Some couples bond over music. Others over hiking, Netflix, or the quiet ecstasy of shared spreadsheets. But Carl and Stephanie Leach? Their love story is stitched together with malted barley, bubbling fermenters, and a shared tolerance for yeast burps.
It all began, as these things sometimes do, at Central Washington University—that fertile academic ground where majors are declared and passions misbehave. While Carl studied toward a future that would include the Air Force Reserves, and Stephanie tuned her compass toward tourism and hospitality, the two found common cause in one of the more ancient of alchemies: homebrewing.
Carl brewed. Stephanie assisted. Batches were made. Friends were bribed with growlers. Taste buds evolved. The hops got louder. The ABV crept up. And somewhere amid all the boilovers and bottle bombs, a dream fermented: What if we did this for real?
Flash forward past the internships, the duty stations, the job titles, and a thousand IPAs later, and you’ll now find this Kent-based duo staring lovingly into the cloudy, citrus-hazed horizon of their next adventure: North 47 Brewing Co., a full-blown taproom and brewhouse-in-the-making in Tacoma’s Browns Point neighborhood, nestled up near the salty inhale of Commencement Bay.
The name? A nod to latitude, place, and the quiet, stubborn magnetism of the Pacific Northwest. The vibe? All community, no pretension. The mission? To pour the kind of beers that make you ask, Why haven’t I heard of this before?, then promptly order another.
Peaks & Pints ran into the Leaches this past Saturday at the South Sound Craft Beer Festival, where they were partaking, mingling, and quietly plotting their ferment-forward future. Expect more from these two. Expect tap handles. Expect brown ales with a point of view and pale ales that don’t apologize for balance. Expect a place where the hops are bold, the vibe is intimate, and the beer tastes like a love story still being written.
North 47 is coming. And it smells like something good’s about to pour.
PEAKS AND PINTS: Did you imagine you would be brewery owners when you were young?
STEPHANIE: I wanted to be a park ranger or something that would let me work outside.
CARL: I wanted to be a pilot.
PEAKS AND PINTS: What’s the philosophy behind your business?
THE LEACHS: We want to keep it small and local. We aren’t going to be the next major brewery and don’t want to be. Keeping brewing fun and tasty is the way to go.
PEAKS AND PINTS: How did you end up in your current space?
THE LEACHS: We have family in the Browns Point area and figured it would be a nice little area that could use a new hangout with some local beer.
PEAKS AND PINTS: What is the greatest challenge to starting a brewery at a time when so many are doing the same thing?
THE LEACHS: The greatest challenge we had was working on getting permits from the county. We have found that other brewers and brewery owners have been very inviting and helpful, and there is still room for more breweries.
PEAKS AND PINTS: What will be the size of your brewing system when you open?
THE LEACHS: We’ll open with a 3bbl. system with three fermentation vessels.
PEAKS AND PINTS: What beer styles will be on tap when you open?
THE LEACHS: We will have two IPAs, a Blond, ESB, Porter, a Hefe and hopefully something seasonal and fun.
PEAKS AND PINTS: What do you see as underserved beer style niches right now?
THE LEACHS: Definitely a Kolsch … it’s a great light beer that most people like but you just don’t see a whole lot of them out there right now.
PEAKS AND PINTS: When can we nestle up to the bar?
THE LEACHS: We are hoping to be open sometime in November, but there is still no set date yet.
PEAKS AND PINTS: North 47 will operate as a taproom with kegs and growler fills, but won’t have a kitchen.
NORTH 47 BREWING CO., 1000 Town Center NE, Suite 160, Tacoma, http://north47brewery.com/
