Pyramid Breweries, Inc., is a defunct

brewing company A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

that produced beer under the Pyramid brand name at two

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

and several

brewpub Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...

s in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It was founded in 1984 as Hart Brewing. The brand name is currently owned by

North American Breweries FIFCO USA is an American brewing company based in Rochester, New York, Rochester, New York (state), New York. Established as North American Breweries by New York City investment firm KPS Capital Partners to manage its brewery acquisitions (Genes ...

, a subsidiary of the Costa Rican company Florida Ice & Farm Co.

History

Hart Brewing was founded by Tom Baune and Beth Hartwell in 1984 in

Kalama, Washington Kalama () is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,959 as of the 2020 census. Etymology James W. Phillips' ''Washington State Place Nam ...

. A pioneer of

craft brewing Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...

in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, Hart's signature beer was Pyramid Pale Ale, which it followed with Pyramid Wheaten Ale in 1985. In 1994, Hart debuted the Apricot Ale, a fruit beer that quickly became its most prominent brand. The company opened new facilities and greatly expanded its production, and changed its name to Pyramid Breweries in 1996. It also started experimenting with other styles, which won a number of brewing competitions in the U.S. and abroad. Eventually it grew to become one of the five largest craft brewers in the country. Pyramid eventually stopped brewing in Kalama in favor of other locations, but maintained its headquarters in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. In 2004, Pyramid acquired Portland Brewing Company, makers of the MacTarnahan's brand. In 2008, the company was itself purchased by Independent Brewers United, the parent company of

Magic Hat Brewing Company Magic Hat Brewing Company is a wholly owned brand of Florida Ice & Farm Co., which is headquartered in Costa Rica. It began production as an independent craft brewer in South Burlington, Vermont in 1994, and the brand is distributed across the U ...

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

. Magic Hat maintained the Seattle office and the Pyramid and MacTarnahan's facilities and products.Pyramid Breweries to be acquired by Magic Hat
/ref> Two years later, the joint company was acquired by

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. In December 2012, the parent company was purchased by Cerveceria Costa Rica, a unit of the Costa Rican company Florida Ice & Farm Co.

Beers

Pyramid once featured beers including, ales, lager, weizens, ciders, porters, and IPAs. The company offered six year-round beers, including Hefeweizen, Apricot Ale, Thunderhead IPA and Outburst Imperial IPA. Pyramid also offered seasonal beers, including Curve Ball Blonde Ale, Oktoberfest and Snow Cap Winter Warmer, along with seasonal variety packs and limited release beers.

Facilities, alehouses, and closures

Pyramid ran three

restaurants dubbed "Alehouses": one near the brewery, one in Seattle, and a small outlet in the

Oakland International Airport Oakland International Airport is an international airport in Oakland, California, United States. The airport is located south of downtown Oakland and east of San Francisco, serving the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The airport is ...

. The Alehouse in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, closed its doors in March 2013, the

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

location closed in 2015, and the Walnut Creek location closed in early 2016. In 2019, the Seattle Alehouse settled a class action lawsuit for $450,000 over unpaid hours and wage theft. Less than a year later, on May 1, 2020, Pyramid Alehouse announced it was permanently closing the Seattle location, citing a lack of “high volume sporting and entertainment events” in the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic that, before, would “off-set the much slower restaurant business during non-peak times.” On January 8, 2021, Portland Brewing Company announced that the brewery would cease all operations.

References

External links

Pyramid Breweries Inc.
{{portalbar, Beer, Companies Food and drink companies established in 1984 American companies established in 1984 1984 establishments in Washington (state) Manufacturing companies based in Seattle Food and drink companies based in Seattle Beer brewing companies based in Washington (state) American beer brands