Seattle brewery workers arrested in after-hours caper

Police describe it as a sad, sudsy caper: The beer bash by brewery workers that got busted.

But plans for a secret drinking fest at a popular SoDo brewery got smashed when police arrested several brewery workers and their friends who'd slipped into the Pyramid Alehouse after-hours early today.

Now, four men and a woman are in the King County Jail, facing burglary charges.

"Apparently, the group had been frequenting some clubs in Pioneer Square last night," Seattle Police spokeswoman Reneé Witt said today. "After the bars closed, it looks like they went back (to Pyramid) to continue drinking."

Members of the group, which included at least three current or former alehouse employees, "left a window unlocked intentionally so they could gain entry," Witt said.

One man in the group was crawling through the window about 2:20 a.m. when a passer-by happened along and spotted him.

That person, in turn, called 911 to report the apparent brewery break-in, noting several other people also were seen filing into the closed brew house across from Safeco Field on First Avenue South.

Officers arrived quickly with a K-9 unit, set up a perimeter around the brewery, and went inside, Witt said.

"They located five individuals, and all were detained without incident," she said.

Although the beer house — which includes a brewery, restaurant, bar and the company's corporate headquarters — suffered no damages or losses, at least some of their employees may be looking for work soon. Pyramid officials, who are now helping police with the investigation, will decide how to respond to the matter at a later time, company president Mike Brown said today.

"Once all the information is in, we'll make an appropriate decision based on the facts," Brown said.

Lewis Kamb: 206-464-2341 or lkamb@seattletimes.com