Member Biography:

Mike Hale
President
Hale’s Ales

When Mike Hale, founder and president of Hale’s Ales, made the statement “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” he meant it. Hale has remained true to this philosophy since the beginning of Hale’s Ales over fifteen years ago, and has committed to brewing nothing but the best quality, hand-crafted ales in the Northwest.
The vision of Hale’s Ales began in 1982 while Mike Hale spent a year bicycling among the small villages of southern England. In the course of his travels he developed a great appreciation for the traditionally brewed ales of England’s small breweries. It was then that he conceived the idea of opening a brewery in his home state of Washington to produce the kinds of ales he had come to love in England. After returning to the states, Hale established his first brewery in Colville, Washington. On Independence Day, 1983 Hale’s Ales released its flagship beer, Hale’s Pale American Ale, the first micro-brewed pale ale in the Northwest and a top selling ale in this region ever since.

In 1986, Hale’s opened a second brewery in Kirkland, Washington, on the shores of Moss Bay, and with the extra production abilities, introduced Hale’s Amber Ale, Moss Bay Extra, and Dublin Style Stout. As demand continued to grow, in 1991 Mike discovered a vacant but charming old brick schoolhouse (circa 1916) on the east side of Spokane, and moved the original Colville brewing operation to this location. The new 20 barrel brew line enabled Hale’s to double its brewing capacity.

Hale’s tripled its production capacity in September of 1995, when Hale’s moved it’s Kirkland location to the Fremont/Ballard district of Seattle. The move increased Hale’s production from 6,000 barrels a year to 20,000. All brewing is now done at the Fremont Brewery.