What does a person do when they turn 50? They open a micro-brewery.
What does a person do when they turn 60? They write a children’s book.
What does a person do when they turn 70? We will need to wait a few years to find out. But for longtime Bothell resident, Jim Jamison, it could include taking his Happy (half) Hour Show on a worldwide tour!
KING 5 Evening recently featured a piece on Jim Jamison, calling him a “true Renaissance man. He plays the piano, sings, brews beer, has another day job, and recently decided to try his hand at authoring kid’s books.”
It all started with the gift of a homebrewing kit from his wife, Kim, in 1992. That kit created an obsession for Jim; he became hooked on brewing beer. Nearly 20 years later, in 2010, he opened his own micro-brewery, Foggy Noggin Brewing, on his residential property.
But Jim’s love for beer began long before that. Produce Row Cafe in Portland during the summer of 1979 can take that credit. According to Jim, Produce Row was the place for beer because every beer available in the state of Oregon was available at Produce Row. Jim recalls that he tried each and every one of them. And when the microbrewery revolution started in the early 80’s, Jim seriously started expanding his beer-horizons.
Later on, with the craft beer movement in full force, Jim recognized a void in education for the beer enthusiast, so he created Northwest Brew News (NWBN). The newsletter proved to be so popular that it became the region’s largest subscription-based beer publication with 15,000 subscribers from all over the world. Eventually, Jim found that the hobby was requiring too much of his time and he had to give it up.
But that left all the more time for home brewing.
Over the years, Jim had a stockpile of recipes he’d perfected, and he started discussions with his family… The question became, could he start a commercial brewery?
In March of 2010, the year Jim turned 50, Foggy Noggin Brewing was unveiled to the public. It is one of the world’s smallest production breweries and while the neighborhood location in Bothell makes finding the brewery a bit tricky, Foggy Noggin continues to go strong.
Even during COVID shutdowns, Jim found a way to connect with his customer base. He started hosting a weekly Happy (half) Hour, broadcast live every Thursday from 5:30 to 6pm, featuring Jim serving up humor while playing the piano and singing. The Happy (half) Hour “blew up,” and people started tuning in from all over the world.
The brewery is open again, but Jim still sets aside Thursdays to broadcast the popular show. His followers can now view his show in person at Foggy Noggin or watch the show on Jim’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/oPEHNnzwYeM..
With his long list of accomplishments, being a family man tops Jim’s list. The birth of his first grandchild inspired him to tackle another challenge: he decided to write a children’s book. Teaming with his daughter to do the illustrations, the book What Would I Be If I Couldn’t Be Me? was released in 2020 – the year Jim turned 60. The duo released a second children’s book a year ago, Who’s Going To Eat That Bite?
Jim says silly conversations he has with his grandchildren continue to inspire story ideas and more books are likely on the horizon. Beer and kids’ books all come together at the Foggy Noggin.
Link here for more information about Foggy Noggin Brewery.
