PORT TOWNSEND — A downtown landmark for beer lovers, Water Street Brewing & Ale House, celebrated its anniversary with national recognition.
One year after its opening under new ownership, the brewery won three awards in the 2005 North American Beer Awards, organized in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Competing against more than 700 other entries from micro-brews across the continent, Water Street brewers Skip Madsen and Rich Amacher placed the Port Townsend ale house firmly on the beer lovers’ national map.
The NABA committee awarded the Water Street a Gold Medal for its Old Wookie Barleywine, Silver Medal for Quad Dubbel Bypass (Belgian strong ale), and a Bronze Medal for its Smoke Stack Weissen, (Bavarian-style hefewiezen).
Awards event director Kimmon Richards still remembers the taste of the Quad Dubbel Bypass two weeks later.
“It’s really yummy,” Richards said.
For the past six years she and a group of volunteers have organized the awards that grew from a state phenomenon to a nationwide competition.
Image boost
Following that queue, Water Street Brewing is grooming its own image.
The micro-brewery and ale house at 639 Water St. is in a downtown historic building — the former Town Tavern — where scenes from the movie, “An Officer and a Gentleman,” were filmed in 1983.
The business is expanding its dinner menu.
To match the menu, ale house owners are renovating the interior and introducing a new chef.
And, of course — there’s beer and the atmosphere.
“The dominant feature in our beer is the hops,” said Mark Burr, a bartender and co-owner.
“The main point of our business is to give our community a place to come and hang out.”
