North Jetty Brewing

Located in the heart of the Long Beach Peninsula, North Jetty Brewing is the place to be if you’re looking for a friendly face and a cold, tasty beer. 

Home-brewing was at first a hobby, but Michelle and Erik Svendsen have combined their excitement for craft brewing with a desire to create a space for the community to gather, have fun, and connect with one another. 

The taproom features 18 taps, including beer, wine, hard cider, and hard seltzer. And they don’t just have a wide variety of beer; the brewery also plays host for a range of community events and fundraisers. 

Michelle calls North Jetty “Long Beach’s living room”, which sums up the welcoming energy you feel there—whether you come as a tourist or a local.

We talked to Michelle to learn more about the brewery and their story:

Why did you choose to start a business in Pacific County?

We love this community, saw a need for something, and an opportunity came up to build a place where people can connect and have a good time.

If you had a piece of advice to offer someone starting a business in Pacific County, what would it be?

The most important thing I can offer is that when you support the community they support you back. Anything you can do to help others–and there are many opportunities to do so–will bring in customers who also love to support their community. 

Another pro tip: Be sure you understand that supplies cost more to get here. Shipping items from here takes longer and costs more if you have to truck them out. Know that in the winter you will have very slow days and the summer very busy days ( at least in the service industry) so always be planning ahead to be staffed as needed, and supplies ordered with some time to spare.

Where did the idea for your business come from?

My husband Erik was a homebrewer for 10+ years and if you could have asked him what his perfect job would have been it would be to own a brewery. He was a CPA for those 20 years as well so when the opportunity came up it was pretty perfect for us. A local restaurant, The Lost Roo (that was owned by Mark and Helen Johnson at that time), wanted to have their own beer on tap so they bought the brewing equipment, got the licenses, and asked Erik to see what he could do on the system they had. 

I joined Erik on this brewing adventure and fell in love with the science and brewing process. In 2013 we went on tap at The Lost Roo and in 2014 we bought the equipment and the licenses from Mark and Helen–and eventually our current building–and opened up North Jetty’s Tap Room in April of 2014.

What was your mission when you started your business?

We set out to create a place where locals and tourists could gather, and somewhere we would like to hang out. Somewhere comfortable, fun, and welcoming to everyone while crafting a wide variety of great beers to keep people coming back for more. 

We call ourselves Long Beach’s Living Room. We have seen and hosted proposals, wedding receptions, birth announcements, anniversary parties, birthday parties, reunions, retirement parties, memorials, company Christmas parties, knitting groups … you name it! I feel like, with the help of our amazing staff, we have created exactly what we set out to.

How do you define success?

I define success by creating a vision and seeing it through. By continuing to improve upon that vision—and if along the way it pays your bills, offers you a lifestyle and work schedule you enjoy, challenges you to grow as a person and business owner, and does good for the community and your employees—you have achieved success.

How do you view your role in the community?

North Jetty Brewing in my opinion has found a wonderful role in this community. The locals support us more than I could have ever imagined, which then allows us to support the community back in so many ways. We do multiple fundraisers and donations throughout the year. We often have a “Giving Back” tap when there is a specific need and hosting trivia nights, and with the help of our trivia host and all of the players we have been able to donate many pounds of food and toys during the holidays. 

We also offer a friendly face and conversation for those who may not have that at home. With so many drink options besides beer we have a wide variety of customers and many just want somewhere comfortable to go where they know the staff and regulars know them. I have watched many wonderful friendships grow in this way and I think it is one of my favorite parts of what North Jetty represents on a local level.

With festivals and distribution over the last few years we have seen North Jetty Brewing become a destination bringing people to the peninsula. This has been a truly amazing thing to see and not something I had expected when we set out to open a tap room. I feel like all three of these things each have their own importance but together cement our place in the community we love.

Final Thoughts

For any aspiring business owner in Pacific County, here are a few key takeaways from Michelle’s experience:

• Support your community and your community will support you.
• Shipping to and from the peninsula may require extra time and costs.
• Be aware of staffing needs as the tourist season comes and goes.
• Create a comfortable environment where people can build connections with you and each other.
• Decide what you want and make it happen!