Seattle’s gluten-less Ghostfish Brewing expands capacity and distribution

The hive mine behind Ghostfish Brewing. From left to right: Brian Thiel, Randy Schroeder and Jason Yerger.

The impressive growth stories from the craft segment continue to roll into the CBB mailboxes. Today, let’s take a look at Ghostfish Brewing Co., which opened its doors in February 2015. For this up and comer, last year saw the release of four packaged beer products, the winning of two GABF medals and the building of a solid retail account base of over 200 customers.

Impressive. Most impressive.

These milestones have already propelled the Seattle-based brewery into a larger distribution stage and an in-house expansion. We should probably also mention that Ghostfish has a nice little beer niche — it’s the first and only dedicated gluten-free craft brewery located in Washington. As for distribution, Ghostfish recently signed with three wholesalers (The Odom Corporation, Marine View Beverage and Sound Beverage Distributors) to distribute its gluten-less ales throughout western Washington. Ghostfish Brewing had previously self-distributed throughout specific areas within Western Washington since March 2015.

“Choosing distributors was a task that we didn’t take lightly,” stated co-owner and director of sales and marketing Brian Thiel (who we remember from his days at can king Crown). “It was extremely important for us to align our business with distributors who could extend our commitment to quality and service while expanding the reach of our products.”

In preparing to expand its distribution network, Ghostfish Brewing added two 30-barrel (bbl) fermentation tanks in the beginning of 2016. In order to meet increased demand and to ensure that quality remains top priority, Ghostfish Brewing plans to add two more 60-bbl units. Pretty awesome, you guys and gals. Cheers.