SATURDAY MAY 28 2016: South Sound events + craft beer Hair rockers + beer floats = Pour Some Sugar On Me Tacoma rockers + beer flights = Electrons HAIR NATION The last time ’80s hair rock band Hair Nation played The Swiss, a fight broke out, two ladies were “loving” each other at the edge of the stage, a warehouse burned down a block away and the power in the club blew out right after the band’s last note of the night. See what happens this time at 9 p.m. PREFUNK: There are two schools of thought when it comes
FRIDAY MAY 27 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … Monstrous adults + Beer Camp = Family Values Kung-Fu fighting + Three Magnets Brewing = Rumbletowne CONDO CRAZINESS The Grand Cinema gets weird again, screening British director Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise as part of the Tacoma film house’s Weird Elephant series at 9:09 p.m. If you’ve seen any other Wheatley movie — hitman horror Kill List, jet-black romantic comedy Sightseers and hallucinogenic period piece A Field in England among them — then the prospect of a Tom Hiddleston-starring, early Cronenberg-influenced tale of a dystopian society masquerading as a utopian condo
The Washington Brewers Festival will be held at Marymoor Park June 17-19. FRIDAY, MAY 27 2016: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom gunk. … McMenamins is over halfway to their goal of raising $10 million from accredited investors to open in Tacoma. The Washington Brewers Festival has announced the list of breweries and what’s new. Sumerian Brewing in Woodinville owners Mark and Holly Ihrig launched a new company HMS Brew Tech selling complete customizable systems, fermenters and tanks. Let’s talk IPAs of the Pacific Northwest.
It is a testament to Fred Eckhardt’s greatness that the annual FredFest keeps happening, year after year, with a rare assortment of hand-selected beers and tens of thousands of dollars raised for select nonprofits. The Portland beer writer, columnist, historian and icon, fondly known as the Dean of American Beer Writers, passed away last August at age 89, nine years after a surprise party for his 80th birthday launched FredFest. The Eckhardt birthday parties continue, paying tribute to his life and the incredible role he played in today’s current beer landscape. His book, “A Treatise on Lager Beers,” published in
The Fame Riot performs at The Valley tonight. Photo courtesy of Facebook THURSDAY MAY 26 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … The Fame Riot + Release Point IPA = SOAR! “Godspell” + Frambois = humility, love, brotherhood … POP HOOKS You’ve seen The Fame Riot, right? Two glam-rock brothers donning sparkles, scarves and messy long hair and drawing inspiration from genre-hoppers such as Foxy Shazam and dance-rock like Hot Chip, with an impeccable pop sheen. And the music — so catchy! If you haven’t seen this Tacoma band explode with new wave synth, pop
Peaks and Pints owners, from left, Robby Peterson, Ron Swarner and Justin Peterson / photo credit Oona Copperhill Photography Peaks and Pints website is live. It is true — cause you’re looking at its awesomeness right now. Make it a bookmark. Make it a part of your day, your week, your life, your craft beer and cider drinking decision process. The Peaks and Pints website is new. It has just launched. It is gaining steam, voice, slippery blurbs of craft goodness. Yes, even though Peaks and Pints bottle shop, taproom and eatery won’t open until July
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … Buddy Guy + Bob’s Brown Ale = “Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues” Pencil portraits + Wet Coast Brewing = prominence LEGENDARY BLUES Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy, 79, doesn’t just go with the flow. His tunes mix the best of hard rock, gentle balladry and electronica influence, while keeping the heart and soul of blues intact in every note. To experience the delightful Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, head to the Pantages Theater at 7:30 p.m. for a live demonstration. PREFUNK: Manny Chao, co-founder of Georgetown
Drink one with the Captain! WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 2016: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom gunk. … Pacific Northwest Brewers Association member breweries share their latest releases: http://bit.ly/1TEbuVl Atwood Ales, a new brewery in Blaine, Washington, offers a field-to-glass farmhouse brewery experience: http://bit.ly/1U8AbGw Hop Jack’s is expanding to Lakewood and Gig Harbor: http://bit.ly/20BnXeh Hops, cans and other ways American craft cider is following the beer playbook: http://bit.ly/1OWLJRm Gotta have agave? Try out these brews that utilize the unique, polarizing flavor of Mexican tequila: http://bit.ly/1WOxSPc Ballast
TUESDAY MAY 24 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … Medicine woman + Silver City Brewery = Ziggy Zoggy Paraiti Jake Gyllenhaal + The Oly Taproom = Pale WHITE LIES The Grand Cinema will tell some “White Lies” tonight, and by “White Lies” we mean the New Zealand film that follows Māori medicine woman Paraiti (played by singer Whirimako Black) on a rare visit to Auckland from her Urewera home. She meets a Māori servant (Rachel House) and is drawn into helping a wealthy Pākehā woman (Antonia Prebble) with a scandalous, life-threatening secret. The tale of culture clash and
It’s Vinyl Night at The Copper Door. MONDAY MAY 23 2016: South Sound events + craft beer Gypsy jazz + Rumbletowne Red = good times Vinyl night + Sour Beer Club = Lipps Inc. CHICKADEE Olympia five-piece Chickadee draw on an extensive repertoire of originals, pop tunes and songs from the Great American Songbook with their love of old-time swing, complicated by gypsy jazz master Django Reinhardt and refined through French song. And like a river flooding over a dozen tributaries, their music washes away genres in a massive crest of rhythm. Catch Chickadee at 8
How about a refreshing glass of whale vomit ale, made using ambergris, taken from the digestive tract of whales? MONDAY, MAY 23 2016: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom gunk. … Elysian Brewing celebrates 20 years at Seattle Center. High Heel Brewing, an innovative new craft beer company founded by master brewer Kristi McGuire, will introduce a line of craft beers specifically aimed at female craft beer consumers. Beerology dives into the world of Saison. Five tips for winning a homebrew competition. Falling Rock Tap
In many urban environments, open, public space is often a commodity in short supply. Parks, gardens and green spaces compete with roads, parking lots, commercial development and other demands of the city. Green spaces plays a critical role in storm water control by absorbing and holding rainwater, which helps control flooding and erosion that can be caused by heavy rains. Green spaces in urban areas also help to filter and clean water runoff from streets. Areas such as gulches are even more special because these truly natural areas within our urban setting are covered in trees, which help to clean
DJ Broam spins at 1022 South J tonight. SATURDAY, MAY 21 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … DJs + 7 Seas = party Old-timey + Top Rung = Pickin’ with My Old Dog Scout SPINNING 1022 When Oliver Doriss isn’t blowing glass, teaching glassblowing or curating his gallery, Fulcrum, you can catch him under the needle as DJ Broam, usually accompanied by a dance floor full of wild sweaty abandon. At 9:30 p.m., he’ll present the coolest “Vibe” of hip-hop, lounge, electro and jazz at 1022 South J with guest spinner Bilori. PREFUNK: The
FRIDAY MAY 20 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … Feuding perfume clerks + Razma Attack = Parkland party! Brazilian folk + 7 Seas Brewing = Romperia Golden oldies + Bike to Work Day = “Keep on Rollin’” SHE LOVES ME Pacific Lutheran University’s Theater Department presents “She Loves Me,” the charming 1963 musical adaptation of Miklos Laszio’s play “Parfumerie,” which later inspired the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan feature “You’ve Got Mail.” Anyhoo, this intimate and touching show centers on two feuding perfume clerks who, unbeknownst to them, fall in love after answering the same “lonely hearts” advertisement. Catch the
Endless Rant IPA unveiling / photo courtesy of http://adamcarolla.tumblr.com FRIDAY, MAY 20 2016: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom gunk. … Adam Carolla’s new craft beer is basically a “beer-flavored” IPA. Seattle Beer Week featured events for Friday, May 20. Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp Across America Festival Tour stops in Seattle from 1 to 5 p.m. June 11. The festival, which will be at Lake Union Park, includes beers from 100 Northwest breweries. Washington Brewers Festival will showcase more than 400 beers from 105 Washington
THURSDAY, MAY 19 2016: South Sound events + craft beer Cosmic garage rock + Beer Camp Across America = West Latitude Chandler O’Leary + Narrows Brewing = Jaunt + Jot + Wit Kareem Kandi + Silver City Brewery = Charming Disarmer ComicStrip Cabaret + Avery Brewing = stimuli COSMIC GARAGE ROCK The Seattle-based The Rainy Splish Splosh Band released their debut “World’s Warmest Dads” Feb. 16, and it combines elements of Tame Impala, the Black Keys and Red Hot Chili Peppers, all while creating a sound entirely their own. Joining the cosmic garage rockers at 9 p.m. in The Swiss
BeerPic app THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom gunk. … 7 reasons drinking beer is good for you. Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, the founder of Evil Twin Brewing, discusses cultivating a craft beer palate, the benefits of going local, and Evil Twin’s new frozen pizza-and-money beer. BeerPic, an iOS app, makes a world of beer knowledge easily accessible to craft beer fans through their smartphones. Toronado taproom in Seattle hosts a night of metal from vinyl from spin master Jamie Mastin of New
Stupid Sexy Flanders Night at The Red Hot beginning at 5 p.m. WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … Comedy open mic + stupid sexy Flanders = okily dokily night The Kingston Trio + Cascade Lakes Brewing = old school “Sing Street” + Iron Horse Brewery = Irish shenanigans COMEDY OPEN MIC For the uninitiated: Tacoma Comedy Club’s Wednesday Open Mic offer a place for new comics to gain experience and for experienced comics to try new material that may or may not make it into their final sets. The best part
Ben Love of Gigantic Brewing discusses Portland beer scene in the “PDX: Brew City” trailer. Photo courtesy of Vimeobrewpublic.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom gunk. … The Portland beer scene documentary “PDX: Brew City” is set to premiere June 12 at McMenamins Mission Theater. Anheuser-Busch fined for illegal agreement of exclusivity with two concert venues in Seattle, the Showbox and the Showbox SoDo. Seattle Beer Week Ballard Brewshed Pub Crawl set for 5 p.m. May 19. 10 Barrel Brewing is
Meet Peaks and Pints Pal Aaron Wayne. He lives in Tacoma’s Stadium District via King County via Oregon and Oregon State University via Port Angeles via Olympia. He’s a sales executive for Maritime Pacific Brewing Company, which has been brewing craft beer since 1990. Aaron lives and breathes Maritime Pacific, as well as each of his accounts. During his few minutes off the job, you’ll find him elbow-to-elbow with customers at the restaurants and bars he services. Aaron currently digs rock station Rock 98.9 FM, as we found out during a ride-along Friday to see his clients in Tacoma, Puyallup,
Bob Wayne plays The Valley tonight. TUESDAY, MAY 17 2016: South Sound events + craft beer … Swampy Draws + Samuel Smith = bizarro night Louis XIV tunes + Wisdom Seeker Imperial IPA = Louisiana arguments PUNK COUNTRY NIGHT Bob Wayne’s country songs stick to your gut like good chili, the way the godfathers of country intended. There’s no plastic emotion or Keith Urban facial hair with Bob Wayne, just a bit of soul-bearing and a dash of beer swilling. Wayne joins bizarro punk jugband Swampy Draws and punkgrass band The Rusty Cleavers for an 8
The Pine Box in Seattle hosts Can You Handle My Randall tonight. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2016: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom gunk. … The Pine Box in Seattle hosts its annual Seattle Beer Week event Can You Handle My Randall featuring 12 Randalls at once, beginning at 4 p.m. Naked City Brewing collected the finest wood aged beers brewed in all of Washington state and will release them tonight: The Watershed Pub in Seattle hosts Cans 4 Cans tonight pouring
By now, everyone knows the fifth annual Gig Harbor Beer Festival wasn’t the sunny sudsy day in years past. It was a gray and damp Saturday afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time. A little weather didn’t halt enthusiasts from standing together to enjoy some of the finest craft beers in Washington state. The Gig Harbor Beer Festival brain trust promised this would be the biggest and best festival yet, and they didn’t disappoint. Although the festival footprint grew, it was still a push to the beer. With 28 breweries representing, we came prepared with a
Top Rung Brewing Company’s Raspberry Wheat waiting for you on the Lacey brewery’s patio. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner Spring continues to give way to summer and with that comes the beers of the season. And South Sound breweries have a number of interesting summer craft beers you’ll want to chase down. We gave local breweries a jingle for their summer suggestions. Below are 6 South Sound summer craft beers you need to drink. Engine House No. 9 “Our house Belgian White is probably the most popular summer patio beer,” says Donovan Stewart, brewer at Engine House
This is how BikeroBrew rolls at Odd Otter Brewing Company in downtown Tacoma. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner Riding a bicycle is fun. Drinking craft beer is totally awesome. What happens when you mix the two together? Totally awesome fun! And judging from the success of last year’s BikeroBrew tours, combining craft beer, city tour and cycling is an indicator of why Tacoma’s annual May Bike Month is a vibrant, popular happening. Last year, BikeroBrew co-owners Chris Stanis and Jonathan Teeter offered several 5-mile loop, guided bicycle tours to Tacoma breweries. Justin Grisham and his wife, Jenn,
Washington state brewers best friends forever. Cloudburst Brewing and Stoup Brewing traded hugs. Top Rung Brewing and Fish Brewing joked. Georgetown Brewing and Two Beers Brewing worked on a broken keg together. Three Magnets Brewing and Triceratops Brewing touched foreheads. Last night and throughout today Washington breweries didn’t ponder Budweiser making fun of craft beer-loving hippies or Trappist monks sending cease-and-desist letters or Dutch beer companies buying California craft beer companies or breweries suing each other. Any animosity in the craft beer world was dispelled with a little bit of collaboration over, of course, many 4-ounce pours. Thankfully, here in
Chef Jacob Thacker answers questions at Chalet Bowl in Tacoma’s Proctor District. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner Go bowling. There was no rational reason to do so. The sun beat down on springtime Proctor District when I crossed onto 26th Street. The steady flow from Washington Elementary to Wheelock Library dried-up as spring break reached mid-point. Go bowling. It wasn’t as dramatic as the disembodied voice in “Field of Dreams,” but the thought wouldn’t leave me. A sundeck would have made more sense to pick Chef Jacob Thacker’s brain on the April 27 Hop Valley Brewing Dinner
Top Rung Brewing Co. Operations Manager Casey Sobol / photo credit: Pappi Swarner It’s birthday time again: Top Rung Brewing Company is turning 2 years old this weekend, and to celebrate, it’s throwing a party Saturday, April 16, that includes an imperial stout horizontal tasting and s’mores. Solid … just like the brewery. The Lacey brewery opened in April 2014 with awarding-winning homebrew recipes and two owners with full-time jobs. In just two short years, Thurston County firefighters Casey Sobol and Jason Stoltz have put Lacey on the craft beer map with solid craft beers back
Team Wingman: Ken Thoburn, Mike Dempster and Daniel Heath / courtesy photo This just in from Wingman Brewers world Headquarters in Tacoma, Washington: Wingman Brewers is proud to announce an addition to our team here at our Tacoma based Brewery. Mike Dempster is the new brewer at Wingman Brewers. Mike cut his teeth at Greenpoint Beer Works in New York followed by Buoy in Astoria OR and then helped launch Graff Brygghus in Norway before returning the states and joining the Wingman crew. Mike is originally from the Gig Harbor area and is excited to be
Pat Jansen stands before his new Matchless Brewing Co.’s foeders. Photo courtesy of Facebook Award-winning brewmaster Patrick Jansen — who helped lead Three Magnets Brewing Co. to prominence with the Helsing Junction Farmhouse Saison, Great American Beer Festival bronze medalist Old Skook In The Woods barleywine, Brotherhood Brown ale and many more craft beers — will open his own brewery this summer with Grant Bolt, a bartender at Three Magnets, as well as founder of WortWorks Soda Co., all natural soda sweetened by grain extract. Jansen and Bolt will launch Matchless Brewing Company in a temporary
Ah, the ’70s — what a happy time. We’d arrange bean bags in circles and studied liner notes as “American Pie” and “Heart of Gold” bounced off the basement’s wood-paneling, ornamental lamps with dangly tassels and a yellow smiley face dangled from the cottage-cheese ceiling. Mom’s squeaky leather booths meant Wonder Bread sandwiches were seconds away. Up to the 1970s, the U.S. was mostly known for mass produced American Lager. Sad face. Then, Fritz Maytag resurrected Anchor Brewing Co. in the early 1970s, and in 1976 Jack McAuliffe started New Albion Brewing Co., both in California. Smiley face. Brothers
The Valley bartender Brittany Crowder / photo credit: Pappi Swarner Between the St. Patrick’s Day special releases and the jump from winter to spring seasonals, there’s a lot rotating through the brew tanks. It’s a nice reminder of just how productive and imaginative the brewing scene is in the South Sound; the party Saturday afternoon covers only a small but delicious percentage of March’s offerings. Party Saturday afternoon? Indeed — four breweries are teaming up for the Tacoma Brewery Spring Showcase 3-9 p.m. at The Valley. “A couple Tacoma breweries have joined forces for several events,”
Wingman Brewers will pour IPAs at its 5th anniversary party April 23. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner Ken Thoburn, Derrick Moyer, Daniel Heath and Jason Sabol launched Wingman Brewers as a nano-brewery in April 2011. They drove their beer from their small space at 1727 Fawcett in downtown Tacoma top The Red Hot for a beer release celebration. The brewery’s name and image is 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. In 2012, they moved their one-barrel system to
Across the pond in the U.K., it’s common to see pub signage proclaiming the availability of “real ale.” As opposed to what, you might wonder? Near beer? Something with artificial hops? What they refer to is the Brit’s traditional brew — naturally carbonated ales served from unpressurized vessels at cellar temperatures (mid-50s F), usually referred to in the states as cask ale. Many discerning beer-heads feel that this old-school “real” approach delivers the best-tasting beer. Cask ale is more organic and less mucked. Living yeast create a gentle carbonation within the cask it’s dispensed from, either via hand pump or
Poppa Otter’s Bacon Breakfast Stout awaits at Odd Otter Brewing Company in downtown Tacoma. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner Poppa Otter’s Bacon Breakfast Stout Alcohol by volume: 8.8% Where: Odd Otter Brewing Company, 716 Pacific Ave., Tacoma ‘Tis the season It’s that most hallowed time of year for beer drinkers — Saint Patrick’s Day. The holiday conjures visions of all things green, ranging from leprechauns to beer. However, We can’t bring ourselves to contaminate our favorite brew with food coloring. After all, the phrase “green beer” is often used to describe young and unfermented brews with yeast
Photo credit: http://freckled69.tumblr.com/ Scenes of mountain tops, French toast, ragged jean shorts, alpine lake kayaking, lakeside camping and more curated from Basecamp Proctor in Tacoma: http://peaksandpints.tumblr.com/
Chris Webber poses at Skep and Skein in Olympia. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner “At last Gandalf pushed away his plate and jug — he had eaten two whole loaves (with masses of butter and honey and clotted cream) and drunk at least a quart of mead — and he took out his pipe.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit” After a string of Hobbit films, and with Game of Thrones returning to the tube in April, mead-swilling characters from medieval environs abound. So it is with admirable timing that Chris Webber has lowered the drawbridge at his
Top Rung Brewing Company in Lacey will open its doors for tours during the Washington Beer Open House Feb. 20. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner Despite the volume of beer being pumped out of this state’s kettles, breweries keep opening at a breakneck pace. We’re just fine with that, especially when those breweries come with taprooms, because taprooms are a really good way to daytime drink and somehow seem less alcoholic than if you were sequestered in a bar. Going to a taproom is like being a beer tourist in your own town, and also, it’s kind
Another positive craft beer week in the South sound. South Sound Craft Beer Index – Funny Name Edition The South Sound Craft Beer Scene Index measures the state of the greater Tacoma and Olympia area craft beer scene. [+1] Strange Brewfest Port Townsend announced the winning brewery based on patron submitted tokens. Gig Harbor’s 7 Seas Brewing grabbed first place with their 7 Bloody Seas, Blue Ballz and Cucumber Dill Hefeweizen. [+1] The News Tribune reported construction on the long-awaited Elks Lodge will begin by April with the entertainment complex opening in fall 2017. The News
Al Gore invented the Internet. The next day Gig Harbor resident Bobby Holstein invented the website. It’s not far off from the truth. Holstein has been building websites for cigar, spirits, wine and beer companies since the early ’90s. He has the cellar to prove it. He’s wicked smart. Certainly he’s a walking encyclopedia on the history and tastes of his many hundreds of clients. Last year he visited every Washington state brewery. This piece isn’t so much on Holstein. I’ll save that for another day. My story is on the craft beer taproom and store he opened yesterday with
Puyallup River Brewing founder Eric Akeson seen here at his former Puyallup River Alehouse. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner Puyallup River Brewing Company founder and brewer Eric Akeson, along with his head brewer Nat Woodsmith, received three medals and grabbed 2015 Small Brewery of the Year at the Third Annual Washington Beer Awards during the Washington Brewer’s Festival at Marymoor Park this past June. It was a short ride for Akeson to being named king of all small breweries. Well, kind of. Although Akeson began delivering his beer to local bottle shops and groceries stores in 2012,
Fans of sour and fermented beers, if you aren’t already familiar with Harmon Brewing Company, you should make yourself acquainted with the Tacoma-based brewery right about … now. Friday, a 20-barrel foeder was dropped in front of the company’s Harmon Tap Room brewing facility. Harmon Director of Brewing Operations Jesse Holder had to take a knee, overwhelmed with emotion after several years leading Harmon down the wood barrel road of Belgian beers and sours. Brewers Jeff Carlson and Bill Lundeen smiled and rolled in the barrel. Foeders are giant wooden beer vessels, (pronounced FOOD-er, by the way) used for beers
We tried to follow our own plan for Washington Beer Association’s Belgian Fest, starting on the right side of Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion, then working our way around counterclockwise starting from Skookum Brewery then pushing our way through the packed crowd to American Brewing, checking off the dubbels, tripels, saisons, abbeys, lambics, krieks, golden ales and witbiers as we go. Unfortunately, there were so many good Washington state brewed Belgian beers to sample, many of which we had not tried or had not tried in a long time, that we didn’t come to drinking from all 44 breweries. We did
