Brewery workers busted over after-hours beer bash

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

Plans for a secret drinking fest at a popular SoDo brewery got smashed early Thursday when police arrested several brew-house workers and their friends who had slipped into the Pyramid Seattle Alehouse after-hours.

Instead of getting slammed, four men and a woman got a trip to the slammer. All of the suspects remained in the King County Jail as of Thursday afternoon, facing felony burglary and misdemeanor trespass charges.

"Apparently, the group had been frequenting some clubs in Pioneer Square last night," Seattle Police spokeswoman Renee Witt said Thursday. "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, Witt said, "left a window unlocked intentionally so they could gain entry."

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

That person, in turn, called 911 to report the apparent break-in, noting several other people also were seen a short time later filing into the closed brewery 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.

The beer house — which includes a brewing operations, a restaurant, bar and the company's corporate headquarters — suffered no damages or losses.

All of the suspects are expected to be charged today, officials for city and county prosecutors said.

Pyramid officials, who are now helping police with the investigation, will decide just how to respond "once all the information is in," Pyramid president Mike Brown said.

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