Tacoma Porchfest returns this weekend with two days of free live music woven through Tacoma’s neighborhoods. Saturday, July 18, more than 80 acts perform from noon to 7 p.m. on porches south of Sixth Avenue. Sunday, July 19, another 80-plus musicians take over porches north of Sixth Avenue from 1 to 7 p.m. There are no main stages, no VIP sections, and no wrong turns—just a map, a comfortable pair of shoes, and the delightful certainty that your next favorite band is probably playing a few blocks away.
Before the first guitar is tuned, before applause spills across the sidewalk, there’s the pregame. Not tailgates or parking strategies, but something far more civilized: a well-chosen record, a thoughtfully poured pint, and the delicious anticipation that comes just before the music begins.
That’s the spirit behind today’s Peaks & Pints Porchfest Prefunk Flight. Like the A-side of a favorite LP, it opens with intrigue, gathers momentum, finds its melodic heart, erupts into joyful volume, and closes with the warm satisfaction of a record spinning through its final groove. Five beers. Five tracks. Drop the needle.
Peaks & Pints Porchfest Prefunk Flight
Belching Beaver Phantom Bride
7.1% ABV | American IPA | Vista, California
Every great song carries a little mystery, the kind that lingers long after the final chord dissolves into applause. Inspired by the Deftones song of the same name and developed in collaboration with vocalist Chino Moreno, Belching Beaver‘s Phantom Bride rocks grapefruit zest, bright orange, resinous pine, and tropical fruit move in layered harmony while firm bitterness keeps the rhythm taut through a crisp, lingering finish. It’s the sort of IPA that rewards repeat performances, revealing a new note each time the glass returns to your lips.
Fieldwork Pulp
6.9% ABV | Hazy IPA | Berkeley, California
Somewhere a Britpop record quietly clears its throat, but this Pulp has other plans. Fieldwork built this hazy IPA around an unapologetic celebration of Citra hops, waves of fresh-squeezed orange, lemon candy, peach rings, and sun-ripened mango roll across a plush, opaque body while bitterness wisely stays backstage. The finish lingers like the chorus of a favorite song drifting from the next porch over—impossible not to follow, even if Jarvis Cocker never actually makes an appearance.
Hetty Alice Beers Alice in Grains
6.8% ABV | Hazy IPA | Portland, Oregon
The best collaborations deserve more than a handshake—they deserve flannel, a loud brewhouse, and “Them Bones.” Brewed in collaboration with rockers Grains of Wrath Brewing, Hetty Alice wails with citrus, ripe peach, pineapple, and resinous pine that weave through a pillowy body as Simcoe, Mosaic, New Zealand Cascade, and Krush hops keep the melody humming from first sip to lingering encore. Somewhere beneath all that hop harmony, a certain Seattle guitar riff may quietly wander into your head, and honestly, that’s between you and the beer.
Drekker Cherry Bomb Braaaaaaaains
6.2% ABV | Double Fruit Smoothie Sour | Fargo, North Dakota
Young rock has never been especially interested in knocking. Ripe cherry collides with a bright flash of lemon before creamy vanilla, silky lactose, and a whisper of sea salt gather the whole glorious spectacle into something improbably balanced. The fruit charges across the palate loud, joyful, and utterly unapologetic, like the first power chord of a neighborhood band discovering the crowd is already singing along. Somewhere between rock swagger and dessert in a glass, this is the encore that refuses to leave the stage.
Gigantic LP Stout Nitro
5.7% ABV | Nitro American Stout | Portland, Oregon
The needle drops. The room settles. Roasted malt lays down the bass line while espresso, bittersweet chocolate, toasted grain, and a faint caramel hum drift beneath a slow nitro cascade, creating a satin texture without softening the stout’s beautifully dry edge. Gigantic co-owner and DJ Ben Love knows the pleasure of letting a record play from beginning to end, and LP Stout follows the same philosophy: no frantic riff, no unnecessary solo, just a dark, deeply satisfying groove that rewards staying through the final note.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
