Coda: Steve Luke Has Sold Cloudburst
Writing at Sip, Ezra Johnson-Greenough has this sad news:
“Bale Breaker has acquired us 100%,’ confirms Steve Luke from the Sip Magazine office patio over Lake Union.
“Luke is moving to Mangawhai Heads, a small township on the northern part of the Mangawhai Harbour in New Zealand’s Northland region. Luke founded Cloudburst Brewing in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood in 2016 after leaving Elysian Brewing. Luke’s wife, Holly, a now former federal public service employee, took a job opportunity in New Zealand that neither could refuse and they have decided to see what the clouds are like in the southern hemisphere.”
It’s not sad news for Steve, and it’s nice that the brand is surviving. But this is a huge loss for Washington and the Pacific Northwest.
Steve is one of my favorite people in beer, which isn’t really saying anything, because he’s one of everybody’s favorite people in beer. He’s a goofy, lovely person, kind, and very generous. In an industry that has gotten increasingly fractured and siloed, he is one of the most avid collaborators. He has a big personality and big opinions, as you can see in the photo I requisitioned from Cloudburst’s Instagram page (he’s bringing attention to a brewery supplier, Uline Shipping, that supports conservative politics). He famously wore a “Fuck AB InBev” t-shirt to accept an award at the GABF. Despite these views, he’s the opposite of aggro. Seeing Steve, as I do routinely in one Oregon brewery or another—he is nonsectarian that way—always brings a smile to my face.
He’s also one of the best and most distinctive brewers in the US. Cloudburst is a small operation, which allows Steve to just follow his interests and passions. Six years ago, I wrote this:
Steve Luke’s hoppy ales are at once familiar yet distinctive. They shimmer with hop particulates, but don’t look hazy, exactly. The aromas are invariably fruity, but identifiably hoppy as well—one doesn’t hang a nose over the rim of a glass and confuse them with orange juice… Cloudburst IPAs feature balance and harmony amid intensity—saturated juicy flavors, appreciable (but far from violent) bitterness, and a spectacular quenching dryness that make them dangerously drinkable.
I might have said that a Cloudburst IPA was immediately recognizable, which is one of the highest compliments I can pay a brewery.
Steve has not died, and I’m sure there’s a next chapter somewhere. But by moving to the Southern Hemisphere, nearly as far from Seattle as he could get, Steve has quit the Pacific Northwest. He’s going to leave quite a hole.