Brew pub finds its niche in Kent’s historic downtown

The oven timer at the Airways Brewing Co. Beer & Bistro goes off, drawing the whole room’s attention to a potentially burned dinner.

Chef Brandon Eckert, who isn’t near the oven, makes an exaggerated dash past the bar, yelling “do it now!” in his best hammed up Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation.

The crowd laughs and cheers him on. That’s the kind of atmosphere that Airways Brewery founders wanted to create at its establishment – a relaxed, friendly and unpretentious brewpub built to help foster interaction in Kent.

Airways Brewing celebrated the second anniversary of its downtown pub, 320 W. Harrison St., on Nov. 7. The microbrewery, founded by Alex and Dionne Dittmar, opened in 2009 in the West Valley Business Park on 196th Street and Washington Avenue.

In 2011, the Dittmars expanded the establishment to Kent’s historic downtown. While many other local businesses have struggled to sustain themselves over the last four years, Airways has thrived. Many patrons — and the owners — attribute this to the bar’s quality brews and pleasant aesthetic, but most importantly the community atmosphere it fosters.

Airways began with only two drinks, its Jet City IPA and Chocolate Coconut Stout, but now it carries 11 different beers under its banner, ranging from its renowned Sky Hag IPA to Midnight Departure Canadian Dark Ale. Manger Erin Caywood prefers the Midnight Departure for its mix of hops and barley that creates a smooth, rich texture with a bitter finish.

The blue and beige toned interior feels distinctly different from what other Kent bars offer, and Caywood says that the tavern license restricts its purchases to beer alone. It angles the brewery away from patrons who drink cheap beer and liquor, says Caywood.

According to Caywood, while visitors to a typical bar or club will know exactly what they want, the bistro encourages its clientele to explore different kinds of local beers.

“This place definitely has its niche,” said David Wu, who works in IT for The Boeing Co. Wu complimented the bar on its “Northwest flavor,” both in decor and theme, which ties in well with Boeing.

Kent resident Jamie Baas said that he keeps returning for the quality beer that is close by. “They have a great product,” Baas said.

But the most important ingredient to their success, say many patrons, is the atmosphere the staff create.

“It’s more of a pub than a bar,” said regular Tom Bath, “this is a very friendly atmosphere.”

The brewpub has developed a small but loyal clientele base and has carved out its own space near Kent Station.

Sharon Rountree, a regular, said that she feels genuinely welcome, where many of the patrons were friends or became friends through meeting at the brewpub.

“I feel like I’m hanging out with my family,” she said.

While there were plenty of smiles to go around during the night, the celebration also emphasized the small brewery’s need to expand. With more than 30 visitors at one peak, there often wasn’t enough table space to go around and many patrons found themselves standing behind the bar with a beer in hand.

“We know that we’re at a point where we should expand,” said co-owner Rob Leviton.

Owners are trying to find the “logical next steps” to make this happen. Whichever way they go, Leviton says, they’ll stay true to their goal of fostering a friendly atmosphere at the pub and creating “a community within a community.”