SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--San Juan Seltzer, Inc., which debuted in May 2018 with the first small-batch, Northwest brewed, spiked sparkling water, has officially merged with Schooner Brewing in SoDo to become one entity. The two companies have worked together in a licensing relationship since spring of 2018 when Schooner began brewing and canning San Juan Seltzer’s spiked sparkling waters at its SoDo brewery.
With the merger, management has decided to close Schooner’s restaurant, effective end of business on Friday, January 18, 2019, to focus solely on what they do best, craft beer and spiked sparkling water. The Schooner Brewing taproom will continue to stay open and serve a broader portfolio of craft beers to its loyal customers Wednesday-Sunday from 3-9 p.m. with beer, spiked sparkling water and light bar snacks starting Wednesday, January 23.
“I’m incredibly proud to oversee San Juan Seltzer, the award-winning Schooner Brewing and our taproom,” said Ron Lloyd, President and CEO. “Both of these local brands produce world-class products and we have so many exciting plans in store for the future as we continue to grow here in SoDo and with our growing distributor network throughout the Pacific Northwest!” he continued. “We’ve had so much excitement over the last few months releasing fresh hop beer, participating in local events, and winning awards like ‘best American-style IPA 2018’ in SIP Northwest Magazine. We are thrilled to continue this momentum into 2019 with a renewed focus!”
Schooner’s Head Beer Brewer Joel Stickney, who has been with the brewery for nearly seven years, and the Schooner brewing team are excited to focus on creating and expanding new beer offerings both here and in Japan, a growing market for American craft beer. Joel and his team will be releasing Schooner’s first New England style Hazy IPA in the next few weeks with more new releases to follow.
“With this merger of two great local companies I’m looking forward to focusing all of my efforts on creating excellent, new craft beers for current and future Schooner fans, as well as continuing to help brew high-quality San Juan Seltzer spiked sparkling waters,” said Stickney. “We have an incredible team assembled here that understands the ins and outs of the beverage alcohol industry and will work together to create exciting new alcoholic beverages that locals love to drink.”
San Juan Seltzer is currently in the process of releasing a Rainier Cherry flavor, the first of its kind, that will add to their existing offerings inspired exclusively by fruit grown in the Pacific Northwest, including: Huckleberry, Fuji Apple, Raspberry Cran, and Pure. They are also releasing a 12-count PNW variety pack, up from the current six-count package, in the coming months. All four of the current flavors are available on tap at Schooner Brewing and in cans at on and off premise outlets like the Space Needle, The Ballroom (Ballard), Pint Defiance (Tacoma), Amazon Go, Metropolitan Market, QFC, Whole Foods, Haggen Markets and PCC Community Markets.
San Juan Seltzer, which is the first Pacific Northwest-based spiked seltzer company, competes in one of the hottest and fastest growing beverage alcohol categories, currently dominated by national mainstream products, offers the lowest calories of any hard or spiked seltzer on the market at 85 calories, zero sugar and zero carbs per 12-ounce serving. Each refreshing can is all-natural and gluten free with 4.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).
About San Juan Seltzer
San Juan Seltzer was founded by Bellevue resident Katy Enger in 2017 and creates all-natural, alcoholic sparkling waters that are refreshing, delicious and contain the lowest calories of any hard or spiked beverage on the market. They are sugar free, carb free and gluten free. Each flavor is inspired exclusively by fruit grown in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy the San Juan Island lifestyle wherever you go! More at sanjuanseltzer.com.
About Schooner Brewing
Schooner Brewing is an iconic Seattle brewery located in the heart of SoDo. Independently owned and operated for 12 years, Schooner offers everything from classic NW IPAs and Lagers, to Barrel Aged Sours and Farmhouse Ales. The tasting room is open five days a week and features a tap list with 20 options ranging from beer, draft wine, hard seltzer and ginger beer. Locals enjoy a round of giant jenga on the patio, or shuffleboard on the custom wood grain board. Schooner is located at 3901 1st Avenue South in Seattle. The taproom is open Wednesday-Sunday 3-9 p.m. More at schoonerbrewingseattle.com and 206-432-9734.
