Outskirts Co. opens its doors Tuesday, May 16, 2023! Beer lovers in the Yakima Valley have been waiting for the brand new addition to the Hop Country Craft Beer Trail. Here in the home of the hops, a new brewery is something to celebrate. With deep roots in the community and in the hop and brewing industry, the team at Outskirts has created a truly unique experience delivering great craft beer, food and entertainment in a welcoming, picturesque setting. Co-owner Cody Beebe shares the team’s inspiration for this new Hop Country gem.
The idea for Outskirts brewed among your team for awhile. What was the vision you shared?
Well, we purchased the property in 2019 and started down one path, only to be halted in early 2020 because of the pandemic. On the business side, this was a blessing in disguise because it allowed us time to think and pivot in a few different directions we hadn’t initially considered. So, the collective vision has changed a few times, but at the core of all of the owners, we all want to create a place for which the overall community of Central WA can be proud. Also, being that 4 out of 5 owners are originally from Selah, we wanted to bring something to our hometown that would better our community. The nice part is, as the name “The Outskirts” references, our location is really on the edge of Selah and the edge of Yakima, so we just hope to be a central location that can bring everyone together.
What inspired you to undertake the preservation of the “old, red barn” as your brewery’s home?
Honestly, it would have been much easier and much cheaper to knock it down and start fresh, but we all love and value the history of the building, its place in the Valley, and the nostalgia that all brings. We were able to use structural insulation panels to insulate the outside of the building so that we could keep all of the original interior wood untouched. We want patrons to feel like they are stepping back in time, but with modern comforts. I mean, some of the best times of my life were at parties in barns around the Valley. This is just the adult version of that!
What does it mean to be part of the hop country and craft beer community here in the Valley?
This Valley is awesome, that’s just all there is to it. There are a ton of great people doing great things to help make sure that people from outside of our area also believe that to be true. We’re excited to be a small part of this equation in a bigger effort to put our area on the map, not only for the agricultural products we grow here, but also for the community culture that brings it all to life. Two of our owners are in the hop industry directly, two of the other owners do work that services the hop industry and my other company also works closely with hop growers. No matter what you do in this Valley, you are somehow only one or two degrees of separation from agriculture, it drives everything. So, I suppose we’re ALL working toward these goals in one way or another.
Your beautiful space is home to much more than craft beer. With your music background, can we expect great entertainment?
I sure hope so! We have a beautiful backyard area with an amazing stage that we can’t wait to share with the community. We’ll be hosting summer concerts out there and will also have a small indoor stage for performances the rest of the year. I’ve taken a lot of pride in bringing quality national acts through the region over the years for our festivals and one-off events, and now it’s super exciting to have a physical location to do this year-round.
Follow Outskirts Brewing Co. on Facebook to see everything they have coming up!
Categorized in: Hops and Beer, Meet the Maker