The Pike Brewing Company

It was 1989, and Charles and Rose Ann Finkel finally made a long dream of opening their own Seattle brewery. On their travels, the Finkels had fallen in love with Europe's many beers, including Ales in England, fruit beers in Belgium and Pils, Dunkels and Dopplebocks in Bavaria. Inspired to bring these malty beers home, where light, mass-produced lagers still dominated the American palate, they pioneered the import of beer and wine. Working with the world's largest breweries was as inspiring as the growth of the wine industry in Washington. The Finkels knew it was time to brew their own full-flavored beers for Seattle. Opening Day at Pike Place Brewing, 1989. Charles and Rose Ann were thrilled with the Pike Place Market - an icon and attraction dedicated to local food and taste. Liberty Malt Supply, a home-grown paradise owned by John Farias, was just below the market at La Salle Hotel and the Finkels bought the business to expand it to a microbrewery. There they started on Western Avenue with the construction of the Pike Place Brewery and became the third microbrewery in Seattle. The brewery was state-of-the-art at the time and had a four-barrel copper kettle made by the Seattle Alaska Copper and Brass Company.