Olympia Beer: Where To Buy And Taste This Classic

Olympia Beer, a lager first brewed in 1896, is no longer available for purchase as of January 2021. Pabst Brewing Co., which acquired the brand in 1999, announced that it would be halting production of the beer due to declining sales. The company stated that it hopes to bring Olympia Beer back home to its original hometown of Tumwater, Washington, in the future. In the meantime, the Olympia Distilling Company in Tumwater will continue to produce its award-winning Olympia Artesian Vodka.

Olympia beer is no longer brewed in Olympia, Washington

Olympia Beer, a lager first brewed in 1896, is no longer brewed in Olympia, Washington. The beer was founded in Tumwater, Washington, by German immigrant Leopold Friederich Schmidt, who built a four-story wooden brewhouse, a five-story cellar building, and a bottling and keg plant. In 1902, the firm became the Olympia Brewing Company, with Frank Kenney as its secretary. It was Frank Kenney who proposed the slogan "It's the Water" to promote the beer.

The brand was sold to G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1983, which was then purchased by Stroh Brewery Company in 1996. In 1999, Pabst Brewing Company bought most of the Stroh brands, including Olympia. However, the Tumwater brewery, which produced Olympia Beer, was closed in 2003, and the beer has not been brewed in its hometown since.

In recent years, Olympia Beer has been contract-brewed by Molson Coors in Irwindale, California. However, in January 2021, Pabst Brewing Company announced that it would be "temporarily pausing production" of Olympia Beer due to a lack of demand and a shift in focus towards its distilled spirit line, Olympia Distilling Company.

While it is no longer brewed in Olympia, Washington, the brand has expressed hopes of bringing Olympia Beer "back home" to be brewed locally in the future.

Pabst Brewing Co. has paused production of Olympia beer

"Sadly, we have not been able to find a solution to the challenges posed by reduced beer sales and have had to make the difficult decision of temporarily pausing production of Olympia Beer," the company said in a statement. "We remain committed to finding the best solution to keep brewing Olympia Beer in the future."

The pause in production is only temporary, and the company hopes to bring the beer back in the future. In the meantime, the Olympia Distilling Company in Tumwater, which produces award-winning Olympia Artesian Vodka, will continue its operations.

The decision to pause production is a result of a series of challenges faced by the brand in recent years. The original Tumwater brewery, known for its slogan "It's the Water," has been closed since 2003, and the brand has changed hands multiple times since the 1980s. The pause in production will allow Pabst Brewing Co. to re-evaluate their strategy and find a way to bring the beer back to its former glory.

Olympia Distilling Co. produces Olympia's award-winning vodka

Leopold Schmidt, an outdoorsman, brewmaster, and adventurer, founded the Olympia Brewing Company in Tumwater in 1895 or 1896. The company's slogan was "It's the Water", referring to the artisan waters found in the area. The water used in the vodka is sourced from rainfall in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range, which flows down between sloping layers of bedrock, collecting minerals and electrolytes and undergoing a natural filtering process.

Olympia's artesian vodka is crafted with the belief that the quality of the water is as important, if not more so, than the filtering and distillation processes. The brand won two gold medals and was named Washington State Vodka Distillery of the Year in 2020. BartendersBusiness.com also recommended the vodka, urging bartenders and mixologists in the US to try it.

The vodka is available for purchase in retail stores, restaurants, and bars in Washington, Oregon, and Montana. It can also be found online through platforms like Flaviar, Drizly, and Caskers. The Olympia Distilling Co. continues to operate in Tumwater, with the brand expressing hope to bring their beer back to the same location in the future.

Olympia beer was founded in Tumwater, Washington in 1896

Schmidt founded The Capital Brewing Company at Tumwater Falls on the Deschutes River. Here, he built a four-story wooden brewhouse, a five-story cellar building, a one-story ice factory, and a bottling and keg plant. In July 1896, brewing commenced at the tiny Tumwater brewery, and three months later, "Olympian Standard" was offered on draught in the capital city. The first bottled beer produced was Pale Export, which was initially siphoned from wooden barrels and hand-labelled.

In 1902, the company became the Olympia Brewing Company, with the slogan "It's the Water", chosen to promote the brewery's flagship product and explain why Tumwater lagers were so good. The company's business model was "Quality First - Quantity Next". The Olympia Brewing Company became a prominent, single-brand producer, and the beer was shipped to gold rush towns throughout Alaska.

The brewery changed hands several times over the years, and in 1999, Pabst Brewing Company purchased many of the brands under the Stroh Brewing Co. portfolio, including Olympia Beer. However, the Tumwater brewery closed in 2003, and Olympia Beer has not been brewed in its hometown since. In January 2021, Pabst Brewing Company announced that it was "temporarily pausing production" of Olympia Beer due to a lack of demand.

Olympia beer is available to buy online

Olympia Beer, the iconic lager, is currently not being brewed. The brand has stated that it hopes to "bring Olympia Beer back home" to Tumwater, Washington, one day. However, that does not mean that you cannot buy it online.

In fact, several online retailers, such as Drizly, still offer Olympia Beer for sale. You can simply enter your delivery address on their website and get the beer delivered to your doorstep in under 60 minutes.

It is important to note that the availability of Olympia Beer may vary depending on your location and the stock levels of the online retailer. While some retailers may still have it in stock, others might have run out due to the temporary halt in production.

The pause in production was announced by Pabst Brewing Co., the current owner of the brand, in January 2021 due to a decline in demand. The beer was last produced in Tumwater, its original brewing location, in June 2003. Since then, it has been brewed in various locations around the United States.

So, if you're looking to buy Olympia Beer online, act fast before the remaining stock runs out. Head over to websites like Drizly, enter your delivery address, and enjoy your Olympia Beer delivered right to you.

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