The sound — a satisfying palm-to-palm WHAP! — rings out and for a second seems to silence everyone and everything else nearby. It snaps everyone awake, as if from a long slumber, before Peaks & Pints Kitchen Aaron quips, “That’s right, brother! It’s National High Five Day!” Indeed, it’s the third Thursday in April, National High Five Day. The day is dedicated to giving high-fives to everyone for any reason whatsoever. Ate today’s Peaks & Pints sandwich special? High Five! Voted in the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs? High Five! Enjoyed today’s High Five Beer Flight? High Five! There is
Charlie Devereux, a graduate from Brown University with an MBA from Portland State University and several years chasing stories for the Vancouver Business Journal, joined John Harris at Full Sail Brewery in 1992. Harris spent 20 years as brewmaster at the Hood River brewery. Devereux went on to open Double Mountain Brewery in Hood River on St. Patrick’s Day 2007 with fellow Full Sail brewer Matt Swihart. After seven years running the business and culinary side of Double Mountain, and driving two hours a day from Portland to work, Devereux leaves Double and opens Wayfinder Beer with Rodney Muirhead, the
Peaks & Pints bartenders Phaedra and Monica discuss the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs First Round opening day. Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs Second Round Now it’s getting exciting. The hops are starting to fly, and the malts are becoming so thick you could cut them with a knife. OK, so that’s a horrible analogy. The point is: This is serious. Today, the Tournament of Beer officially kicks off its Second Round. This means 32 Oregon and Washington-brewed, Northwest-style IPAs remain, and the competition is as hot as ever. Who will be
While Natalie Cilurzo worked full-time at a winery, Vinnie Cilurzo bought a 7-barrel system from Electric Dave. This guy was in jail in Bisbee, Arizona, for selling marijuana mail-order. Electric Dave sold Vinnie an old soup vessel for a brewing kettle, a DIY mash tun, and plastic fermenters before the Cilurzos opened Blind Pig in Temecula in 1994. Vinnie was already a homebrewer and had helped form the local Temecula Valley Homebrew Club. Russian River Brewery was started in 1997 by Korbel Champagne Cellars, a Guerneville, California-based winery specializing in “California Champagne,” or sparkling wine of the méthode champenoise persuasion.
Welcome to Day Seven of the Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs. Peaks’ bartenders Amber and Trish call today’s games. Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs April 15 Lo and behold, today marks the closing of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs’ First Round. After today’s battles, the bracket will be down to 32 Oregon and Washington Northwest-style IPAs, and participants will start hiring cheerleaders. Honestly, if it gets any more exciting we’ll begin to understand why Dick Vitale use to say, “It’s awesome, baby, with a capital IPA!” Plus,
While repping Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits in Arizona, Jordan Zehner made cider in his laundry room. His father, Chris, would take vacations from managing winery sales to visit his son. Backyard discussions led to a cider production business plan. I was fortunate to have met Schilling Cider CEO Chris Schilling, which led to a production contract deal and the launch of Incline Cider Company in 2015. The Auburn-based cidery uses 100 percent fresh-pressed apples, no added sugar, and no carbonated water, and the result is balanced ciders that are not too sweet and super flavorful. In 2019, they opened
Peaks & Pints’ longtime bartenders, Mitchell and Trish, are calling the games today. Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs April 14 ‘For the past week, Peaks & Pints presented you with a compelling question: Who brews the best Northwest-style IPA in Oregon and Washington? And you have responded in multitudes. Sick days have been used. Friendships have fallen apart. Maltsters and hop growers living together — mass hysteria! The Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs hosts competitions Monday through Friday up to the championship game Saturday, April 26, live at Peaks & Pints bottle
Take home a six-pack of new beer to the Peaks & Pints cooler. Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 4.13.25 The Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack 4.13.25 has some treasures for your Sunday. Cheers! CLOUDBURST BREWING YAY, SPACE: Hazy IPA brewed with a ton of Galaxy, plus Citra Incognito, for notes of yellow peach, papaya, tangerine, and mango, 6.6%, 16oz LIVING HAUS BEER DANNY: West Coast pale ale brewed with Idaho 7, Simcoe, and Comet that reminds of a grapefruit IPA, 5.5%, 16oz KINGS & DAUGHTERS A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR: This hazy double
Matt Swihart and Charlie Devereaux crossed paths while working at Full Sail Brewing in Hood River, Oregon. In February 2006, Swihart saw a “For Lease” sign in one of the few light-industrial-zoned storefronts in downtown Hood River. On St. Patrick’s Day 2007, Swihart and Devereaux opened Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom in said spot, named after Swihart’s orchard, Double Mountain Orchards — where one can look in one direction and see Mt. Adams and then look in the other direction and see Mt. Hood. With a mash tun paddle in one hand and a banjo in the other, Swihart ran
Outer Range Brewing founders Lee and Emily Cleghorn opened the brewery in late December of 2016, but it wasn’t their first rodeo — the two met at a home brewing party in Colorado Springs where they were both serving in the Army; Lee was a 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Detachment commander. Lee had spent his youth in the beer mecca of Brussels, where he developed a palate refined beyond his years. After moving to the US to attend college, he quickly learned he’d need to brew beer to enjoy those styles again. Fast forward several years, including many homebrew
Here is a suggested six-pack of new arrivals to the Peaks & Pints cooler. Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 4.11.25 Some fresh cans have arrived, and the draft list is packed with tasty beverages to kick off the weekend. Grab a pint and shop Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 4.11.25. Cheers! ANCHORAGE BREWING THE DEMON BOY: Hazy IPA brewed and dry-hopped with Lotus hops, which impart notes of orange creamsicle, 6.4%, 16oz BALE BREAKER BREWING NEBULA JUICE: Hazy IPA brewed with Mosaic, Krush, Citra Cryo and DynaBoost, HBC 630, and HBC 1019 hops for
Today is the traditional birthday of Gambrinus, sometimes called King Gambrinus, who is considered a patron saint of beer, brewing, and/or Belgian beer. Not an “official” saint, at least not in the Catholic Church, but a legendary figure. Around the year 1100, the brewers of Brussels deliberated that a strong and courageous man should be their leader. They organized a contest with a large beer barrel placed on the ground. The one who could carry it to a spot two stones’ throw away would become their head brewer. Among many who registered for the contest was a Duke from Brabent
Peaks & Pints bartenders Phaedra, left, and Trish, preview Day 6 of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPA in front of the press corps. Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs April 11 The subject of Northwest-style IPA is, like the subject of barbecue, vexed and fraught with controversy. What constitutes a great Northwest IPA? Who makes the best in the Pacific Northwest? Everyone seems to have his or her favorite, and everyone’s an expert. Throughout February, we polled the public, asking what the top 64 Northwest-style IPAs brewed in Oregon and Washington are.
Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 4.10.25 We’ve stocked the cooler with even more tasty beverages to keep you refreshed for the coming weekend including Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack 4.10.25. … DOUBLE MOUNTAIN BREWERY CLUSTERF#CK: Brewed with Cluster hops in the kettle, in the hop back, and especially in the fermenter for dry-hopping for an IPA a bit stronger and hoppier than last year’s version, 7.3% abv, 16oz FACTION BREWING BERGS OF A FEATHER: Hoppy black lager collaboration with Riip Beer Co. hopped with traditional Noble German hops on the hot side and dry hopped with a large
Welcome to the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer, bartender Quinn! Let Tournament veteran Matthew help you through Day Five of the Northwest IPA battles. Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs April 10 In the 18th century, British brewers faced the challenge of sending beer to India, a long and hot journey that often resulted in spoiled beer. The solution (and the myth): The story frequently presented is that George Hodgson of the Bow Brewery in London invented the IPA to solve this problem by adding extra hops and increasing alcohol, which acted
Mike Klucznik and his wife, Sheila Mullen, opened the farm brewery Fat Orange Cat Brew Co. in East Hampton, Connecticut, on Aug. 13, 2016. The longtime homebrewer Klucznik wasn’t a cat person until he met Mullen’s orange-and-white feline, Billy, whose memory now lives on with the brewery. Before they launched Fat Orange Cat, Klucznik worked as a CPA and Mullen as an American Sign Language teacher. Klucznik’s homebrewing medals began to pile up, so they opened the brewery to store the medals — and showcase his talents. Today, Klucznik, as brewmaster, works with head brewer Carla Waclawski to produce a
Engineer Barry Chan adored homebrewing. He dove, kettle first, into the Seattle homebrewing scene, asking questions and sharing his beer knowledge. His passion and dedication soon translated into a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judge, where he earned a National score on his first tasting exam. One day, while homebrewing in his kitchen, his buddy Ray Kwan sunk into the couch playing Mario Bros. and dreaming of his next big thing. His first idea was an East Coast-style sports bar since Kwan has roots in New Jersey and loves sports. Chan, from Pennsylvania, thought a brewery in Ballard made more
Peaks & Pints Beer Day Parade 4.7.25 Live from the Proctor District in Tacoma, Washington, it’s Peaks & Pints Beer Day Parade. It’s not a national holiday, at least not yet. But that doesn’t stop Peaks & Pints from celebrating. National Beer Day is today. The day is historically relevant because it commemorates the date in 1933 when the Cullen-Harrison Act, signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt, went into effect. That allowed beer to once again be legally manufactured and sold in this country. The law allowed for the legal sale of low-alcohol beer in the United States several
Peaks & Pints wants you to have a musty, old leather, barnyard, horse-blanket, and tart good time tonight. This should be easy since we’re pairing lambics with jazz in our Events Room from 6 to 8 p.m. Every first Sunday, we host Jambic & Lazz, an early evening of lambics paired with Kareem Kandi and his jazz trio. For those who can’t make the show tonight but still want to enjoy lambics on a Sunday, we’re offering an all-day flight of lambics called Peaks & Pints Sunday Lambic Flight. Lambic, like music, requires years of dedication and a consuming passion.
Fill a six-pack carton with these new arrivals to the Peaks & Pints cooler. Peaks & Pints New Beer Six Pack: 4.5.25 No better way to spend this warm-ish sunny Saturday than with a cold pint in your hand! The draft list is packed with tons of tasty options. Grab said pint and shop Peaks & Pints New Beer Six Pack 4.5.25. Cheers! CRUX FERMENTATION PROJECT CRUX CAPACITOR: West Coast IPA brewed with a simple and light malt bill for a clean palate for Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe to drop juicy fruit, bright citrus, and resiny
Today is National Caramel Day! Let’s get to learning. Americans began making sugary syrups in the 1600s, but the delicious chewy caramel we know and love today is a more recent innovation. Caramel candy emerged during the 18th century and quickly became one of the most popular sweets on the market. Milton Hershey’s first business was the Lancaster Caramel Company. Caramel is made with butter, brown and white sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla. It is usually enjoyed as an ice cream topping, a candy filling, or as a flavor in craft beer, at least according to Peaks & Pints.
Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs Opening Day results The public picked 64 Washington and Oregon-brewed, Northwest-style IPAs for the ninth annual Tournament of Beer, which kicked off yesterday with two games in the Northern Washington region and two in the Southern Oregon region. Brackets plastered refrigerators, break rooms, brewery hallways, and birdcages. Birthday parties were moved to craft beer-serving restaurants. Everyone was discussing Chinook hops and apparent attenuation. It’s crazy fun. Let’s take a gander at yesterday’s opening day results without further ado. The next Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs First Round action goes live at midnight Monday, April 7,
Peaks & Pints bartenders Phaedra Miller, left, and Trish Ortega kick off the 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs. Peaks & Pints 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs begins! Over the next three weeks, Peaks & Pints pits 64 Northwest India Pale Ales in a head-to-head battle. We speak, of course, of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs. Sixty-four Washington and Oregon brewed Northwest IPAs were selected and seeded by the public throughout February, and now the time has come to see what IPA reigns supreme. The 64 Northwest IPAs are separated into four geographical regions:
Tim Sciascia, Connor Casey, and Kelly Caveney founded Cellarmaker Brewing Company in San Francisco’s SoMa district 2013. After meeting at Marin Brewing Company, they acquired a former auto shop, completely gutted it, and turned it into their brewery and tasting room. During the past decade, Cellarmaker popularized a new business model for Bay Area craft breweries. Rather than make the same beer recipes year-round, Cellarmaker introduces new brews practically every week. After closing its original brewery and taproom in SoMa, Cellarmaker now operates taprooms in Oakland, Berkeley (in the former Rare Barrel brewery), and San Francisco’s Mission District. Today, Peaks
It’s been a whirlwind of 18 years for Fort George Brewery. The Astoria, Oregon, brewery launched with an actual whirlwind; this month, it created a whirlwind with its flagship Vortex IPA. For April 2025, they are celebrating Vortex Month, a great time to revisit or try all-new versions of the now classic Oregon Northwest IPA. You can try them at Peaks & Pints in Tacoma’s Proctor District today. We’re offering a flight of Vortex IPA, Double Dry Hopped Vortex, Cryotex, and this year’s new Vortizafa, in collaboration with their friends at Georgetown Brewing. In celebration of Vortex Month and the
In his poem “Chicago,” Carl Sandburg refers to this great city as “Hog Butcher for the World.” And though the literal meaning behind that moniker has faded since the closing of the Union Stock Yards in 1971, it embodies and inspires Chicago brewery Hop Butcher For The World and the beers they brew in three meaningful ways: they experiment with hops in every way possible, they respect the craft of butchering, and, even though their known as just “Hop Butcher”, co-founder Jeremiah Zimmer and Jude La Rose still believe the “For The World” part is an essential and meaningful element
Traditional Perry differs from pear cider, often apple cider with pear flavoring. This may be what comes to mind for most people when they hear about Perry. A true perry is made from pears alone and has a light, refreshing sweetness. Perry pears are smaller than culinary or dessert pears. As with apple cider, the fruit is picked, crushed, and pressed to extract juice, which is then fermented. However, unlike apples, all pears contain a sugar alcohol called sorbitol that yeasts cannot metabolize. A completely fermented perry, therefore, has a residual sweetness missing from a dry apple cider. For this
Here’s a six-pack of new arrivals to the Peaks & Pints Cooler. Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 3.22.25 Grab an Orval and Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 3.22.25 for your weekend activities. Cheers! BLOCK 15 BREWING 45 BELOW: IPA brewed with Superdelic, Riwaka, and Nelson Sauvin Southern hops unleashing waves of tropical lychee and citrus flavors, 5.5%, 16oz MATCHLESS BREWING CITRUS SUBMARINE: West Coast pilsner brewed with Citra, Chinook, and Sterling hops for notes of Mandarin orange, lemon zest, and a touch of pine, 5%, 16oz MATCHLESS WHHHIPED!: Hazy IPA brewed with Amarillo, Citra,
Happy Orval Day 2025! Peaks & Pints celebrates Orval Day 2025 One day a year, beer bars everywhere celebrate one of the world’s most unique beers: Orval Day 2025. Today, Saturday, March 22, Peaks & Pints will be pouring 10-ounce tulips of Orval all day. Legend has it that around 1070 AD, Princess Matilda — a Duchess of Burgundy — was traveling through the forest in southern Belgium. She and her companions paused to rest at a clear spring, and when she trailed her hand in the water, her gold ring accidentally slipped off her finger
Scientist Mark Bjornstad, builder Darin Montplaisir, businessperson Jesse Feigum, and engineer Mason Montplaisir first dreamed of starting a brewery. Through dumb luck, hard work, and amazing friends, they eventually got the opportunity to resurrect this building and bring this dream to life in September 2014. Brewhalla is the home of Viking-themed Drekker Brewing, and it’s become so much more than a brewery and taproom. It comprises a food market filled with Fargo, North Dakota’s best and most creative restaurants, shops, and makers, a bumping event center to throw killer parties, and a hotel like no other to immerse yourself in
Double Mountain Brewery & Cidery celebrated its 18th Anniversary in Hood River, Oregon, March 15 to 17, 2025. Double Mountain Sales Director Andrew Russo Double Mountain Brewery 18th Anniversary Party Recap Your parents’ anniversary has nothing on Double Mountain Brewery & Cidery’s 18th Anniversary Party. You could celebrate with the ’rents with a nice meal and a card, OR you could celebrate 18 years of delicious beer, kickass music, and comradery. We did Saturday. There’s still time for you to join the fun. Double Mountain, as they do, celebrates its anniversary over
Urban Roots Brewery is a collaboration between friends Peter Hoey, formerly the brewmaster at Sacramento Brewing Company, and Rob Archie, the owner of Pangaea Bier Café. They dreamed up the taphouse and restaurant nearly 10 years before opening MAY 2018 in downtown Sacramento. Over those 10 years, they continued to bond over their shared love of beer, particularly saisons and even traveled to countries like Germany and Belgium to drink together. Then, in 2016, a massive 17,000-square-foot brick-and-concrete industrial space became available, and the beer buddies finally decided to dust off the blueprints. Peaks & Pints received a second drop
Happy National Milky Way Day! In 1923, Frank C. Mars created the Milky Way candy bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was named after a malted milk that was popular during its release. It sold more than $800,000 in its first year. There are two versions of the Milky Way bar: in the United States, the bar is made of chocolate-malt nougat topped with caramel and covered in milk chocolate; the global Milky Way bar, the Mars Bar, is more like the 3 Musketeers bar, with no caramel topping. Peaks and Pints leans more toward the U.S. version as we dig
British Captain George Vancouver sailed below the grand Douglas fir on a bluff in what would become Point Defiance Park. Tacoma Silent Trees: Mountaineer Tree Breaking Silence “I was 217 years old when British Captain George Vancouver sailed below me,” says the majestic Douglas fir, also known as the Mountaineer Tree, from the Point Defiance Park bluff between the Dalco Passage Viewpoint and Vashon Viewpoint. At 218 feet tall and nearly 7.5 feet (in diameter), the Douglas fir dwarfs its surroundings in Point Defiance Park. The 450-year-old tree towers on the edge of a centuries-old forest
Peaks & Pints has unveiled the official bracket for its Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs, a voter-based public tournament seeking to crown the best Northwest-style IPA brewed in the Pacific Northwest. Patterned after the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Tournament of Beer features 64 Northwest IPAs brewed in Oregon and Washington, all seeded by public vote and separated into four geographical regions: Northern Washington, Southern Washington, Northern Oregon, and Southern Oregon with only one IPA per brewery. The tournament launches on April 4 and runs to the championship party on April 26. Peaks & Pints defines Northwest IPA
Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs bracket released Peaks & Pints has unveiled the official bracket for its 2025 Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs, a voter-based public tournament seeking to crown the best Northwest-style IPA brewed in the Pacific Northwest. Patterned after the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Tournament of Beer features 64 Northwest IPAs brewed in Oregon and Washington. All are seeded by public vote and separated into four geographical regions: Northern Washington, Southern Washington, Northern Oregon, and Southern Oregon, with only one IPA per brewery. The Tournament of Beer: Northwest IPAs nomination process was
While repping Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits in Arizona, Jordan Zehner made cider in his laundry room. His father, Chris, would take vacations from managing winery sales to visit his son. Backyard discussions lead to a cider production business plan. I was fortuitous with Schilling Cider CEO Chris Schilling, which led to a production contract deal and the launch of Incline Cider Company in 2015. The Auburn-based cidery uses 100 percent fresh pressed apples, no added sugar, and no carbonated water, and the result is balanced ciders that are not too sweet and super flavorful. In 2019, they opened the
Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 3.8.25 Our draft list is packed with tasty libations. Grab a pint and shop for Peaks & Pints New Beer Six-Pack: 3.8.25. 8 WIRED BREWING BRAVE OLD WORLD – ENGLISH IMPERIAL STOUT: Brewed with English malts and hops, and fermented using an English Ale yeast, this beer has subtle fruity esters, complimenting the slightly sweet finish and warming alcohols, and roasted barley and crystal malts provide chocolate and raisin flavors, 9.5%, 440ml CLAIM 52 BREWING THICC – SHAMROCC SHAKE: Purée gose conditioned on pineapple, peach, kiwi, honeydew melon, and vanilla, 5%, 16oz FUTURE PRIMITIVE