Brewery Profile - Black Raven Brewing Company in Redmond, WA

Located in an unassuming business park in Redmond, Black Raven Brewing provides a critical community service: it gives Redmond’s beer lovers a place to congregate and enjoy some of the best beer in the Pacific Northwest–beers that oftentimes can be found nowhere else. But that’s not all. Work your way to the front of the longest line at most of the area’s beer festivals and you will likely find Beaux Bowman, the owner and brewmaster at Black Raven Brewing, serving beer to people from all across the region. Since it’s inception, Black Raven is typically the most popular tent at any beer festival it attends.

The brewery and taproom opened in Redmond in the spring of 2009 and Black Raven Brewing quickly earned a reputation for creative, interesting and delicious beers. The young brewery has already won its share of medals at renowned tasting competitions, including a highly coveted Gold Medal from the 2010 World Beer Cup for its Coco Jones Coconut Brown Porter.

Robert “Beaux” Bowman is the owner and brewing genius at Redmond’s 2-year-old Black Raven Brewing Company, one of the most talked-about young breweries in the Northwest. On any given day, you’ll find him balancing the daily tasks of operating a brewery that has an insatiable need to grow.

Bowman’s career began at Mac and Jack’s Brewing. He continued his brewing career at the now-defunct Far West Ireland Brewing Company. Bowman then moved on to pick up brewing gigs here and there at places like The RAM Universtity Village, Lazy Boy Brewing, and any other place he could get his paddle in the mash.

In opening Black Raven Brewing, Bowman moved slowly and with purpose. Behind Black Raven’s success is some very careful planning; from the beginning, Bowman rushed nothing. The brewery and taproom came together slowly and deliberately; he and his team carefully crafted each recipe; and Bowman now artfully manages and contains the brewery’s growth.

Step inside the Raven’s Nest, the taproom at Black Raven Brewing Company, and you will find yourself transported. Let the beer and the ambiance cast its spell. You will soon forget that you are in a boring Redmond business park. Order some food from Flying Saucer Pizza and wash it down with a Coco Jones Porter (if you’re very lucky), Trickster IPA, Totem Northwest Pale, or another award-winning beer.

Black Raven opened in 2009 and immediately needed to expand both its brewing and seating capacity. As of November 2011, a new and larger brewery is on the way and the Raven’s Nest continues to expand and increase capacity. There are plans to add a barrel room as well. The brewery’s barrel-aged beers are especially popular.

The regular Black Raven lineup includes:

Trickster IPA

Totem Northwest Pale

Sunthief Kristallweizen

Tamerlane Brown Porter

Morrighan Stout

Second Sight Strong Scotch Ale

A few of the brewery’s seasonal and specialty beers include:

Wisdom Seeker Double IPA

Grandfather Raven – Redmond Imperial Stout

Old Birdbrain – Barleywine

Splinters – Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale

Pour Les Oiseaux – Farmhouse Ale

Petite Mort – Belgian Abbey Strong Brown

La Petite Mort – Bourbon Barrel Aged Version

Coco Jones – Coconut Brown Porter

Possum Claus – Bourbon Barrel Aged Pecan Ale

Black Raven Brewing

14687 Northeast 95th Street

Redmond, WA 98052

(425) 881-3020

www.blackravenbrewing.com