Craft beers are, by their very nature, defined as beer crafted by small, independent brewers using varied brewing techniques with creativity and enthusiasm. This certainly sums up the team at Half Lion Brewing Company located in Sumner, where they brew interesting beer, hard cider and delicious aromatic seltzers.
Half Lion Brewing Company brews easy-drinking craft beer and sells it in rugged and comfortable locations from their tasting room at the brewing site and at their full bar and restaurant in Kent, which serves up crafted food to complement their craft beers. Plus, their draft and canned products are sold in a variety of retail locations including Tundra Taqueria at the SEATAC airport.
The tasting room in Sumner is constructed of recycled lumber, old saw blades and shipping containers — real, hardworking materials that complement the ‘real beer’ Half Lion brews and sells. According to Brand Manager Adam Shay, “the décor plays tribute to our grandfather’s career in the lumber industry.”
With the addition of Lead Brewer Jay Delong last year, Half Lion is now brewing more styles of beer and improving on the recipes designed years earlier on the lower slopes of Crystal Mountain. It is here that the name Half Lion was derived. Teasing a gullible friend that Tonka, a wonderfully large Great Dane, was actually half-lion, the name stuck with Shay and his cousins, owners Katie and Jason Nelson, when it came time to name their new business venture.
Selling hazy IPAs, blonde ales, pilsners, and a calendar of seasonal draft-only releases, the cousins again pay homage to their grandfather through their Albert’s Amber Ale. “It’s an easy-drinking, malt-forward amber ale — just like he loved to drink,” said Shay.
“The Rugged Luxury of Real Beer” is their motto, and through attention to the brewing process, wonderful locations to enjoy their creations from and fun programs like the Half Lion Mug Club, Half Lion Brewing may soon become your favorite hangout because, at the end of the day, it’s all about community, friends, and family.
For Additional Information
Half Lion Brewery
halflion.com
LYNN CASTLE