As a home brewer, I’m fascinated by the fermentation. And Olympia appears to have a respectably large home brew culture, supporting two beer- and wine-making supply shops (Rocky Top on the Westside, and Healthcrafts on the East). And, well, Olympia as a town has a long-standing beermaking history on a commercial scale, what with Olympia Brewing Company‘s long shadow.
But I’ve often wondered why, with the exception of the upwardly mobile Fish, Olympia doesn’t really have much in the way of small scale beer manufacturers. I’m starting to suspect the reason is our local brewers are, well, interested in fermenting other things.
Take, for example, Magic Kombucha, which makes a tasty beverage by letting a fungal mat have its way with sweet tea. Or OlyKraut, which uses fermentation to transform cabbage and other vegetables.
So perhaps trying to capture alcohol as the primary goal of fermentation is no longer so obvious, at least not to my fellow Olympians. Perhaps the reason why there are so few brewpubs and taprooms in the South Sound is the friends of fungus and yeast have developed a taste for bitters other than beer.