Kirkland residents Scott and Michelle Holm opened Chainline Brewing in the Everest neighborhood with a vision of combining two passions: beer and bikes. They also hoped that their location, overlooking the newly created Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC), would draw a lot of traffic from bicyclists and families.

Their recent grand opening, which drew an estimated 1,200 people and consumed 10 barrels of beer, turned that vision into reality. Scott Holm said despite the large number of people on the first day, the parking lot was never full.

“So many people said they walked here,” he said. “To see it go down that way was pretty exciting.”

At the moment, the brewery serves four of their beers, such as Pale Ale, Red Amber and Indian Pale Ale, with plans to add four more.

As the only business to currently face the CKC, the Holms see the brewery not just as an intended destination but a community spot for people using the corridor, whether they’re heading back home from work or taking a daily stroll.

The grand opening also marked the third anniversary of their decision to get into the brewing business, though by then they had been homebrewing for several years

While enjoying a beer at Hopvine Pub in Seattle, Scott Holm said he brought up the idea with Michelle. At the time, he was working in the healthcare industry, commuting from Seattle to Tacoma. Meanwhile, he had become engrossed in homebrewing after Michelle bought him a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas.

“She had no idea what she was getting herself into,” he joked.

Looking to improve the quality of the beer, Scott Holm said he kept upgrading his beer kits while the amount of beer brewed increased. Eventually, they were brewing so much beer he had trouble getting rid of the latest batch in order to make room for the next round and asked their friends to come fill up their growlers – glass beer containers.

Seeing the increasing popularity of microbreweries, Scott Holm wanted to take the personal hobby to the next level. Although he had not run a business before, he said he isn’t afraid of challenges. Michelle, who in addition to tasting also helps with measuring the batches, agreed to go ahead with the idea.

“My wife has been super supportive of it,” Scott Holm said. “She’s been very integral to this whole thing.”

Entering brewing school, Scott Holm learned about the business-side of running a brewery while reaching out to local breweries to learn whatever he could. He also  researched information online. One thing he found was among the microbrewery community was support for newcomers and those looking to break into the industry.

Working on the name for the brewery, Scott Holm said he chose Chainline Brewing in tribute to his past job at a bicycle shop.

“I just wanted to stay connected to that community,” he said. “Bikes and beer go together, I think.”

The name also fit with their vision for the brewery experience, as a place bicyclists could stop at, either as a destination or along the way. Brewed in imported distillers, the beers rarely go above 6.5 percent alcohol, including the Indian Pale Ale that traditionally have a high alcohol content.

“We try to do things the way they should be done and not the cheapest or easiest, but offer something different than what they’re used to,” Scott Holm said.

When looking for possible locations throughout the Eastside, Scott Holm said they kept coming back to Kirkland, where plans to build the CKC interim trail were underway. Also, he said, they were attracted to the community’s bicycle culture as reflected in city’s masterplan.

“Kirkland always fit the bill more than most,” he said.

Finally, discovering a spot overlooking the corridor on Sixth Street just north of Google’s Kirkland Campus, he said the location positions them where they are in the middle of the city rather than located out of sight and out of the way.

“Doing this gives us a much more community feel than most,” he said. “And so far it seems to be panning out that way. It’s been really exciting in the last couple of weeks to see that… people are stepping in who didn’t even know about us.”

Along with adding four more beers and food trucks on Fridays and Saturdays, Scott Holm said they are already planning for expansion, something he said was drilled into him at brewing school.

“If you don’t think about it, it’s going to cost you twice as much down the road,” he said.