Bale Breaker Brewing and Yonder Cider set to open new Seattle taproom in September

Beer and cider lovers in Seattle will soon be able to visit a new, unique pub of its kind: The eagerly awaited common taproom between Yakima’s Bale Breaker Brewing and the Yonder Cider of the Emerald City is finally taking shape with an official opening date.

The new taproom in Ballard opens September 4th and will feature a total of 32 Washington-made beer and cider taps, rotating food trucks, outdoor fire pits, and a sales area.

“By sharing this taproom between our two brands, we can showcase almost the full range of beverages made in Washington state,” said Meghann Quinn, co-founder of Bale Breaker, in a press release on Tuesday. “From beer and cider to hard seltzer and finally wine, craft drink lovers can experience and explore everything in one place!”

Under current state law, cidrees and breweries cannot share a single tasting room. To get around this, Bale Breaker and Yonder jointly founded a distillery called Wise Fool Spirits and plan to also produce spirits such as apple brandy and whiskey in the new premises.

The couple will also be releasing two collaborations for the space’s grand opening: East Out West, a raspberry-pink-grapefruit kettle mixed with Porter’s Perfection apples, and a hoppy version of Yonder’s popular blackberry cider, Palisades.

The opening marks the first expansion of Bale Breaker west of the Cascades. Due to its proximity to the hop harvest in Yakima, the brewery is known for hoppy IPAs like the Topcutter. The new collaboration will be housed in the premises previously used by Populuxe Brewing, which was permanently closed in December 2020 due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yonder made headlines earlier this year when the city threatened to close its walk-in store window in Greenwood after a neighbor complained that it was too close to a school and church. After the public outcry, the city withdrew its decision and the city council later approved a bill that eased restrictions on home-based micro-businesses in the city and left the “garage bar” open.

Since the garage bar only sells growler fillings and cans that can be consumed off-site, the new stationary outpost will give Yonder the space to finally serve its own portions to its thirsty customers. The new taproom will also be dog and child friendly.

“This taproom has been in the works for almost a year and we’re excited to finally be able to share our creations with everyone,” said Caitlin Braam, founder of Yonder Cider. “We believe that in addition to great drinks, we’ve created an interactive, exciting, and perfect place to experience what East Washington has to offer.”