Downtown Vancouver’s Loowit Brewing Company is celebrating its third anniversary this month. A catalyst in the local brewing scene, the award-winning microbrewery and tasting room is experiencing swift and continued growth heading into a period of expansion. Co-owners and brewers Devon Bray and Thomas Poffenroth are expecting to at least double Loowit’s output of hand-crafted beer in the next two years.
“We see large growth potential for Loowit in the coming years,” said Bray. “We expect to see about a 30 percent increase in retail sales in our tap room this year over last year. On the wholesale (distribution) side of the business, we’re forecasting a 90 percent increase in sales for 2015 over 2014,” Bray said.
“In 2013, Loowit produced more than 328 barrels, and in 2014 we produced 853 barrels,” said Poffenroth. “By the end of this year we will have produced approximately 1,500 barrels of beer.” That is equivalent to 46,500 gallons of beer.
Not surprisingly, Loowit is looking to add an additional 800 to 900 square feet of space in the coming year, serving three primary purposes: to expand the tap room, which has become increasingly busy; to put Loowit adjacent to the corner of Fifth and Columbia streets, creating a patio with outdoor seating; and to allocate more floor space to their growing brewery operation in the back of the building.
“Our focus, first and foremost, is the beer upon which we are building our business and reputation,” said Bray.
At the street level
Bray and Poffenroth also have plans to create a more engaging first impression by working with Vancouver’s Downtown Association (VDA) to improve the building’s façade. Loowit was chosen for the Business Façade Improvement Program, a VDA initiative established through a city of Vancouver Community Development Block Grant to offer qualifying businesses and property owners the ability to apply for a mix of cash loans and grants to use for façade improvements. Projects are designed to increase visibility at the street level and appeal to customers.
“Each company comes away with solid plans for façade improvement, and maintenance dollars become marketing dollars,” said Lee Rafferty, VDA executive director.
The public can follow Loowit’s process of transformation alongside three other downtown businesses – Aevum Images, Beigeblond and Lucky Loan – as they work with two local consultants on plans for their improvements and marketing strategies by attending Word on the Street, a series of workshops featuring the businesses.
Bray and Poffenroth expect to benefit from continued downtown revitalization, and they are especially looking forward to the proposed waterfront development “partly because we are in proximity to it and will be within walking distance for anyone who works or lives there,” said Bray. “Also, with the new interchange by the Red Lion property, we believe we’ll see more street traffic and more people passing outside of our establishment.”
Mentors and friends
Bray and Poffenroth have garnered a reputation for being mentors and friends in the Vancouver beer community. According to Max Scudder, owner and brewer of Beerded Brothers Brewing, “Devon has been a huge help for me, and I can go to him anytime for advice. In fact, he gave me the old bottling board they were using just to help my production out.” Similarly, Mike DiFabio, co-owner and co-brewer at the newly established Fortside Brewing Company, said, “(Tom and Devon) are a couple of great guys that have put together something real special for Vancouver. They were early in the Vancouver beer scene, and they make some great beers too.”
“We had others help us by answering questions when we first started out and we want to pay that generosity forward,” said Bray. “Being three years in now, we’ve accomplished a lot and have picked up experience and knowledge along the way. We have an open door policy with the other local breweries and people who want to get in to the business. It’s our way of ensuring Vancouver develops a successful beer scene and brewing culture.”
Celebrate three years with Loowit Brewing
Join Loowit on Saturday, Oct. 17, to celebrate its third anniversary with a special passport walking and tasting tour in downtown Vancouver. 50 passports are on sale now at Loowit Brewing Company for $10 each.
Each passport holder gets a four-ounce glass of Loowit’s beer at each participating location, collecting a total of four stamps. Kiggins Theatre and Grocery Cocktail & Social are confirmed for the event, with others to be announced. Return to Loowit with the completed passport to receive a special 22-ounce bottle of anniversary ale on Saturday. Those without a passport can simply stop in after 4 p.m. for brews, food and entertainment. There will be live music from Portland band Three for Silver, and food will be available from the Esoteric BBQ food truck.
Visit loowitbrewing.com or facebook.com/loowitbrewing closer to the event for complete details and additional tasting locations.
