Thomas Kemper was a brewer of root beer, ginger ale, and other craft brewed sodas under the Thomas Kemper Soda Co. label. Formerly owned by Pyramid Breweries, Inc., it was sold in 2007 to Adventure Funds of Portland, Oregon, which is running the company under the Kemper Co. name. Thomas Kemper Brewing of Poulsbo was sold to Hart Brewing (later known as Pyramid) in 1992. (Thomas Kemper had been founded in 1985 on Bainbridge Island, and began making soft drinks in 1990.) Thomas Kemper Soda was first brewed by Andy Thomas and Will Kemper (now brewing at Bellingham's Chuckanut) as alternative to beer at an Octoberfest celebration on Bainbridge Island, WA in 1990. The first Thomas Kemper Soda was handcrafted Root Beer. Thomas Kemper Sodas are still handcrafted and made with honey (although cane sugar is the primary sweetener), Madagascar vanilla, and other flavors available. The soda comes in eight flavors: Root Beer, Vanilla Cream, Orange Cream, Ginger Ale, Grape, Black Cherry, Ginger Peach and Oregon Marionberry. Previously, there were Thomas Kemper varieties of Birch Beer and Cola as well. History Thomas Kemper started as a 1980s Microbrewery well ahead of its time. The people involved had developed their brewing into an art and, as is standard with beer wanted to share it with the world. They grew the local following until the seams burst and, moved in to what they considered a large brewing facility. They converted an old dairy farm near Poulsbo Washington. It became their new brewery. They exploded again. They made Thomas Kemper into a "local" brand known almost exclusively to the Pacific Northwest. (Think Elysian, Silver City, or Sound Brewery*) The Kemper beers drew aficionados from afar, and the Friday night fare at the brewery drew the locals. The Thomas Kemper Soda line was an example of fruit not falling far from the tree. The "beer" and "soda" companies were kept separate and while one lives on in label, not so much as family endeavor but in the spirit of its founding fathers, something for all. 1990: The first batch of Thomas Kemper Soda, Thomas Kemper Root Beer, was created for the Thomas Kemper Oktoberfest. Since 1989, the Thomas Kemper Brewing Company, one of the Northwest's first Microbreweries, held an annual Oktoberfest celebration at their brewery. Starting out as a small event, the Thomas Kemper Oktoberfest soon was adding thousands of extra people to the