Washington has more craft spirit distilleries than any other state, with about 110 and counting, according to the Washington Distillers Guild. The Brewers Association reports that as of 2014, Washington ranked second only to Oregon in craft breweries, with 256, nearly double the number from 2011. Craft beer’s statewide economic impact was estimated at more than $1.6 billion in 2014.

However, the plan for the Tumwater Craft Brewing and Distillery Center has hit a hiccup in recent weeks. Tumwater had requested $3 million from this year’s state capital budget to buy about 3.5 acres on Capitol Boulevard near the former Olympia Brewery site for the center. Lawmakers didn’t include the request in their budget.

Had Tumwater received the money and purchased the land, the college would have sought about $30 million in 2017 to build the brewing and distilling center on the property.

Behrends Cerniwey said city officials still believe the center is feasible, and they’re working on a plan B.

‘We’re going to make this work,” she said. “It’s just a matter of bringing everyone to the table and looking at our options.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Professional passes on brewing knowledge through Olympia class."