By Kate Scriven
Dick’s Brewing Company is one of the originals. With craft breweries popping up with increasing frequency, it’s sometimes easy to forget the ones that have been there from the beginning.
Dick Young started brewing beer at home, as many craft brewers do. His passion became a livelihood and grew from a small operation adjacent to his primary business, Northwest Sausage and Deli in 1994 to the large scale brewing and bottling operation it is today. Starting with his original three beers, Dick’s Pale Ale, Lava Rock Porter, and Dick Danger Ale, the line grew to include over 20 beers in 2008 when the brewery moved to the 18,000 square foot Galvin Road facility in Centralia. Sadly, Young passed away suddenly in 2009 leaving his daughter, Julie Pendelton as the owner of Dick’s Brewing, carrying on his dream and legacy.
In the five years since Young’s death, the brewery has continued to grow its consistent brews, loyal fans, and wide distribution. The Dick Danger Ale is still the most popular beer they make and new offerings, including the wildly popular 12 Man Pale Ale, have brought new fans to the longtime micro-brewery.
This year, Dick’s Brewing Company celebrates 20 years of creating quality craft beers with the introduction of a brand new beer and fresh new look.
Launched on July 18, Dick’s Midnight Ride is a brand new recipe developed by head brewer Dave Pendelton. The brew is a Black IPA which Julie Pendelton describes as, “a dark, malty beer with great hop profile.” Also known as a Cascadian Dark Ale, it is the first of Dick’s Beers to sport the Brewery’s new label and logo.
“Midnight Ride’s name and label are a tribute to my dad and his legacy at Dick’s Brewing,” shares Pendelton. “The label has the same lightning bolt as Dick Danger and includes a motorcycle, a true symbol of my dad.”
The name also holds significance for the brewery’s journey over the last 20 years. “It’s been a long ride – a long journey – getting to the point where we are today. And we have a long road ahead with a lot of growth and potential in the future,” explains Pendelton. “The Midnight Ride name is a symbol that we are right in the middle of this great journey we are on.”
Midnight Ride can be found on the shelves at local bottle shops and kegs are shipping out to area restaurants and bars carrying Dick’s beers on tap. Try a pint of the new brew next time you’re feeling thirsty.
Along with the newly launched beer, the Centralia-based brewery has revamped their logo, modernizing the simple graphic which has been with the company since Dick Young’s initial barrels. The logo keeps the iconic red diamond fans associate with the brand, but updates the look with modern graphics and text including a nod to the essential hops used in each batch. Find the logo on pint glasses and growlers, too, available for purchase at the Tap Room and Northwest Sausage and Deli.
The new logo spurred a review of the overall look of Dick’s many beers. “We don’t really know where a lot of the graphics for each of our different labels came from,” laughs Pendelton. “My dad picked most of them, probably based on something he thought was cool that day.”
She admits an attachment to the old labels, particularly the Dick Danger label, and was hesitant to change them. “My dad picked these labels. They are a piece of him, and we really want to honor him and his legacy,” she explains. “But, we also need to create a cohesive look for all our products, making them instantly recognizable as Dick’s Beer when you see them on the shelf.”
The newly designed labels retain some of the original images but are now formatted with the new logo and a standard design for all Dick’s beers. You’ll find the new labels currently on the Midnight Ride Black IPA and Dick Danger Ale. The remaining beers will roll out with the new art in late August. For a preview, stop by the tap room on Fridays for a cold pint. All of the re-vamped labels are on display.
It’s not just the labels that have a new look, either. The popular Dick’s Variety Packs have a brand new box including the new logo and are hard to miss on the shelves. Each pack contains a minimum of eight different beers with a total of twelve in the pack. You never know exactly what you might get, changing with seasonal beers and special releases. “It was time for the Variety Pack to ‘grow up’ a bit,” laughs Pendelton. “The original box design was 20 years old – we were ready for something new.”
Dick’s Brewing Company will formally celebrate their Twentieth Anniversary on Saturday, October 25, 2014 from 3 – 8:30 p.m. at the brewery, coinciding with the honoring of Dick Young’s passing. “Yes, we’ve been around 20 years,” says Pendelton, “but we hope our consistently quality beers along with our fresh new look remind people why they’ve loved us for so long. We want people to remember that Dick’s has been here all along and will be for many years to come.”
