Exclusive | Tri-Cities beer maker to open taphouse near growing Kennewick neighborhood

A new taphouse is brewing in the Tri-Cities in a growing area of Kennewick.

Sage Brewing Company opened in Pasco just months before the COVID pandemic hit and managed to survive. Now, it’s opening a taphouse in Kennewick’s Hansen Park Plaza at the end of September

“We’ve been fortunate,” owner Tyson Crudup told the Herald. “We always had plans on doing more than one location.”

The new spot will be in the former home of Zest Medical Spa on Columbia Center Boulevard.

Crudup opened his microbrewery on Chapel Hill Boulevard in December 2019.

He admits it was touch and go after the shutdowns began in March 2020. But he adapted.

Crudup created an outdoor space in the parking and he added a crowler machine to can his brews to go.

And he made appeals to the masses to mask up so they could get back to business.

“Honestly, it was great landlords that worked with us,” he added. “Without them, they wouldn’t be here.”

The building Sage Brewing moved into in Pasco was new, and he commended his landlords for having the foresight to work with tenants to ensure they could power through COVID restrictions and stay long term.

Crudup said based on sales alone, they wouldn’t have made it but between the Payment Protection Program and flexibility on his lease, the brewery is now able to add the second location.

“We kind of had this moment — Are we going to do this or not? But things got better,” he said.

Their beer will continue to be brewed in Pasco, and kegs will be trucked over to the Kennewick taphouse.

The expansive space with a deep wrap-around patio can seat about 60 outside.

The 10 rotating Sage beers on tap will mirror their Pasco site’s offerings. Their lineup is constantly changing, ranging from blond ales and IPAs to stouts.

Ciders also will continue to be available and eventually some wines.

And rotating popular food trucks will be on hand.

“This is space is fairly conducive to food trucks with a nice patio. We are putting in a small kitchenette for the trucks to prep,” Crudup said.

The setup is much like the Pasco space — eat from the food trucks on site or feel free to bring something from another restaurant or from home. Or, have food delivered there.

Crudup’s long-term goal is to have his own kitchen eventually.

But because the Kennewick taphouse will be licensed as a tavern — since the beer is not made on-site — no kids will be allowed. Only 21 and older will be permitted.

Families are still welcome in Pasco, he said.

“We are really hammering on the craft beer market and it will be upscale,” Crudup said. “It will have nice floors throughout with a really large space and new bar tops. It will have a different feel.”

The final stages of construction are being worked on, expecting to open the last week of September.

Hours are not set yet. Pasco’s are 3 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 to 8 p.m. Sundays.

“We are excited about the spot. There is new housing and new development,” he said. “It’s an area that could use what we are putting in. There’s not a lot around there and we’re hoping to draw the locals.”

More info: sagebrewing.beer; Facebook or Instagram.