Photo credit: Nisqually Valley Brewing Co.


– Editor’s note:
Given that the 1995 Yelm Vision Plan was not adhered to diversify this town, along with city leadership in the early to mid-2000’s guiding city policies into becoming a residential “bedroom” community, now Yelm’s primary source of economic development must be through business like the Nisqually Valley Brewing Company that draw visitor’s to our area.


– “Nisqually Valley Brewery Breaks New Ground in Yelm”
“Walking down a Scottish street on their belated honeymoon, John and Tasha Johnson came upon a sign that got their attention. By sheer luck, they’d stumbled across the National Scottish Ale Fest. ‘It was completely by accident,’ says Tasha. ‘We didn’t even know it was there.’

“The discovery was serendipitous for the Johnsons; John had been perfecting his own brews for years, first in the kitchen, then the garage, and eventually the driveway. In March, the couple opened Yelm’s first brewpub, the Nisqually Valley Brewing Company. Following the model of other microbreweries throughout the Pacific Northwest, the pub will focus solely on beer and allow customers to order food or bring in their own,” by Heidi Smith, in Thurston Talk.
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