Yes, there was rain. It came down in sheets, sideways at times, like the sky had finally cracked open and dumped a sad jazz playlist on Lacey. But inside Top Rung Brewing Company, the mood was less Noah’s Ark and more bourbon barrel revival tent.
Hoptoberfest, now in its sophomore year of sudsy existence, didn’t just survive the Saturday deluge—it set a record for the most beer-loving humans ever to walk through the brewery’s doors in a single day. And judging by the energy inside—equal parts raincoat steam, malt perfume, and human joy—you’d have thought the sun was doing backflips above Marvin Road.
The soundtrack? Provided by the ever-nimble Murray, whose guitar work ranged from “pleasant front porch pickin’” to “mid-set Zeppelin detour,” because why not?
The centerpiece pour? Oh, darling. That would be the Imperial Barrel Aged Pyrolysis Stout—a dark, velvety abyss of malted dreams, laced with coffee, threaded with chocolate, and lovingly exorcised through a bourbon barrel to leave you warm in places you didn’t know beer could reach. A sip of that, and suddenly the clouds weren’t so much brooding as dramatic stage lighting.
Co-founders Casey Sobol and Jason Stoltz, those benevolent firefighter-brewer gods in flannel, weren’t content to stop at stout glory. They unveiled their new Shift Trade IPA, a 6.2% ABV fruit bomb soaked in Mosaic and Cascade hops, dripping with pineapple swagger and just enough bitterness to keep you from texting your ex. Bright. Zesty. The kind of IPA that wants to talk about music festivals and hike Mount Rainier in the same day.
And then, there was a surprise: Wet Line Fresh Hop—their very first entry into the sticky, seasonal religion of fresh hop brewing, crafted on their one-barrel pilot system like a secret whispered into the mash tun. Cascade and Centennial hops, picked and poured while still basically vibrating with life. A green, glorious experiment that landed like a late-summer anthem.
The moral? South Sound beer drinkers are not made of sugar. A little monsoon? A minor inconvenience. Hops, bourbon, good tunes, and the low, comforting hum of a packed brewhouse? That’s the stuff that keeps you dry inside.
Top Rung, you’ve officially turned a wet afternoon into a full-blown harvest high. We raise a damp glass to your madness.
