MOSES LAKE — Tom Wytko has been a home brewer since the late '80s. He and his wife Whitney saw a need and decided to go for it.

The St. Brigid's Brewery was created in 2011 out of love for a good beer and good company. The Wytkos saw a need and expanded from a backyard operation to a taproom at 606 W. Broadway Ave., Suite C.

“We have about 10 beers on tap,” said Tom, who is the master brewer and helps Whitney run the taproom. “Our IPA (India Pale Ale) is very good. People really like our grapefruit beer. With the grapefruit beer, it could be a fad. But it's something you can make and if you don't want to make it anymore, don't.”

That's what makes the operation unique. Business decisions don't require corporate approval or a board decisions. They have the freedom to see if there's an interest, experiment, move on or expand.

“Before the '80s there was basically one style of beer, light lager. That was it,” Wytko said. “America was the laughingstock of the whole world because we only had type of beer. Now, it's changed dramatically. I like to be able to brew any kind of beer I want to brew. It doesn't necessarily mean everybody's going to like it, but I find that out at the taproom. I brew a batch and if people like it, I'll make it again.”

The actually brewery is at his house on Stratford Road, but the tap room has a lake view and a perfect location right there on Broadway.

“We have an outdoor patio overlooking the lake,” he said. “There's plenty of parking out front. We love our neighbors J. Keele (Photo­graphy) and Silver Sage. They really add to the building, so the location is perfect.”

It's a local operation in the heart of the Columbia Basin and they try to keep their business needs as local as possible. The hops comes from the Yakima Valley and the brewers grains are from the Okanogan Valley. The yeast comes from Hood River, Ore.

St. Brigid's Brewery is a destination in a destination town near the third largest lake in the state of Washington. Customers are local. Customers come to enjoy the lake and find something they can't find anywhere else.

It's a place to get a cold one in a cool place. Customers can tie the boat at the community dock in nearby Neppel Landing and walk to the tap room. The patio is a particularly nice spot to see the local wildlife. They occasionally have live music in the summertime.

There's food, featuring skinless German sausage by Voise Sausage from Odessa. There's also an assortment of appetizers. But there's an interesting twist in that they allow customers to bring their own food, even have it delivered.

Follow St. Brigid's Brewery on Facebook, at www.stbrigidsbrewery.com or on Twitter because there is always something going on while the Columbia Basin waits for the ice to melt and the patio to warm up.