Optimism Brewing Announces Planned Sale to Stoup Brewing
Longtime friends and independent brewery peers unveil late August transition plan for Stoup Brewing to expand into Capitol Hill location
SEATTLE—June 20, 2023—Two well-respected, independent Seattle breweries with neighborhood taproom destinations have inked a deal that will make Stoup Brewing the owner of Capitol Hill-based Optimism Brewing in late August. Stoup is purchasing the assets of Optimism Brewing taproom and brewery and will operate it as Stoup Brewing. Optimism owners and husband-wife team Gay Gilmore and Troy Hakala will maintain ownership of the 16,000-square-foot building located at 1158 Broadway St. Financial details of the sale will not be disclosed.
Optimism Brewing was founded in 2013. Gilmore and Hakala, Capitol Hill residents, took on an ambitious construction and rehabilitation of a century-old warehouse and officially opened on December 5, 2015, the anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition. In the seven years since, Optimism galvanized itself as a community stalwart, remained strong through the Covid-19 pandemic, and continues to turn a profit.
The two self-professed brand-builders and entrepreneurs both worked at Microsoft, then founded, built up, and sold Recipezaar/Food.com. With growing children, the couple forged a plan with Stoup that would keep the space a beloved neighborhood brewery destination in the hands of independent, like-minded peers.
“People thought Troy and I were crazy to build such a large taproom in the middle of the city, with a focus on causes and community,” Gilmore said. “We are so proud of what we’ve accomplished with Optimism and grateful to our customers all these years. Stoup has what is required to scale the business to the next level.”
Hakala added “After two years of building Optimism, nearly eight years of brewing and selling beer, including two years of Covid resiliency, we’ve reached a plateau and logical transition point. We’re happy this opens doors and opportunities for Stoup to grow.”
Stoup Brewing, known as a purveyor of award-winning beers served in a thoughtful, communal space, opened in Oct. 2013 as a cornerstone of Seattle’s burgeoning Ballard “Brewery District.” The partners include Robyn Schumacher, and married couple Lara Zahaba and Brad Benson—the latter being Stoup’s head brewer and director of brewing operations. The team partnered in a second location during Covid-19's fallout in May 2021: Stoup Kenmore, a taproom and kitchen in conjunction with the Weimann-Maclise restaurants. Last year, the much-lauded brewery was named the Washington Beer Awards’ Large Brewery of the Year (Stoup brews 6,000 BBL annually). Stoup’s beer offerings are found at the taprooms and, via self-distribution at select restaurants, bars and retailers.
“We are honored to be entrusted with the next chapter and are very excited to join the vibrant, inclusive Capitol Hill neighborhood,” Zahaba said, noting that Gilmore and Hakala care deeply for the business they built and for their employees who have imbued the customer experience.
Benson, who shares Hakala’s science-minded passion for brewing and whose first career was as a forensic chemist added “Troy and Gay have designed a first-class brewery and we are really looking forward to producing Stoup beers on Capitol Hill.”
Before either brewery opened its doors, the partners crossed paths on an earlier opportunity but continued in different directions. Schumacher, a former school teacher, was researching a bottle shop/ neighborhood market concept with a group of other business owners. Gilmore coincidentally was researching a similar concept at the same time and a contact brought the two together. They considered combining forces on the project, but Hakala and Gilmore chose to open Optimism, while Schumacher joined Zahaba and Benson to open Stoup Brewing.
Stoup and Optimism’s operating models are well-aligned. Both award-winning breweries are independent, local, scientifically-minded, and share inclusive values. Their taprooms are neighborhood-oriented and always family-friendly. Both boast exceptional staff retention; several employees have remained since their respective, earliest days. Also notable: Both have women in ownership and represent roughly 50% of staff (which for Stoup also represents four women among its nine brewers and cellar crew). Stoup also has an LGBTQ partner.
Excluding the partners, Stoup currently has 18 full-time and 10 part-time employees at the Ballard location and approximately 30 employees in Kenmore; Optimism has 11 full-time and 10 part-time employees. Zahaba said Stoup hopes to retain as many Optimism employees as possible and will explore all opportunities. Gilmore and Hakala said they were purposeful in giving their own staff ample notice before the transition and in providing severance pay to those who will not continue with Stoup.
Optimism is the largest taproom in the state when measured by square footage and draft beer sales. The Stoup partners said they were excited to embrace the added flexibility inherent in a second brewery.
Upon closing, Stoup will change signage and make small details reflective of the Stoup brand. The food trucks and beverage offerings will likely remain very similar, Zahaba said. Stoup will make and sell its own beer at the Capitol Hill location. Hours may see small adjustments.
“We are excited to bring Stoup beer to the Capitol Hill neighborhood and to continue the community focused spirit that Gay and Troy have built through Optimism,” Schumacher said.
Media Coverage
“Two Seattle breweries born just under 10 years ago are combining, bringing an end to Capitol Hill’s Optimism Brewing. But the woman-owned, scientifically-minded beer making will continue and the taps will still flow at Optimism’s auto row-era showroom transformed into a modern Capitol Hill beer hall. “We love that it is continuing. We built it as a place that we wanted to go to and it’s going to stay exactly as it is,” Optimism co-founder Troy Hakala said Monday. “And Capitol Hill is getting great Stoup beer.”
“A decade ago when Optimism Brewing opened, the intention behind the business was uncommon. The brewery’s founders sought to create an environment that was more inclusive and diverse than what they were seeing in the industry at the time. All these years later, a notable portion of the craft beer world has caught the drift and today many breweries are working for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive industry. In the brewhouse and on both sides of the bar, there’s still a lot of work to do, but the industry is making progress, and pioneers like Optimism Brewing deserve our thanks.”
“On the customer end, the taproom experience shouldn’t change much, though Optimism fans will surely be sad about Gilmore and Hakala stepping back. But it sounds as if the couple were satisfied that having grown a successful, profitable business, they could sell it to another set of brewers who shared their inclusive values.”
“Over the years, the taproom has become that proverbial third place, with book club meetups and PTA get-togethers.
“Capitol Hill is such a dynamic…and diverse neighborhood,” said Stoup co-owner Lara Zahaba. “That’s why it was appealing to us.”