Biography

Established: 2010

Owners: Brent Hall

Brewers: Head brewer Karl Ganey

Location: 180 W. Dayton St., Edmonds, WA 98020

Specialty: Clean, approachable craft beers for the everyday beer drinker

Five Notable Beers: Revolutionary IPA, Patriotic Pale, Independence Pilsner, Honor Saison, Oatmeal Stout

Status:
✔ Tacoma location closed October 2019, brewing shifted fully to Edmonds facility
✔ Final closure as of November 21, 2020 — all operations ceased permanently

What Went Down:
Pacific Brewing revived the historic Tacoma brand in 2014, merging it with Edmonds’s American Brewing Company in 2016. After a few years of patriotic labels and themed saisons, the Tacoma taproom shuttered in 2019, marking the end of downtown operations—even though brewing continued at the Edmonds site. The final curtain came in November 2020, when American Brewing itself announced it would not reopen. Against the backdrop of COVID-era turbulence, the brewery delivered its own salutary craft message: “Thanks for the ride, and cheers for the memories”

The Story:
Born in 2010 in Edmonds, American Brewing Company burst onto the scene with a fierce devotion to classic American styles, a passion for drinkability, and a quiet habit of winning medals while no one was looking. Brewing on a 30-barrel system with 60-barrel fermenters, they poured precision into every pint and kept their fans guessing—until 2016, when Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. swooped in like a bald eagle on a rescue mission.

The resulting rebirth was bold. Patriotic. Slightly theatrical. A mash-up of craft tradition and domestic nostalgia, designed to speak to the beer drinker who appreciates the power of a Power Play Imperial IPA, but also misses the muscle of old-school macro lagers. It was Top Gun meets Liberty Bell. Malt meets muscle memory. And it worked.

The brewery’s charitable streak was no act: the wine barrel-aged saison “Honor” was brewed to support Fisher House, with a portion of every pour donated to help veteran families. Yes, you can salute while sipping.

Awards & Accolades (aka Medal Count for the Republic):

• 2019 Washington Beer Awards:

  • Bronze, American Oatmeal Stout

• 2016 Washington Beer Awards:

  • Bronze, American Blonde Ale

  • Bronze, Baltic Porter

• 2014 Washington Beer Awards:

  • Bronze, Baltic Porter

  • Bronze, American Blonde Ale

• 2013 Washington Beer Awards:

  • Bronze, Stupid Sexy Flanders (yes, really)

  • Gold, Power Play Imperial IPA

• 2013 Great American Beer Festival:

  • Bronze, Fed White & Brew ESB

  • Bronze, Polska Porter

• 2011 Great American Beer Festival:

  • Medal, Brave American Brown Ale

• Breakaway IPA: Best in the West — Beer West Magazine (because sometimes you do win the West twice)

Five Notable Beers (and Freedom Never Tasted So Good):

• Power Play Imperial IPA – Bold and beautiful, like an F-16 barrel roll over Mount Rainier.

• Stupid Sexy Flanders – A Belgian-style sour that’s equal parts Ned Flanders and Normandy.

• Breakaway IPA – Award-winning, aggressively floral, unapologetically hop-forward.

• Honor Saison – Wine barrel-aged, delicately spiced, brewed to benefit Fisher House.

• American Blonde Ale – Crisp, friendly, built for summer and backyard flyovers.

Fun Facts & Fermented Patriotism:
🎖 In 2016, Pacific Brewing acquired American Brewing, and rebranded with red-white-and-brew zeal.
🦅 Branding now fuses Founding Father iconography with modern military precision.
🍺 Honor, a wine barrel-aged saison, gives back to veteran families with every pour.
🏭 The brewery continues its mission in Tacoma, bridging craft and macro beer audiences without dumbing it down.
💥 Former CEO Neil Fallon sold the brewery to focus on kombucha empire-building with bùcha™ live kombucha (yes, that happened).
📍 Formerly of Edmonds, reborn in Tacoma, never far from its roots—or its edge.

Philosophy:
Brew like a patriot. Drink like a citizen. Label your bottles like you’re leading a revolution.
This is beer that salutes you back. This is American Brewing.

LINK: American Brewing archives