Brick West inks distribution deal, plans expansion in sales and taprooms

The owners of Brick West Brewing Co. have come a long way since they scribbled out an idea on a napkin and wondered if it would work.

Building on the success of a taproom and brewery at 1312 W. First Ave. in downtown Spokane, Brick West recently inked a deal to sell cans of their beers in Albertsons and Safeway stores in Eastern Washington. The agreement comes after the February start of distribution of their beers over the Cascades in Seattle.

In addition, they recently submitted plans to build a new location that would more than double their brewing capacity and include a new taproom venue on the West Plains just south of Longhorn Barbecue.

“It’s like a rag-to-riches story,” co-owner Jordan Tampien said. “We feel very fortunate that we started in Spokane.”

Founded by brothers Matt and Ryan Goodwin, who had a background in restaurants, and Joel and Jordan Tampien, who got their start as real estate developers, the foursome teamed together to renovate buildings on West First Avenue once occupied by Watts Automotive and a Spokane fire station into a taproom with a large outdoor patio.

Jordan Tampien and Matt Goodwin, who started tending bar 23 years ago at Fast Eddie’s Bar and Grill before purchasing the establishment, joined together to start several restaurants.

One of their first projects was to convert the former Broadway Tavern into the Backyard Public House at 1811 W. Broadway Ave.

“At one point, (Goodwin) and I owned part of nine restaurants between here and Boise,” Tampien said. “Once you find someone you like working with, you stay with them.”

But one night, they struck up a conversation about what to do next, about how they could diversify. They scribbled out some ideas about what was working.

“I asked, ‘What makes money here? (Goodwin) said, ‘Beer can.’ Breweries were popping up everywhere,” Tampien said.

“If we started a brewery, what’s it look like? I wanted a whole area of town,” Tampien said. “I wanted to be able to build community around it.”

They originally found a location in Peaceful Valley they thought would work, but then adjoining properties opened up at the west end of First Avenue in downtown Spokane, anchored by the former Watt’s Automotive building.

“I love old buildings,” Tampien said. “We felt this was a great location.”

They also scribbled out potential beer names on that napkin, but every good name was already taken, Tampien said. However, they had brick building on the west side of town. Brick West Brewing Co. was born.

They also hired brewer Sam Milne to create the brewery’s beers. Current brewer Scotland Shouse then tweaked the recipes to create Brick West’s current offerings.

“I’m good at knowing what I’m not good at. So, I find good people,” Tampien said.

They also hired Brian Carpenter to run the day-to-day operations of the tap room and brewery. Carpenter, 34, said he’s now working across the street from the apartment he rented when he was 21.

“It’s super collaborative,” Carpenter said of the ownership team. Tampien “knows what he knows, which is real estate and building. Matt’s thing is restaurants and hospitality. It’s laid back, but we are all getting after it at the same time.”

The original business plan was to use the taproom to introduce customers to the Brick West beers and use that demand to eventually move to distribution sales.

“COVID made us ramp everything up. It made us can much faster than we had planned,” Tampien said. “That was supposed to be year five.”

With a closed taproom, but a functioning brewery, the company pumped out as much suds as they could brew.

“We were able to sell everything we made through COVID,” he said. “Fortunately, we had the capacity and the capital.”

Before the pandemic, the taproom generated about 65% of sales coming from the venue and about 25% came from the distribution of Brick West beers.

However, the owners hope to flip those numbers with a series of changes.

“You can only do that if you have the demand,” Tampien said.

Brick West Plains

The initial brewery was able to make about 3,700 barrels a year. For scale, a barrel of beer is about two large kegs, or 31 gallons.

Last fall, the owners invested in more brewing equipment that boosted the downtown capacity to 8,100 barrels, although the brewery has yet to put it to full use, Tampien said.

The owners also purchased a cold-storage warehouse on North Atlantic Street to store the barrels and cans and free up space at the brewery on First Avenue.

“That 10,000 square feet we have at Brick West tightens up really fast,” Tampien said.

With an inkling that the brewery’s success may continue, the owners started looking for a location to expand even further.

They purchased a 6-acre parcel at 1624 S. Spotted Road, which is just north of Spokane International Airport. The property included a house and a shed when they purchased it, Tampien said.

“We like the visibility aspect for people going to the airport,” he said.

The owners late last year submitted plans to build 30,000 square feet of floor space on the property, with about half of it dedicated to another brewing facility. The original plan was for 18,000 square feet, but they recently added another 12,000 square feet and are preparing to send the project out to bid.

Carpenter said he and Shouse, the brewer, worked with the Tampiens and architects to design the facility.

“You need a certain amount of capacity, but not going so big that it’s not sustainable,” Carpenter said. “We are taking incremental steps.”

The new project also will feature a place for concerts and a taproom similar to the one downtown.

The new, larger facility will allow the business to focus its distribution efforts there “and brew our top five brews at that location,” Tampien said.

The expansion will take the Brick West brewing capacity up from 8,100 barrels to as many as 20,000 barrels a year.

“It will also make it easier for trucks to get in and out and it will make our (downtown) taproom that much better, because we love that space,” he said.

The owners hope to start construction this summer. It will take about nine months to build the steel structure, but the partners expect a full year of lead time to get all the brewing equipment both delivered and installed.

Tampien said a best-case scenario would be to open the new brewing facility in the third quarter 2024.

The expansion is that much more important now that Brick West has signed the distribution deals with the grocery stores.

“Once you say you can deliver this much … you have to do everything you can to meet it,” Tampien said. “But you have to make sure that you don’t outpace the demand for the beer.”

This upcoming summer, when thirsty patrons seek out cold brews the most, will be a telling time.

“We are spending $5 or $6 million just to meet that demand,” Tampien said. “When we started, our goal was to build something larger.

“Every decision is based on that,” he continued. “Otherwise, we have a really cool taproom. But, I think the beer has the most potential.”

Brick West North

In addition to the big plans out west, the owners also have begun work to open a new taproom at the former McGlades Bistro & Wine Bar at 4301 E. Day Mt. Spokane Road.

Plans for the 4.5-acre parcel include summer concerts and a taproom operating on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Tampien said. The 4,300-square-foot building is already renovated and could open June 1.

“We are envisioning it like a Pike Place Market with cool vendors and outdoor spaces for people to gather,” Tampien said. “We are kind of making it up as we go.”

The site would operate as a full-time mercantile market during the week and a taproom on the last three days of the week, he said.

“It will be a family atmosphere most of the time,” he said. “It’s a good test market. If it works, we want to pop up Brick Wests all over Spokane County in locations that make sense.”