When ilani Casino and Resort’s new restaurant, Rock & Brews, opens next week, one of its offerings will come from an up-and-coming La Center business, Exit 16.
The craft brewery’s citrus-flavored beer Jackpot Juicy will be featured on-tap at the grand opening of the restaurant, April 23. Having its products available to casino visitors is an exciting business development for the La Center microbrewery, which opened in 2021.
Rock & Brews, a national chain brewpub featuring a concert stage, often serves locally sourced craft beers. The restaurant chain was founded by Kiss musicians Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and business partners in 2010.
Exit 16 has been working with ilani since 2021, and owners Sam and Trista Glackler said they are looking forward to continuing their partnership with the casino and creating more gambling-inspired beers.
“Casinos and gambling have always been a part of La Center, even before ilani. We knew a beer with a name like [Jackpot Juicy] would appeal to them,” Trista Glackler said.
Brewed in La Center, Jackpot Juicy and Exit 16’s other craft beers are made with locally sourced ingredients. The brewery’s hops come from farmers in the Yakima Valley, and the grain comes from a supplier in Vancouver. Even Exit 16’s equipment is produced by manufacturers in Washington and Oregon, Sam Glackler said.
The Glacklers began brewing for fun before becoming professional brewmasters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they purchased commercial brewery equipment and sold their first keg of craft beer in 2021.
“Just coming out of the pandemic, some friends of ours were thinking about getting out of the business. They asked me if I wanted to buy a brewery,” Sam Glacker said. “It was a ‘what should we do when we retire’ idea.”
Shortly after becoming a licensed commercial brewery, Sam and Trista Glackler joined the North Bank Brewers Alliance to learn more about the industry.
“When we started doing this as something more than a hobby we reached out and joined that group so we could learn from local breweries,” Trista Glackler said. “At that time, ilani’s Brewfest was a topic of discussion. They wanted North Bank to have more of a presence.”
At the following brewfest, the Glacklers operated a booth at the event. The crowd’s positive reception of their beers, plus the fact that they are local and wanted to work with ilani made their partnership at the new Rock & Brews possible, Sam Glackler said.
Jackpot Juicy is an India pale ale, featuring the fruity flavors of tangerine and grapefruit. The beer is brewed using a blend of amarillo, citra and mosaic hops, which add further to the citrus-inspired beverage, Sam Glacker said.
The Glacker said they are happy their customers have responded to their craft beers so well, and they plan to continue innovating with new brews.
“I make beers that I like,” Sam Glackler said. “I’ve been around the beer scene enough to think I have a good handle on what people like. It happens [that] my flavor profile is what others enjoy.”
Rock & Brews will open at noon, Tuesday, April 23, at ilani Casino Resort, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield. Kiss’ Simmons will be present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. For more information, visit ilaniresort.com/poi/dining/rock-and-brews.html.
To learn more about the Glacklers and Exit 16, visit exit 16brewing.com, or email exit 16brewing@gmail.com.
