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Photos from top to bottom, left to right: Port Townsend Brewery, Salem Brewery, Acme Brewing, Bellingham Bay
We all know Oly’s famous slogan: “It’s the Water.” But did you know that the father of Olympia Beer, Leopold Schmidt, attempted to brew Oly in four other locations?
Schmidt crafted our iconic local beer using artesian water—the naturally occurring, exceptionally pure water found deep beneath Thurston County. He established the Capital Brewing Company in 1896, later renaming it the Olympia Brewing Company in 1902. Soon after, he expanded his beer empire by building or acquiring four more breweries, intending to brew Oly at each one.
The four breweries were:
- 1909 — Port Townsend Brewery, Port Townsend, Washington
- 1903 — Salem Brewery Association, Salem, Oregon
- 1906 — Acme Brewing Company, San Francisco
- 1902 — Bellingham Bay Brewery in Whatcom (now Bellingham), Washington
At every location, Schmidt kept his process consistent. He used the same ingredients, in the same proportions, from the same sources: hops, barley, yeast, corn, and rice. The recipe never changed. The brewing equipment matched what he used in Tumwater. Even the same brewmasters rotated among the breweries. With decades of experience and an exceptionally refined palate, Schmidt knew quality beer—and he knew when something wasn’t quite right.
Despite all this, the beer produced at those four locations never matched the true taste of Oly. The beer was good—but it wasn’t Olympia.
The only difference? You guessed it: the water. None of the other breweries had access to Thurston County’s artesian water. Because of that, Schmidt refused to label any of the other beers “Olympia.” To him, they all tasted just a little bit different.
The only beer ever called Oly was brewed right here in Tumwater.
So yes— it really was the water.
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