Olympia and beer. The two have been synonymous since 1895, when a brewer from Montana found the water here to be something special. The legacy of the Olympia Brewing Company, now gone, lives on through other local brewers and breweries who share Leopold Schmidt’s dream of the perfect beer. One such brewery is Well80, which recently celebrated its 8th anniversary on March 19, 2026. They celebrated by releasing a new beer, Paul’s Black Lager. Director of Operations Chris Knudson is grateful for the last eight years and is looking forward to the next eight!
TT: What made you start Well80?
Knudson: After college, it was always a dream of mine to open a bar or a beer-focused restaurant. The concept for Well 80 – incorporating a brewery into the mix – didn’t come until much later. It started by looking at commercial buildings with my father, [who is my] longtime business partner, and younger brother, [who is a] Southern California commercial real estate broker. From there, we would dream up different concepts based on what each physical location would lend itself to. When we stumbled upon the building, we ended up buying and found an artesian well in the back: The wheels were set in motion.
TT: Did you have to overcome any challenges when you opened?
Knudson: Many. Too many to list! For one, I’m not a brewer, so we had to find the right person for that job. Fortunately, Paul is a perfect mix of evil genius, wizard, scientist and goofball. I’m also not a lot of other things, so we enlisted dozens of people with expertise and intelligence far superior to ours to help with everything from concept to build out to opening and beyond. It was truly a collaborative effort. I still look back and wonder how we pulled this off.
TT: Why did you want it to be family-friendly?
Knudson: When we were designing this, I was a new dad with two young kids. I wanted a place that I could go with them one night, but also go to one night without kids. It brings the best of both worlds for someone in my demographic.
TT: Your website mentions a “unique twist,” what is that?
Knudson: Our menu items are not particularly fancy or complicated. Burgers, pizza, tots, etc., but we like to think that we make those items in interesting ways that are unlike what you would find elsewhere. The fried Brussels sprouts, for example. Brussels sprouts aren’t unique, but the way we make them is unique.
TT: Half of your restaurant’s “life” was spent in COVID! How did you see that through?
Knudson: That was a really difficult couple of years, and I don’t think that I’ve really had the opportunity to reflect on it. We just kinda dealt with it. Every day, especially in the first few months, was a new scary challenge that none of us could have anticipated or have been prepared for. It was just so surreal. I’m glad that I had such a great staff to help keep me sane. I’m also thankful for my wife. She worked at home and cared for our kids the entire time and I was at work more than I would have liked. Let’s hope we don’t have to go through that again.
TT: What are some of your customers’ favorites?
Knudson: Brussels sprouts, tots, burgers, 80lbs of Hops Hazy IPA, Original Lager Year ’64, Trivia Night, our staff…Too many things to list!
TT: What are you hoping the next 8 years will hold?
Knudson: More predictability and less pandemics! I’m very appreciative of the community support, and the collaborative spirit of the local beer community. We have been embraced since before day one by the community. We truly feel that love and energy, and it makes me proud to be part of this. Our beer community has been fantastic. All the local brewers welcomed us with open arms and I’m forever grateful for their friendship and help along the way.
Well80
514 4th Avenue E, Olympia
360.915.6653
