Fremont Brewing in Seattle is a family-owned independent brewery. It opened in 2009 during the Great Recession. The brewery specializes in small artisan beers “made with the best local ingredients,” the company says.
The business lives by the mantra, “Because Beer Matters.” The owners admit that starting the company during the Great Recession was a bold decision, but they wouldn’t have done so if not for their passion for quality beer.
The brewery has two locations: one in Columbia City in southeast Seattle and the other in the Fremont neighborhood. It’s home to many types of people, but they all share one common trait: a love of beer. The brewery is only an eight-minute walk from the Columbia City light rail.
Matt Lincecum, co-founder and owner, is an experienced environmentalist who worked as an attorney before opening Fremont.
His law practice specialized in beverage and hospitality law, helping him achieve his dream of his own food and beverage space.
The other co-founder and owner, Sara Nelson, is a Seattle City Council member. She is a very pro-small business advocate, serving two at-large positions since 2022 and becoming council president in January 2024.
Nelson has a doctorate in cultural anthropology from the University of Washington. She entered public service in 2002 as a City Council legislative aide in 2002 and paused her civil service in 2009 to help open Fremont but served as an aide until 2013. Nelson led the brewery’s sustainability efforts and community partnerships.
Photo Courtesy Fremont Brewing
Fremont has been recognized for its ample sustainability efforts, winning several awards starting in 2014. The brewery says it uses 60% renewable energy for its electricity. Cans are made from 80% recycled material and have a lower weight that reduces carbon emissions from transportation.
On-site generated steam is used as an energy source over natural gas. Water metering is intensely monitored, exceeding a 5:1 per gallon ratio, and the brewery has sloped floors for better drainage and increased water conservation.
It is one of the original breweries to sign the Brewery Climate Declaration, a business call to action urging policymakers to take action on climate change.
The company is a member of EnviroStars, a Washington business hub that offers help and recognition for business owners with eco-friendly operations. It’s also part of the Washington Brewshed Alliance, a Washington Wild campaign to protect waterways from being overused. Beer’s water-intensive production also led Fremont to capture rainwater from the roof to use in landscaping and cleaning.
Hops are a big part of the locally-sourced mission at Fremont. The brewery is working with Stewardship Partners to source hops from Salmon-Safe sites.
Photo Courtesy NOAA
“As an indicator species, salmon tell us about the health of our Puget Sound watershed,” Stewardship Partners said on its website. “The decline of salmon runs in the face of water quality degradation and habitat loss is one of the most pressing environmental concerns facing Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest today.”
Salmon-Safe ensures that businesses, including breweries, are getting their produce while maintaining healthy watersheds.
The brewery also joined the American Organic Hop Grower Association to lobby the Food and Drug Administration to change the organic certification criteria for hops. The effort was made to ensure that beers labeled organic contain only organic hops.
Grains are also locally sourced. Fremont is a Founding Partner and Steering Committee member of the Cascadia Grains Conference, a Washington State University-Oregon State University partnership to revive sustainable grains in Western Washington. Farmers grow a specialty malt barley for the brewery.
In 2018, Fremont won the Green/Sustainable Business Award from the Greater Seattle Business Association. It even won the Washington Manufacturer of the Year from the Association of Washington Business in 2015.
Fremont leads policy action to make Seattle more equitable and diverse. Nelson served on the Brewers Association Government Affairs Committee to promote craft beer-friendly policy. In 2015 and 2016, Fremont directed a campaign to reduce small brewers’ federal excise tax while ensuring fair retail access. The company has also worked with several nonprofits supporting women in beer, participating in Hopes for Heroes, a veterans’ charity beer that donates profits to Operation Homefront, Ales for ALS, and Fremont Pride.
Fremont wants to be a progressive part of the Seattle community. Leading by example is one of the best ways to do that.
