BLACK DIAMOND, Wash. — "This is our family dream," Melissa Earl said, between pours at Lumber House Brewery in Black Diamond. "We've been doing this for 10 years now. We wanted a gathering place where we could feature our wonderful delicious beer that my husband crafted himself and bring our community together."
Lumber House Brewery began when Melissa's husband Jake got a Mister Beer kit as a Christmas present.
"And the rest is history," Melissa laughed.
"I like the chemistry of it," Jake said. "The formulation and the recipes."
It's all led to customer favorites like the Flashburn Jalapeno Pale Ale.
"It actually has real live jalapenos in it," Melissa said.
There's also the award winning Tres Brewers Mexican lager.
"It's meant to go down easy," she added.
Jake says the best part about being a brew master is seeing customers enjoy the product.
"They like the beer," he said. " It's clean. It's crisp. It's refreshing. Anyone can drink it. It's nothing off the wall, too crazy or weird."
Here the beer on tap isn't the only thing overflowing. So is the good will. Sherrie Evans and other volunteers at the local museum have made Lumber House Brewery a regular stop.
"It's fun to be here, bring our business here, and meet with friends! We come Fridays at 3 o'clock if you want to join us," she laughed.
We like Sherrie Evans and we're glad we asked her to present the Best of Western Washington award.
"You treat your customers with such special care," she told the Earls.
"We try," Melissa said.
"You don't just try. You do. So that's why we are all here," Evans said.
After more than a decade of brewing and moving to three different locations, Jake and Melissa Earl can finally take a breath and celebrate a dream come true.
"I can't explain how powerful a moment this is," Melissa said. "It's very powerful. It's extra special."
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