Georgetown Brewing Company: The Little Brewery That Could

When we were looking for a local brewery to partner with, Georgetown Brewing Company was our first choice. However, with the launch of their new canning production and surging popularity, we wondered if we would be able to get enough 6-packs to meet our needs. That might seem like a silly question, since nearly every bar in and around Seattle has their beer, but now cans were popping up in every market too. In fact, we did have to wait until they ramped up production to begin delivering beer. We waited patiently, as one does, when you truly love something.

Until May of 2017, Georgetown Brewing Company only barreled their beer. To drink it you had to go to a bar or fill growlers to take home. This had been their modus operandi since 2002 when Manny Chao and Roger Bialous opened the brewery with their savings. Even though draft beer makes up only a small portion of the overall beer market—somewhere around 10 percent—Georgetown Brewing Company still managed to become the largest independent Washington brewery. Their beer is that good!

Choosing to can their product wasn’t an easy decision, since the quality and freshness of the beer is central to their mission. But the time was right. Georgetown’s Ingrid Bartels says, “Roger and Manny saw canning as a way that would allow us to grow the company, to reach new customers, and for the opportunity to be able to continue to provide great benefits for our employees.”

The response to the cans was overwhelming and, not surprisingly, orders exceeded production. Ingrid says, “We want to give everyone all the beer they want, but beer has its own schedule, and you have to respect that. Our production team has been working very hard to increase our output without sacrificing quality.”

Pagliacci is delivering six-packs of all three canned beers Georgetown offers: Roger’s, Lucille, and Bodhizafa. Of the new addition to Pagliacci’s delivery service, Manny says, “I think it’s awesome that you can get our cans from an independently owned, local company like Pagliacci, that not only makes great pizza, but shares a lot of the same values as we do. Now if they would only make a juicy pork dumpling pizza….”

Well, if only we could get Manny’s in a can!