Bombing Range Brewing Company

My holiday break ended up not being quite what I had in mind, but I got to explore a few breweries in the Tri-Cities and see beloved family members, which is always a treat. I’ve already wrote about Badger Mountain in Richland, now where’s a brewery to hit afterwards!

Richland and the Tri-Cities has a rich history involving bombs. You can see that from the high school with a bomb mascot (yes, really!) to Bombing Range Brewing Company, founded in 2015. This history derives from the nearby Hanford Reactor, made to engineer plutonium, which you can learn more about (if the government shutdown ever ends) at the conveniently-located next door Manhatten Project National Historical Park (the only NPS site located in three different states!). The reactor brought a ton of military people and brass into town, including the practice bombing range in West Richland that the brewery is named for.

With a name and history like that, BRBC’s branding is on point. Their logo is a hop bomb, and they have little touches everywhere, including their sampler tray and light fixtures. However, earlier that day we were at a brewery with great branding and not much else–how would BRBC stack up? We walked in to a packed house on Boxing Day, always a good sign. We took a high table very close to the door, so I didn’t get to do too much exploring of the venue. Admittedly, this was our third brewery stop of the day, so things were a bit fuzzy once I sat down. Luckily, our seats were very close to the taplist, so I set to trying to decide on a beer. Too many good-sounding options swarmed me, so I opted for a sampler. At 5 tasters, a sampler is perfect for sharing or for solo drinkers (just maybe not solo drinkers on their third brewery of the day).

I selected their Belgian, 3 IPAs, and their guest cider for my sampler. Again, I loved their unique touch to their sampler trays. As I mentioned, this was stop #3, so to say I nursed my sampler would be an understatement. We also tried to start playing a game, which didn’t help my focus either. Despite the distractions, I can say their Belgian (the first one I selected and sadly the only beer I remembered to document on Untappd) was a hit, the IPAs good, and I can full-heartedly give BRBC my post-hike stamp of approval. I could have done a better job on noting other stats besides how tasty my beer was, but isn’t that the most important?

Luckily, with family in the Tri-Cities, I’ll most certainly be knocking out the Badger Mountain-BRBC combo again in 2019. But now, on to new adventures!

In summary (to the best of my knowledge)…

• Full kitchen: Yes
• All-ages: Unsure
• Dog friendly: Unsure
• Merch: Yes (Apparel, glassware)
• Coasters: Unsure (did I mention this was my 3rd brewery stop?)
• Outdoor seating: Patio