FAQ
Taproom
What are your hours?
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Saturday: Noon to 9pm
Sunday: Noon to 6pm
Where should I park?
All of our parking is on-street. If angle-in parking is full on Edison Ave. in front of the taproom, please look for either parallel or angle-in parking along South 5th Street. The SemaConnect EV charging stations are located along S 5th St. near the statue of Bonnie Dunbar.
Is your taproom family friendly?
Yes, we welcome children but do ask that kids stay with their parents while visiting the taproom. The beer garden is open for kids to run & play outside as well.
Is your taproom dog friendly?
Yes, well behaved dogs are welcome in the taproom & beer garden while on leash. Let us know if you need any doggie bags.
Do you sell gift cards?
Yes, physical gift cards are available in the taproom, or you can order e-cards online.
Do you accept reservations?
We will reserve tables for parties of at least 8 people, though reservations are usually only needed for larger groups, or on busy evenings.
Will you host my private event?
We do not generally host private events on days that the taproom would normally be open.
Do you have anything to drink besides beer?
Yes, we have a selection of non-alcoholic juices, sodas & seltzers available.
Do you have food available?
We try to schedule food trucks for most days that we are open, and we post the food truck schedule on our Facebook & Instagram feeds weekly. Even when we do have a food truck you’re always welcome to bring in outside food.
Can I buy beer to-go at your taproom?
Yes, we stock a cooler of to-go beers, hard ciders & non-alcoholic beverages that you can purchase in the taproom. We also fill growlers if you bring one in, but we do not sell growlers themselves, usually.
Is there a current list of beer on tap?
Not yet. Soon.
Can I bring in my own food?
Yes, you are welcome to bring in outside food anytime. This includes when food trucks are present, or birthday food if you want to celebrate in our taproom. Just no outside alcohol, please.
Beer
Where can I find your beer?
Our beers are usually available in our taproom in Sunnyside, or at specialty beer retailers within Washington state & Oregon. We are not a large brewery so our beer may not be available all the time. Standards such as Twine Climber IPA & Sunflight Citrus Wheat are often available though, especially in the Yakima Valley.
In Yakima, Essencia Artisan Bakery & Wray’s Thriftway IGA stores often carry our beers, as well as specialty shops like Schab’s Bier Den.
In the Tri-Cities area our beers are often available at Brews Taproom in Pasco and on draft at Tri-Cities Tap & Barrel in Richland.
In Spokane, we try to keep Community Pint stocked with cans.
In the greater Seattle area our beer is distributed by Orcas Distribution in Kent. They supply our cans & kegs to specialty beer stores such as Chuck’s Hop Shop, The Beer Junction, Full Throttle Bottles, The Brewmasters Taproom & Bottleworks. If you would like our beer carried at a local Seattle area store, please ask the store to order our beers through Orcas.
In Southwest Washington our beers are distributed by Southbound Distributing.
In Oregon our beers are distributed through Alebriated Distribution and are often available at great craft beer retailers. If you would like our beers to be carried at a store in Oregon please ask them to contact Alebriated for sales.
Outside of Oregon & Washington our beers are sometimes available in Idaho, Colorado (through Craft Alley) & Northern California. You may be able to order them throughout most other states through Beer Drop.
Do you ship your beer?
We ship our beers within Washington state through UPS.
Is your beer vegan?
Nearly all beers we brew do not use animal products, though some beers will contain lactose derived from dairy. When we do use lactose we will label our beers as containing it.
Do you have calorie information for your beer?
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Does your beer contain allergens?
Our beers generally contain gluten from malted barley. We also use wheat at times. When our beer contains wheat or other potential allergens we will make an effort to state it on the label, in sales literature, or release information.
Can I sell your beer? Who distributes your beer?
If you are located in Central Washington we may be able to hook you up. Contact us at sales@varietalbeer.com and we will contact you.
In the greater Seattle region, we are distributed through Orcas Distributing.
Southwest Washington distribution is through Southbound Distributing.
Oregon distribution is through Alebriated Distribution.
Can I buy a keg of your beer for my kegerator or private event?
If you live in the Yakima Valley we may be able to provide you with a keg, depending on availability. Please contact info@varietalbeer.com or call our taproom to see what’s available.
Do you brew all your beer in Sunnyside?
Yes, all of our beers are brewed in Sunnyside, Washington! We do like to collaborate with other breweries so double check to make sure a specific beer wasn’t brewed at another brewery.
Brewery
What size brewhouse do you have?
We have a slightly oversized 10bbl brewhouse that can produce around 310 US gallons of unfermented wort for each batch.
Do you brew all of your beers at your brewery?
All of our beer is brewed in Sunnyside at the taproom/brewery. Collaborations may be brewed at our partner breweries but feel free to ask to verify where a beer was brewed.
How much fermentation capacity do you have?
The current fermentation capacity in our brewery is 100bbl though this doesn’t include barrel fermentations.
When will you brew XYZ beer again?
We brew Casita Lager, Twine Climber IPA & Sunflight Citrus Wheat Ale pretty regularly and we brew Sup Cuz IPA from time to time, but most other beers we brew are always changing and even if you love a beer it may not be brewed again. If there’s a particular beer you like please let us know! That’s the best way to encourage us to brew it again, though we can’t promise that it will happen.
Why don’t you brew XYZ beer style?
We brew what we like, but we don’t brew a lot of styles of beer that other breweries are making. Feel free to ask us to brew something but please do not be upset if it doesn’t happen.
How often do you release wild ales?
Wild ales take a long time to mature and aren’t worth rushing. We also like to use fruit when it is in season, so a lot of our wild ale fermentation & blending is timed to let us blend and add fruit at the best time for the fruit we plan to use. Our wild ales are all bottle conditioned, which takes additional months after the beer is finished. We release the beer when it’s ready.
What’s in your barrels?
We always have some beer aging in barrels. Spirit barrels are almost always clean beers, usually higher gravity styles like imperial stout or barleywine.
Our wild ale program uses wine barrels sourced from local wineries for aging a few different base beers we blend to create our wild releases.
Where does your malt come from?
Over 90% of our base malt is grown in the Pacific Northwest. We are a certified craft malt brewery with the craft maltsters guild. We purchase the bulk of our malt from LINC Malt in Spokane.
Where do your hops come from?
The most common hops we use are grown here in the Yakima Valley. While we do use foreign-grown hops for certain beers, we try to use locally-grown hops as much as possible. To this extent, we produce some beers that feature hops from single farms in our area, which is a fun way to experience the hop terroir of a farm.
Sunnyside
Where’s Sunnyside?
Sunnyside, Washington is located in the lower Yakima Valley, roughly 35 miles Southeast of Yakima and 42 miles West of Richland. If you’re traveling from Yakima it’ll take about 35 minutes to get to the brewery. We are about 1 hour 45 minutes from Walla Walla, along the way to Seattle, and roughly 3 hours from Seatttle.
Why Sunnyside?
Why not Sunnyside! The city of Sunnyside is close to the heart of the hop growing region, the lower Yakima Valley. This area is under-served by great beer, even as we grow the bulk of the nation’s hops, and we’re trying to help change that by bringing more attention to this area as more breweries connect back to our neighboring farms that grow their hops.
Sunnyside is the second-largest metro area in Yakima county, and is home to food processors, manufacturers, wineries, agricultural businesses & professional services. Our customers work hard and deserve beer that’s more than an afterthought.
Our taproom proudly serves our community as well as the rest of the Yakima Valley.
Where should I stay in Sunnyside?
We highly recommend the Sunnyside Inn, a bed & breakfast on Edison Avenue, just a few blocks from the brewery and in comfortable walking distance from the taproom & Co Dinn Cellars.
For a room closer to I-82, we recommend Best Western Plus Grapevine Inn, at exit 69. It’s not as close to the taproom but they provide an excellent value & level of quality.
Where’s a good place to eat in Sunnyside?
We try not to pick favorites but for sandwiches & brunch check out Bon Vino’s Bakery & Bistro and for excellent Mexican-style street food check out Tacos el Pelon food cart. There are plenty of other options to eat at, and we try to host food trucks or caterer pop-ups throughout the week.
What else is there to do in Sunnyside?
If you’re looking to visit Sunnyside, check out the official site first. We are located across the street from Sunnyside Central Park, which includes their public pool and a skate park. If you’re looking for small shops locally, we recommend French Vanilla Market & Bonzi’s. If you’re interested in other fermented beverages, Co Dinn Cellars & Côte Bonneville for excellent locally produced wine featuring grapes from the Snipes Mountain AVA & other local AVAs.
There are several large events that Sunnyside hosts annually that may require planning ahead:
Cinco de Mayo usually brings a parade & midway with concessions on May 5th.
Sunnyside Summer Ale Festival occurs in early June and features beers from the region, along with food trucks, concessions & live music. It’s located across the street from the taproom when it happens.
The Sunnyside Lighted Implement Parade occurs in early December and brings thousands of people to town to watch the lighted farm implements and floats covered with lights.
Outside of Sunnyside, there are a large number of wineries between Zillah & Prosser to enjoy, along with many other attractions. If you’re interested in visiting the Yakima Valley we recommend checking out The Visit Yakima Valley site as well as Wine Yakima Valley for a more wine-focused
Is there a place to charge my EV?
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When does the Sunnyside Summer Ale Fest happen?
The Sunnyside Summer Ale Festival is back for 2022 on June 18th! More information will be available at the official site.