Our History

In early 2013, Ray left his career in corporate finance to pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor. At the time he did not know what that business was going to be. For several months he traveled across the country meeting with potential partners and investors pitching various business ideas. It wasn’t until the fall of 2013, when Ray was at Barry’s house homebrewing, that the idea of Lucky Envelope Brewing began. Originally the concept was to open a brewpub, which would combine Barry’s passion for brewing with Ray’s desire for an east-coast style sports bar. The two of them quickly realized that a restaurant was out of their depth and scaled the idea down to a brewery. Several hours later, phone calls had been made and e-mails had been sent to equipment suppliers.

What began as some numbers scribbled on the back of a napkin turned into 1.5 years of planning, fundraising, seeking out a location, and building out the space. Lucky Envelope Brewing opened its Tasting Room doors on May 7th, 2015.

Lucky Envelope’s brewing philosophy is centered around “Culturally Inspired Beer” with recipes drawing from modern and historic brewing styles and techniques. Lucky Envelope uses both traditional and non-traditional ingredients to create beers which range from classic lagers to tea infused sour ales. They often use unique ingredients such as lychee and buddha's hand as they explore the intersection of their heritage and craft beer culture.

The name Lucky Envelope comes from the Chinese tradition of the elderly generation giving the younger generation red envelopes filled with paper money. The color red is meant to ward off evil spirits and bring good health, while the money inside is supposed to bring prosperity. The Mandarin word for the envelope “hongbao” translates to red pouch while the Cantonese word for the envelope “laisee” translates to lucky money. Many refer to the envelopes as red envelope, or Lucky Envelope. For Barry and Ray, lucky envelopes bring back good memories whether it was a Chinese New Year celebration, graduating from school, or celebrating a life milestone.

Meet the Team

Barry’s transition from beer lover to brewing occurred in engineering graduate school when he caught himself criticizing a beer and realizing he didn’t know the process behind the beverage. Taking this moment of reflection as a challenge, Barry bought his first home brew kit and eagerly dove into every book, textbook, and podcast he could find on brewing. This hobby evolved into a nerdy love of everything brewing which, coupled with a desire to leave corporate engineering life, led to the formation of Lucky Envelope Brewing in Seattle with his business partner Raymond.

Since becoming Brewmaster at Lucky Envelope, he has brewed a variety of culturally-inspired beers with a particular love of crisp lagers. Barry is a graduate of the American Brewers Guild and recipient of the 2019 Glen Hay Falconer Scholarship. He holds a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from UPenn and a MSE in Structural Engineering from UCLA.

Barry is husband to a very tolerant wife and father to two small humans, several fur babies, and whatever happens to be alive in the 10-gallon aquarium.

Favorite Lucky Envelope Beers: Lucky Envelope Helles Lager, Vienna Lager & Italian Pilsner

CO-FOUNDER & BREWMASTER

Ray had aspirations to start his own business beginning in high school. After pursuing a traditional finance career path in Los Angeles & Seattle and obtaining his MBA from Georgetown University (Hoya Saxa!), he finally made the decision to pursue his passion of being his own boss. Over the past decade, Ray has sought out unique local watering holes to learn more about scotch, whiskey, beer, and any other beverage the bartenders were willing to introduce to him. The interest in finding a good drink and chatting with bartenders heavily influenced his decision to open Lucky Envelope.

Ray currently serves on the Board of Directors of Washington Wild and the Seattle Grizzlies Australian Rules Football Club. He also volunteers on the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion committee with the Washington Brewers Guild.

As a New Jersey native Ray has an affinity for pizza, bagels, and 24-hour diners. When he is not working or volunteering he can be found taking photographs of local events, cyclocross races, and the great outdoors. He also enjoys taking fun photos with his cats, Skipper & Chewy, typically with the use of a green screen and some bad photoshop skills.

CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Favorite Lucky Envelope Beers: Lucky Envelope Helles Lager & Raspberry Sour Ale

Aisha spent almost a decade as a Montessori teacher before fully transitioning into the world of craft beer. She was the girl who spent her weekdays teaching and her weekends learning – her topic of choice was craft beer. Aisha visited brewery after brewery learning about the industry, drinking all the beer, and “documenting” her adventures via Instagram. She decided she wanted to be on the other side of the counter. So, she found a part-time job in the Merch store at Sweetwater Brewing in Atlanta, GA. Fast-forward through a couple of years in a pandemic and somehow, she ends up as a full-time beertender pouring for three different breweries in Seattle. Aisha’s love for the industry, and what she considers near perfect timing, brought her to Lucky Envelope.
When she is not using her creative energy for the LE social media game, she’s decorating cakes or writing for her blog. Otherwise, you can catch her at the closest CrossFit gym lifting or coaching. But more often than not, she’s planning her next brewery tour, building a spreadsheet, and booking a flight.