Ready to pour: Moore Brewing Company opens Tuesday

MOSES LAKE — Moore Brewing Company is ready to open its doors – and its deck, and its beer taps – to the public.

“Our first thing was at Brews & Tunes (in 2022. It was super fun,” said Lorie Moore, who owns the business with her husband Chris and her father-in-law Brad. Chris’ son Zach is the brewmaster.

“We were still home-brewing at the time,” said Chris.

“Everybody showed up and everybody in town wanted to know where the brewery was,” Lorie said. “We were still dreaming it up at that point.”

The Moores sort of got into brewing by accident, they said.

“Our son-in-law was in college and he was making beer on the stovetop,” Chris said. “And once he graduated, he kind of moved up a little bit and was brewing in his parents’ backyard. We were friends with his parents, so we'd go there every week, and Zach and I watched them brewing in his backyard and kind of just started helping him out with that. Just kind of got a bug.”

Lorie and Chris came over to Moses Lake from the west side a couple of years ago to visit friends, Lorie said in a 2023 interview, and they liked what they saw. 

“My husband and I started kind of looking around, and really what captured my attention was Third (Avenue) downtown,” she said. “I just love small, quaint mom-and-pop shops, you know, small businesses and local business owners. That's what I was really looking for.”

They connected with real estate agent Anna Van Diest, who owns the building at 302 W. Broadway, and signed a lease just over a year ago.

The venerable building has had many names: The Southshore Restaurant, Barney Google’s, Ginny’s The Mighty Quinn, and finally the Broadway Bar & Grill, which closed in 2021. But folks who patronized those places would be hard-pressed to recognize it now. The entrance is on the west side of the building, opening onto a well-lit, airy space. Behind the bar is the brewing equipment, separated by glass, where customers can watch the next batch of beer being made. Tall glass doors open out onto the deck, which has been refurbished and has a view of the lake. 

It’s been a longer process than the Moore family expected, partly because of the red tape that comes with the assorted licenses and permits a brewery needs, and partly because the building needed a ton of TLC. Fortunately, Chris had had a construction business on the west side, and had a pretty good idea what to do.

“We pretty much took it to the studs,” he said. “(We) pulled all the concrete out … the drainage all the way to the sewer got done, all-new electrical, new plumbing, HVAC. So basically it was a full remodel.”

Moore Brewing can brew 124 gallons of beer at a time, Zach said, and can turn out a batch from start to finish in about a week. He’s planning on rotating the selection based on what customers seem to like, he said. On the menu for Tuesday are eight different styles, including a witbier, which is a Belgian beer made with wheat, a porter, an amber ale and a Pilsner called “The Pils that Pays the Bills.”

Families with children are welcome until 7 p.m., Lorie said, and well-behaved dogs are allowed on the deck. There are games available for patrons who have some time to kill, and a guitar in the corner in case anyone feels like playing. There are also T-shirts and other merch featuring the company’s slogan: “Drink Moore beer.”

There will be a small selection of food, including flatbreads, pizzas and pretzels with beer cheese – naturally, using their own beer. An independent food vendor will also have a truck set up nearby, Chris said.

A stone’s throw from the deck is a small dock on the lake, which the Moores hope will bring in some folks enjoying the water.

“There's a lot of boaters that tie up out here,” Lorie said. “So if they want to (they can) come up have a beer and grab a bite to eat, (and) take a beer to go.

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.

Moore Brewing Co.

302 W. Broadway Ave.
Moses Lake, WA 98837
509-794-9984

    Moore Brewing Company Brewmaster Zach Moore stands in front of his fermentation tanks. The brewery’s works are visible from the bar, so patrons can watch their next batch of beer being made.
  

    Changing the building over from its most recent incarnation as the Broadway Bar & Grill took about a year of hard work.
  

    One of the proudest features at Moore Brewing Company is the open deck overlooking the lake.