THURSDAY, APRIL 6 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Tacoma Comedy Club + Peaks and Pints = Earthquake and Europe Olympia Little Theater + Fish Tale Brewpub = Horton and Harmon EARTHQUAKE! Earthquake shakes up the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m. Perhaps the most successful African-American comedian you’ve never heard of, this guy makes millions killing it all over the country. He has been all over the comedy scene, from HBO to BET, and talk shows from Howard Stern to Conan. PREFUNK: Beer trends come and go. Once-popular but comically over-hopped IPAs, for example, are now giving
MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 6 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer and cider news, from the fluffy head all the way to Diamond Knot new beers, British Columbia Cider Week and Full Sail OPA. … From 1920-1933 Prohibition denied all forms of alcohol to U.S. citizens. Thankfully in 1933, the U.S. government came to their senses, and President Roosevelt decided that alcohol should flow freely. On April 6, 1933, people lined up around the block at the doors of their favorite public house to prepare to imbibe the first legal brews in 13 years. Ever since that night,
In 2010 — with his Siebel Institute education, training in Germany and Belgium, and degree from Yale tucked under his arm — Ben Edmunds opened Breakside Brewery in the quiet Woodlawn neighborhood of Northeast Portland as a restaurant and nano-sized brewery. Breakside expanded to a 3.5 bbl brewhouse while winning their first medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2011 where they have earned medals each year since. In late 2013 the brewery expanded operations to Milwaukie, Oregon with a 30 bbl production brewery. In 2014 Breakside was awarded with the highly coveted Gold Medal for American-style IPA at
National Caramel Day is April 5 and Peaks and Pints wants to know … is it Kar-muhl or Ker-uh-muhl? Werther’s Original is on the beat. This year, those caramel folks surveyed the nation asking just that question. The results are in. Ker-uh-muhl takes the sweet honors with 57 percent of Americans using the three-syllable pronunciation. Now, the iconic caramel brand is visiting caramel lovers in Carmel, Indiana, to celebrate National Caramel Day. The city will officially become Caramel (ker-uh-muhl), Indiana for the day in honor of the Werther’s Original National Caramel Day celebration. That’s all fine as candy, but if
Dude! Good news! Our supply of Lagunitas Brewing Co.’s Waldos’ Special Ale hit our bear rug. The Petaluma, California brewery brews this seasonal triple IPA as a tribute to the Waldos, the group of kids who attended San Rafael High School in the early 1970s. The kids received their name because they would hang out around a wall. The Waldos are most well known for being the founding fathers of 420. They created the slang term as a covert way to gather after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke weed. Dude, Waldos’ Special Ale is dank
TUESDAY, APRIL 4 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Grand Cinema + Olympia Film Society + Peaks and Pints = Gray 56 degree day in April Brewers Row + The Copper Door = Craft beer NO SUCH THING AS ALTERNATIVE FACTS Today, more than 180 art house movie theaters, including The Grand Cinema in Tacoma (1:30, 6:45 and 9:15 p.m.) and the Capitol Theater in Olympia (4, 6:30 and 9 p.m.) will screen Michael Radford’s 1984 film adaption of 1984. The date was chosen to match the “bright cold day in April” at the beginning of the
Founded in 1988 as a Fort Bragg brewpub, North Coast Brewing Co. predates the Internet and the craft beer explosion alike, but it’s managed to continue innovating all the while. Under the leadership of president and co-founder Mark Ruedrich, the California Mendocino Coast brewery is a certified B Company using solar energy, has relationships with local farmers, and gives back to the community. North Coast brews tasty craft beers, winning over 110 awards in national and international competitions. In addition to Old Stock ale, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, Scrimshaw Pilsner, and other fine North Coast brands, the brewery has
MONDAY, APRIL 3 2017: Tacoma events paired with craft beer … University of Puget Sound + Peaks and Pints = Pentatoni and Parabola The Grand Cinema + Parkway Tavern = Alamar and Wingman UP-AND-COMING JAZZ Jazz is one of America’s biggest and most important contributions to modern culture. Born of southern African-American culture in the late 19th century, the genre has grown and evolved over the course of the 100-plus years of its existence, often waxing and waning, both in terms of popularity and artistry, numerous times over. One thing that’s remained constant is that only the most practiced and
The next time Mia Wallace asks for a foot massage, offer up a bottle of $5 Shake instead. MORNING FOAM FOR MONDAY, APRIL 3 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer and cider news, from the fluffy head all the way to the movie beer labels. … Top Rung Brewing in Lacey, Washington, will release its Rye Lager Saturday, April 8. According to Top Rung, the Rye Lager “has a nice spicy note that resonates from the rye added in the mash that provides a nice balance to the crisp, clean refreshing flavor of the pilsner
Spring has officially started in the South Sound, settling into its rightful place for the next few months. From waterfalls to early wildflowers, this time of year is perfect to get a jumpstart on the hiking season, especially on lower elevation trails. Of course, you’ll need a few craft beers for your backpack. We present a five-taster flight of appropriate quaffing for lookouts and trail-end gatherings: Craft Beer Crosscut 4.3.17: A Flight of Hiking. Craft Beer Crosscut 4.3.17: A Flight of Hiking Uinta Golden Ale 5% ABV, 12 IBU As you know from our SudsPop nights with Uinta Brewing this
SUNDAY , APRIL 2 2017: It’s Sunday, and you need a laugh … Tacoma Comedy Club + Peaks and Pints = 120 minutes of fun DRUNK COMICS The Tacoma Comedy Club presents another Drunk Show where five comics perform a set each sober, and then while the other comics are performing they pound booze and return to the stage wasted to do another set. Jubal Flagg from Movin 95.5 FM tries to keep the thing flowing, beginning at 8 p.m. PREFUNK: Described as “the holy grail for hopheads,” the Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales’ 120 Minute IPA gets its name
Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball team has never won it all, but then again, there’s never been a Gonzaga squad quite like this year’s team of Bulldogs. West Coast Conference championships are nothing new to the Eastern, Washington university, of course. Neither is head coach Mark Few’s way of guiding squads of likable young men to the heights of the regular-season polls. These Zags are arguably more athletic and defensive-minded than any of their predecessors, which just might help them win it all Monday night. We salute the Bulldogs run with the dog-theme beer flight Craft Beer Crosscut 4.2.2017: A Flight of
Donnie Darko screens at The Grand Cinema at 11 p.m. SATURDAY, APRIL 1 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = Giant rabbits and PranQsters Northwest Sinfonietta + Zog’s = Common artistry WEIRD ELEPHANT The Grand Cinema screens Donnie Darko at 11 p.m. as part of its Weird Elephant series. Donnie Darko is one of those films with much more staying power than anybody expected, especially to folks who are constantly followed by giant rabbits. The movie isn’t exactly everybody’s cup of tea, but there’s no question that
You know the story. In April 2011, Wingman Brewers opened for business with a one-barrel batch of beer on tap at The Red Hot. Friends and Tacoma natives Ken Thoburn, Derrick Moyer, Daniel Heath and Jason Sabol launched the brewery paying homage to Thoburn’s grandfather, an artist who served in World War II in the Pacific, and painted the sides of fighter planes when he could. April 22, 2017, Thoburn, Moyer and Heath, Wingman’s remaining founders, will celebrate the Tacoma Dome District brewery’s sixth anniversary with birthday cake. Birthday Cake IPA, that is. “The Birthday Cake IPA idea came from
Source cite Fort George brewer Packy Coleman had improper contact with Russian Ambassador Kislyak. Courtesy photo You best get your butt to Peaks and Pints to drink up the rest of Fort George Brewery’s Matryoshka Russian imperial stout we have on tap. It might be the last batch of the delicious craft beer ever. This just in from Astoria, Oregon. … Fort George brewer Packy Coleman resigned yesterday, capping a tumultuous brew week that began with revelations he had discussed recipes with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The exact nature of those conversations and the extent of
Peaks and Pints will raffle off the Dogfish Head turntable April 20, 2017. Spinning April 22, 2017, the 10th annual Record Store Day will offer an opportunity to celebrate the indie record stores in the South Sound, reflect on the state of the music industry and consider the demand for vinyl production. This year’s list of special releases includes Big Star’s Complete Third: Vol. 3 — Final Masters 2x 12-inch, Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” 12-inch (unreleased 15-minute version), Iggy Pop’s Post Pop Depression Live at the Royal Albert Hall 3x 12-inch (performance from what Pop described
FRIDAY, MARCH 31 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Broadway Center + Peaks and Pints = Lila Downs and Sweet Jane The Valley + Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. = Nocturnal Habits and German IPA PASSIONATE MUSIC Which is scarier: Salma Hayek’s eyebrow on Frida, or the fact that Mexican-American vocal wonder Lila Downs was once a Deadhead? Downs appeared in Frida but is still far better-known as a world music singer steeped in the traditions and cultures of Mexico, fusing traditional Mexi-folk with gospel, jazz, reggae and even hip-hop influences with grand storytelling flourishes about life on
Berliner Weisse is a rare thing: a sour beer, intensely flavored and the embodiment of refreshment. Its tartness is generally mild; its carbonation high; its soft, wheaty flavor refreshing. Even Napoleon was a fan — a popular story says he dubbed the beer style “the Champagne of the North” while occupying the German capital in 1809. As you might expect, the style is said to have originated in Berlin near the end of the 16th century and was at one time the most popular beverage in the city. Three aspects set it apart from other beers: It’s brewed with wheat,
South Sound female brewers will celebrate their The Shield Maiden Nordic Fraoch release at Peaks and Pints tonight. Courtesy photo THURSDAY, MARCH 30 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = The Fog and the Fraoch Rhythm & Rye + Top Rung Brewing = Funk and figs and cinnamon ROBERT STRANGE MCNAMARA In films such as Gates of Heaven and Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, the quirky, ironic, nihilistic documentarian Errol Morris introduces filmgoers to the accomplishments, philosophies and inner lives of fringe oddballs and powerless nobodies.
Developed in 1976 and named after the mighty river valley in Oregon, Willamette hops have long been a favorite among American craft brewers. Cultivated as an alteration of English Fuggle, Willamette quickly gained popularity and now accounts for 20 percent of all hops grown in America. With a fairly low alpha acid content, Willamette is mostly used for their aromatic properties, and for good reason. With notes of flowers, earth, fruit and spice, these hops can adapt to many different beer styles and add a lot of great character. It’s a go-to hop for many American brewers and our Craft
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … University of Puget Sound + Peaks and Pints = Crushing Washington State History Museum + E9 Brewery = Steins, Vines, Grinds and E9s CHOP FEST! The University of Puget Sound Associated Student Body continues its CHOP FEST! Horror Film Festival with a 9:30 p.m. screening of Jeepers Creepers in McIntyre Hall on campus. Like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, most of writer-director Victor Salva’s Jeepers Creepers unspools along a lonely stretch of country highway where the most terrible things happen to the nicest people. Also like Chainsaw, Creepers has a
Galaxy hops are known among IPA lovers for their overflowing citrus, peach and passionfruit flavors. Tropical island aromas dominate the nose, lifting you away to a far off destination of flavor, like the coast of Australia, where these hops are grown since the mid-1990s, but released commercially in 2009. This Aussie-native hops hail from a lineage of male European cultivars — particularly Perle —bred with local Australian high alpha varieties. Galaxy hops are versatile; they can accent and compliment, or take center stage as the primary flavor. Their high alpha acid content make them especially suited to aroma hopping and
Guys! The next incarnation of Twin Peaks drops on Showtime this coming May 21 — and to wet your whistle, Snoqualmie Falls Brewing just released Ghostwood Kolsch. It makes sense since both Twin Peaks series were filmed in the brewery’s backyard of Snoqualmie Valley. According to Snoqualmie Falls Brewery hype, “Ghostwood Kolsch is a straw-yellow color and has just a little wheat malt, and is hopped with German Spalt hops to insure its pedigree. The palate is light bodied, biscuit malt with herbal spiciness from the Spalt, and the finish is emphatically dry and crisp. … The label contains several
Jerry Miller will perform at The Valley tonight. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner TUESDAY, MARCH 28 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Valley + Peaks and Pints = Unconditional Joy The Grand Cinema + The Ram = Sharks and Rabbits TUESDAY BLUESDAY Saturday, garage-rock hero Buck Ormsby — best known as long-time bassist for the Fabulous Wailers and co-owner of Tacoma label, Etiquette Records — was remembered during “Buck’s House Party,” a memorial concert held at the Temple Theatre. It was a who’s who of Northwest 1950s and 1960s musicians, including former Moby Grape
Champagne Sunday performs at Odd Otter Brewing Co. tonight. MONDAY, MARCH 27 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Odd Otter Brewing Co. + Peaks and Pints = SudsPop The Grand Cinema + Parkway Tavern = Wolf Totem and Old Crustacean DYNAMIC DUO Champagne Sunday is an interesting breed. Performing a little bit Broadway, a little bit contemporary, a little bit punk and a little bit blues, this indie duo has a lot of energy and talent that makes for an engaging, powerful listen. Jessi and Jared Fredeen, (yes, they’re married) make up the California
MORNING FOAM FOR MONDAY, MARCH 27 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the Twittering beer historian. … PDX Beer Geeks blog attended the Pacific Northwest Homebrewer’s Conference over the weekend. “From the knowledge shared during the seminars, to the product demonstrations from sponsor vendors, to the keynote speeches, and even the casual discussion between participants, the event was a blast to attend. And then there was the beer… oh God the beer.” Read the report here. Making its debut in bottles next month, Bear Republic’s Fastback Racer will be hitting
Since Greg Koch and Steve Wagner founded it in 1996, Stone Brewing Co. has been producing an ever-expanding line up of well-crafted and often in-your-face beers and interesting collaborations. Stone’s gargoyle mascot watches over each of these beers, attempting to draw in their ideal consumer and to scare off the Keystone-swilling undergrad that stumbled into the display. Don’t let it intimidate you. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing. Today, we present Craft
Peaks and Pints has unveiled the official bracket for its Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs, a voter-based public tournament seeking to crown Washington state’s best IPA. Patterned after the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Tournament of Beer features 64 IPAs from Washington state, all seeded by public vote, and separated into four geographical regions: King County, Northwest (North Sound and Peninsula), Eastern Washington and Southwest (includes South Sound). Several breweries had two of their IPAs voted into the Tournament of Beer, which was the maximum allowed. These top 64 vote getters — the cream of the hops
Super bitter and full of grapefruit and orange zest aroma, Summit is a high-alpha hop-lovers kind of hop: bitter, aggressive and busting with citrus flavor. Summit hops were originally created by the Dwarf Hop Association in 2003 and are a combination of a variety of hops that were cross pollinated to create an extremely useful bittering hop that can be stored for 6 months with only a 15% decrease in alpha acids. Its strength is to be expected — with lineage in the intense Zeus hop, Summit continues the family tradition of bold flavors. In small quantities, Summit hops can
John Harris’ background in one steeped in Oregon’s rich craft brewing history. After beginning as a brewer at McMenamins’ breweries, he moved to Deschutes where he created the recipes for Mirror Pond, Black Butte Porter, Jubelale and Obsidian Stout. He spent the next 20 years of his career as a brewmaster at Full Sail in charge of creating the Brewmaster Reserve line of beers. In 2013, Harris founded Ecliptic Brewing purchasing the brewhouse from friend and Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione. Harris’ love for brewing and astronomy shines as he pushes the limits of creativity rotating Ecliptic’s offerings every six
South Sound female brewers collaborated on The Shield Maiden Nordic Fraoch on Big Boots Brew Day March 8, 2017 at Dystopian State Brewing Co. in Tacoma. Courtesy photo Craft beer brewers love to gather and collaborate on new beers, discuss equipment and ingredients, develop new recipes and, of course, to drink a few. And although these collaborations can often result in new forms of deliciousness, they are also a way for the guys to get together and hug it out. Or, in this case, the girls. “Women brewers dominated the industry for 4,000 years,” says Kristen
Cheap Sweat will rock The Valley tonight as part of the Bleak Outlook Vol. 5 festival. FRIDAY, MARCH 24 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Bleak Outlook + Peaks and Pints = not so bleak O’Malley’s + Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. = party IT’S ELECTRIFYING Bleak Outlook is a weekend-long Tacoma music festival, curated by Brian Skiffington, that’s now entering its fifth year. The outlook isn’t bleak if you dig is aggressive, heavy, no-nonsense rock, metal, and punk. The venues showcasing these bands are as diverse as the bands themselves, with usual suspects
Peaks and Pints is sure we don’t have to tell you this, but it’s National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day. Most people know them as Raisinets. This chocolate-covered fruit was first introduced in the United States in 1927. Nestle acquired the brand in 1984. In early years, Raisinets were made by hand — taking 90 minutes to coat 350 pounds of raisins and additional 60 minutes to polish, according to the Nestle website. Today, Raisinets are made by machine in nearly 2,500-pound batches. Peaks and Pints honors this moderately enjoyable snack with a five craft beer flight of all this chocolate
THURSDAY, MARCH 23 2017: South Sound events paired with craft beer … Tacoma Comedy Club + Peaks and Pints = Oleg and Crux Harlequin Productions + Fish Tale Brewpub = sweet and sour FUNNY KITE Oleg, the smooth, gutter-minded and sex-crazed Ukrainian cook on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls will be walking around Tacoma today. Will his cocky, lewd banter disrupt passengers on the Tacoma Link? We kid, of course, and so will Jonathan Kite who plays Oleg when he hits the Tacoma Comedy Club stage at 8 p.m. Kite, a native of Skokie, Illinois (yep, it’s a fake
MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 23 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom rude llama. … Jump on your bike and peddle your butt over to Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood Saturday to Peddler Brewing Co.’s four-year anniversary party, beginning at 11 a.m. The brewery will pour three of its special aged sour beers on tap, with a very limited supply of the Oak Barrel Aged Belgian Sour. Speaking of brewery anniversary parties in Washington state, Sumerian Brewing Co. will celebrate its second anniversary Saturday, April 8. The Redmond brewery will
Growing up surrounded by vineyards and winemakers, Adam Firestone (of Firestone Vineyard) always had an interest in combining the family business with beer making. He found the perfect business partner in his brother-in-law, David Walker, and the two founded Firestone Walker Brewing Company in 1996. In addition to winning gobs of medals for individual brews, these obnoxiously talented brewers from Paso Robles, California, often take home the major hardware at competitions such as the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup — titles such as “Brewery of the Year” or “Brewer of the Year.” Peaks and Pints would be
Peaks and Pints Pal Kristi Bowman Morgan is a positive person. She speaks positively. She writes positively. We’re positive you’ll love her as much as we do. When the Tacoma native, University of Puget Sound graduate and frequent Peaks and Pints patron asked us to host her release party for her latest book, Positive Perspectives: Learning the Art of Unconditional Joy, we gave her a positive response. Expect positive vibes, her requested Hop Valley Brewing Citrus Mistress IPA and Morgan chatting up her book at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28 at Peaks and Pints in Proctor. Positive Perspectives: Learning the
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … King’s Books + Peaks and Pints = CLAW and Odin The Swiss Restaurant & Pub + Stuck Junction = Dynamic duo FUNNY HATS Join the Cartoonist’s League of Absurd Washingtonians for their monthly Open Swim at 7:30 p.m. in King’s Books. CLAW invites the public to draw on bicycle helmets with them. For the uninitiated, CLAW’s mission is to gather talented Washington state cartoonists of great skill and humongous egos in frequently secluded gatherings during which the secrets and mystic arts of their sublime craft are practiced. PREFUNK:
Today is Wednesday, March 22, 2017 the 80th day of the year with 284 days remaining. The sun roses at 7:10 a.m. and will set at 7:24 p.m. giving us 12 hours and 14 minutes of daylight. Thirty-nine percent of the moon will be visible, setting at 2:04 p.m. On this date in history, 1946, the first U.S. built rocket to leave the earth’s atmosphere reached a height of 50 miles. For all you would-be nerd haters out there, allow Peaks and Pints to drop some empirical knowledge on you: beer brewing is a science, it might not quite be
TUESDAY, MARCH 21 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Blue Mouse Theatre + Peaks and Pints = Rogue and pFriem The Grand Cinema + 7 Seas Brewing = Single ROGUE ONE AGAIN Missed Rogue One: A Stars Wars Story the first time around? The Blue Mouse Theatre screens it at 7 p.m. For the uninitiated, this latest installment in the hugely popular sci-fi series is set long before the last film, which was set after the first three, labeled episodes four, five and six, but largely unconnected to the newer prequel trilogy containing episodes one, two and three.
Released in 2012, the Mosaic hop is the daughter of the bitter, earthy hop Simcoe, and was developed by Hop Breeding Co. With leaves hugging the compact cone, the Mosaic hop is beautifully shaped, with an organized and tight-knit appearance. The wonderful tropical and citrus fruitfulness of Mosaic is complemented by a contrasting earthy, piney taste. Craft Beer Crosscut 3.21.17: A Flight of Mosaic features five craft beers with the hop in their recipes. pFriem Mosaic Single-Hop Pale Ale 6.5% ABV, 45 IBU This was the first beer in pFriem Family Brewers’ single hop pale series, an experimental series in