Rainier Launches New Beer for First Time in Two Decades

This week, beer lovers throughout the Northwest will soon find a new beer from Rainier Brewing Company in stores, bars and restaurants for the first time in nearly 20 years. What’s more, Rainier Pale Mountain Ale will be brewed in Woodinville, WA, marking another historic milestone—the return of Rainier brewing operations to Washington state for the first time in 13 years.

Both the beer and the packaging for Rainier Pale Mountain Ale were inspired by one of Rainier’s own post-Prohibition pale ales from the 1930s. The new beer is made using two-row barley and Yakima Valley hops, giving it a solid malt backbone and a clean, citrus finish. In retail locations, it will be offered in unique, 16-oz. “pounder” bottles sporting retro-style labeling and embossed, signature Rainier “R”s. Rainier Pale Mountain Ale will also be available at restaurants, bars and taverns in bottles and on draft.

“In developing Rainier Pale Mountain Ale, we mined Rainier’s archives for post-prohibition pale ale recipes and worked hard to stay true to the authenticity of the brew while adapting to modern tastes,” said Greg Deuhs, Master Brewer at Pabst Brewing Company, parent company to Rainier. “I’m very proud of what we came up with.” From 2008-2012, Deuhs served as Director of Operations at the Craft Brew Alliance Woodinville brewery, where Rainier Pale Mountain Ale will be brewed.

At a May 13 launch party for the new beer at Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry, King County Executive Dow Constantine remarked that “a lot of us remember Rainier as the first beer we shared with our dads or granddads.” Constantine added that, “to have Rainier back in our community is really capturing a little piece of authentic Seattle culture and history.”

The launch of Rainier Pale Mountain Ale marks the beginning of an effort by Rainier to develop more craft-style beers inspired by the company’s archives and 137 years of brewing tradition. Rainier Pale Mountain Ale will be distributed throughout Wash., Ore., Idaho, Mont. and Nor. Calif. The suggested six pack retail price is $11.99.