Congressman Rick Larsen of Washington’s 2^nd Congressional District stopped by Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen on Saturday for a tour of the brewery and to get better insight into the challenges Washington craft brewers are facing today. Owners of the 2009 brewpub of the year, Will and Mari Kemper, led Larsen on the tour of the brewery while effectively expressing the needs and concerns of craft brewers around the country.

Mari explained that Chuckanut brewery quickly reached capacity only nine months after beginning production in July 2008. They wanted to grow but ran into difficulties looking for a way to finance their growth. The mounting popularity of craft beers is making this an all too common situation for breweries across the nation and the weak economy is making it increasingly difficult for brewers to secure business loans. Fortunately, the Kempers found a source of private financing and explained to Larsen what they had to go through to get it. Last month Chuckanut Brewery installed five new fermentation tanks that are being put to use this month and will more than double the brewery’s capacity.

Will likes to talk about beer, and though he flooded the brewery walls with information, Larsen seemed to absorb it all like a sponge. Larsen’s sincere interested was apparent through his thoughtful questions and insightful remarks about craft brewing. He appeared captivated by not only the business side of brewing but also the more technical side of the process. Larsen mentioned his membership of the House of Small Brewers Caucus which aims to facilitate opportunities for elected officials to interact and learn about the craft beer industry, and this visit was a great example of what the caucus is all about.

The summer months of August and September are a couple of the finest months for beer at Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen. We tend to have many lager beers on tap in the Kitchen during these months as we are brewing them in preparation for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). You will not likely find a variety of this many lager beers in one place until the upcoming festival. The new double fermentation tanks that were put into place in the brewery last month are now being utilized which is allowing Chuckanut to produce more beer and satisfy more accounts than ever before.

Chuckanut Brewery’s Lager beers are unique in that they are cold conditioned at a lower temperature and for a longer period of time than other breweries’ lagers. It takes very precise manufacturing and control that many other breweries are not willing to commit to. Chuckanut’s brew master, Will Kemper, explained how the very technical process is demanding and difficult to achieve but he and fellow brewers at Chuckanut refuse to make any sacrifices, which is the reason Chuckanut Brewery has so many award winning beers. Chuckanut Brewery entered the GABF for the first time last year and won two Gold Medals and two Silver Medals for their lager beers. The Great American Beer Festival is the largest and oldest beer competition in America that happens each September in Denver, Colorado. The Kitchen currently has three of these award winning beers on tap along with a few other heavenly beers that should please the palate through the rest of the summer.