The Elysian Brewing Company is a craft brewer that operates three pubs in Seattle.

History

Elysian was founded in 1995 by Dave Buhler, Joe Bisacca, and Dick Cantwell. Cantwell had been a homebrewer who gained a reputation at the Duwamps Cafe, the Pike Place Brewery, and Big Time Brewing. Buhler is a former spirits wholesaler and Bisacca was a vice president at Seafirst Bank

Seafirst Bank

Seafirst Corporation was a bank holding company based in Seattle, Washington. Formed on November 11, 1929, from the merger of Seattle's three largest banks, the First National Bank Group, the Dexter Horton National Bank , and Seattle National Bank, the bank was originally named First Seattle Dexter...

. The original location was opened in 1996 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Its capacity is 20 barrels.

The company operated a brewpub at the local GameWorks

GameWorks

GameWorks is a chain of entertainment venues featuring video games, simulators, prizes, and a full service bar and restaurant. There are 7 GameWorks venues throughout the U.S. The first GameWorks opened in Downtown Seattle in March 1997....

 arcade between 1997 and 2002. In 2003, their pub and bistro, Tangletown, was opened near Green Lake

Green Lake (Seattle)

Green Lake is a freshwater lake in north central Seattle, Washington, USA, within Green Lake Park. The park is surrounded by the Green Lake neighborhood to the north and east, the Wallingford neighborhood to the south, the Phinney Ridge neighborhood to the west, and Woodland Park to the southwest...

. The largest location, Elyssian Fields, was opened in 2006. It is a brewpub near CenturyLink Field that is often busy on gameday.

In 2011, Elysian expanded its operations with a 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²) production-only facility in the Georgetown neighborhood.

Brews

The Wise ESB was the first beer from the brewery. Elysian has won multiple awards for their beers. The Wise, Dragontooth stout

Stout

Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....

, and Avatar Jasmine IPA

India Pale Ale

India Pale Ale or IPA is a style of beer within the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 19th century.The first known use of the expression "India pale ale" comes from an advertisement in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper published January 30, 1835...

 have done well at the World Beer Cup

World Beer Cup

The World Beer Cup, known as "The Olympics of Beer Competition", is one of several major international beer competitions. It was founded by Association of Brewers President Charlie Papazian....

. The brewery's beers earned it the Large Brewpub of the Year award at the Great American Beer Festival

Great American Beer Festival

The Great American Beer Festival is a three-day annual event hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado, in mid to late September or early October. This year, 2011, the festival runs from 29 September through 1 October. The GABF brings visitors from around the world to sample more...

 in 1999, 2003 and 2004. The Immortal IPA is also popular.

Elysian has a collaborative partnership with the New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing Company is a regional brewery located in Fort Collins, Colorado. It opened in 1991 after Jeff Lebesch, the brewery's founder, took his home-brewing passion commercial. In 2009, it produced over 582,000 barrels of its various labels...

 of Ft. Collins, Colorado. The brewery also partnered with The Men's Room (a program on the Seattle rock music radio station KISW) to produce a red ale that has become popular in the area.