The home of the landmark "cow on the roof" at 7500 35th Ave. SW will finally be transformed into the Best of Hands Barrelhouse as the new owners have been given conditional approval to transform it into a specialty brewery. You can view the decision from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections here. Yes the cow will stay.
As we reported previously, the new business is expected to open in the late fall or early winter this year. Demolition inside has been underway since April.
Owner Nicholas Marianetti explained:
"We will not be a brewpub, as we will not have a kitchen on premises. We will be a microbrewery and taproom, and we hope to make some rotating food trucks available on a regular basis.
We are looking to fit 56 seats in the taproom.
The Best of Hands Barrelhouse is a startup specialty brewery with a target launch date of late fall/early winter 2017. The Barrelhouse will specialize in barrel-aged and barrel-fermented beers as well as wild ales that utilize different souring methods and multiple strains of Brettanomyces. While these sour and/or funky beers will be the brewery's main focus, we will also produce "clean beers" fermented exclusively by Saccharomyces (brewer's yeast) that have a proven following here in the Pacific Northwest. We aim to yield styles such as IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, farmhouse ales (such as saisons), and beers crafted in various traditional brewing methods from around the world.
The brewery and taproom will be managed and directed by co-owners Nicholas Marianetti, Gregory Marlor, and Chris Richardson. All three are long time West Seattleites and veterans of the food and beverage industry. Nicholas and Gregory are Certified Cicerones®, and award winning homebrewers. Chris is a small business owner with 20 years experience in small business operations.
From the decision
"Beyond minor repair work and repainting, the proposed exterior changes to the building include enlargement of the storefront windows along 35th Ave SW to meet code requirements, replacement of the entrance door, the addition of an exterior door and two windows on the west half of the south façade and a window on the west façade in the brewery equipment storage area. The exterior lighting fixtures will be upgraded with replacement lights to provide adequate storefront and sidewalk lighting in compliance with code requirements and the existing sign will also be updated to indicate the new tenant, but will remain at a similar scale and location. The existing plastic cow figure on the roof, described as a neighborhood icon, is planned to be maintained.
Given that the existing structure has been in place since 1922 and the applicant is proposing only minor modifications, it is clear that the design of the structure, the signage, and illumination will remain compatible with the character of the commercial area and other structures in the vicinity."
