Métier Beer is brewing up a new Central District Taproom

Seattle – Métier Brewing Company (MBC), Washington’s purpose-driven Black-owned craft brewery, will open

a new taproom in Seattle’s Central District, as part of the company’s vision to build and foster community

beyond its original Woodinville location. The new space, located at 2616 East Cherry Street, is slated to open

February 2022, and will feature MBC’s award-winning beers alongside Japanese street food by Umami Kushi.

“We’re excited to be expanding into one of Seattle’s historically Black neighborhoods,” said MBC CEO and co-

founder Rodney Hines. “We were incredibly intentional about selecting the right location for our new space.

We’re looking forward to the opportunities that MBC at Cherry Street will provide in pursuing our mission to

brew damn good beer and build stronger community to inspire bigger dreams for all.”

MBC at Cherry Street will serve as the brewery’s new flagship location, offering a community gathering space

featuring rotating taps of the brewery’s award-winning brews including its coconut porter, Belgian Golden,

Kolsch, and Belgian Wit. The space will complement MBC’s original Woodinville taproom, beerhall and

production facility, which will remain open, as well.

MBC at Cherry Street will open in early 2022 featuring Umami Kushi Japanese street food

"Many of the community-building elements we launched in Woodinville, including the MBC Founders Club,

Legion of Brews beer club membership, barrel aged subscriptions and our popular ‘Beer it Forward’ wall will

be offered at Cherry Street,” Hines added.

Umami Kushi, owned and founded by Harold Fields in 2009, will serve up Japanese street food within the new

taproom, offering richly flavorful simple eats that complement MBC beers. Umami Kushi is known for okazu

pan — a fried bread stuffed with a savory filling — and they also serve other classic Japanese foods like

yakitori, and will be open mornings to serve pans and sweet, warm beignets. In addition to its pop-up location

inside MBC at Cherry Street, Umami Kushi’s Rainier Beach flagship store offering all their all their okazu pans, is

open Thursday through Sunday, 9am-3pm.

MBC’s new 2,000-square-foot space, owned and newly redeveloped by prolific Seattle developer Liz Dunn,

was historically used as an auto garage and blacksmith studio, and is situated among many of the Central

District neighborhood’s locally and Black-owned businesses.

“We share a passion for urban economic development in the service of social equity, preservation, and local

opportunity,” said developer Liz Dunn of the partnership with MBC. “Developing this property in partnership

with MBC was squarely in my wheelhouse in the sense that the space has great bones and sits on a lovely fine-

grained, nicely treed section of East Cherry Street where locally owned African-American businesses are still

prevalent, but due to the building’s size might have otherwise sat neglected or been demolished to make way

for a couple of pricey townhouses.”

Marc Greene, founder, and contractor of Greene Home Redesign (GHR), is heading up the taproom’s buildout.

GHR is a proud Veteran and Black-owned business firmly dedicated to preparing and positioning itself in order

to remove barriers faced by minority contractors. The company focuses on hiring other minority

subcontractors in order to build bridges and establish partnerships, providing an excellent experience and

positive outcome for its clients.

According to Hines, the brewery seeks to build its new taproom team with experienced candidates who grew

up and live in the Central District. In that vein, MBC, in partnership with Reuben’s Brews, recently launched a

mentorship program designed to inspire and empower underrepresented people to build careers in the beer

industry. The program, called the Mosaic State Brewers Collective (MSBC), aims to develop future leaders in

the brewing industry reflective of the nation’s diversity.

MBC at Cherry Street will be open Tuesday through Sunday. Those who appreciate a well-crafted brew also

can find MBC beers at more than 150 premier restaurants, taprooms, and bars throughout the Puget Sound

region. To learn more about hours of operation, MBC’s Founders Club, and Legion of Brews before they sell

out, visit www.metierbrewing.com.

Final note, MBC’s new logo. With the growth and expansion underway for MBC, it was time to better reflect

the company’s mission, spirit and values in its logo. Seattle-based, Black-owned creative studio Conflare has

helped elevate the brand through this logo design.