Beer Line Blog

Craft Beer Crosscut 9.7.18: A Flight of Three Magnets

Share

Wow, seems like just yesterday Three Magnets Brewing Co. was a newborn brewery, entering our lives. There may be some newer kids on the scene, but Three Magnets still remains one of the best. Evergreen State College alumni Nathan and Sara Reilly, who had been running Darby’s Cafe for nearly a decade in downtown Olympia, opened neighboring Three Magnets in November 2014. They hit the lottery when they hired head brewer and “Local Sourcing Liaison” Pat Jansen, who also hit the lottery with assistant brewer Jeff Stokes. Together, they brewed a wide range of award-winning craft beers. Jansen moved on

Continue reading »

Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest, efficient brewery tour and Anchor Brewing stovepipe

Share

MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY, SEPT. 6 2018: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the Cavity Creeps fearing cat. … Every year as summer fades into fall, a new crop of beers starts to pop up in American taprooms. Fresh hop and wet hop beers now regularly sit alongside the dry hopped (and, more recently, double dry hopped) IPAs released by innovative brewers. Servers often encourage you to taste the fresh and dry hop beers as soon as you can because they come but once a year and expire quickly. Why should

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 9.6.18: A Flight of Great Divide Brewing

Share

After working for a company building farms in developing countries and then earning a master’s degree in environmental policy, Brian Dunn was flying to interview with an agribusiness company when he decided to scrap those plans and open a brewery instead. He grabbed a loan from the city of Denver to open up in what was then a desolate Ballpark neighborhood, and he would begin brewing at 3 a.m. before heading out to peddle his new product to local liquor stores and bars. The year was 1994. The product was Great Divide Brewing Co. That one-man operation grew as American

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 9.5.18: A Flight of Off The Wall Ingredients

Share

German beer purity law be-damned, modern brewers can’t be confined by the basic four ingredients of beer: water, barley, hops and yeast. Today’s brewers are visionaries, creative thinkers who want to put weird stuff in their beer and see what happens. We’re not just talking about cocoa nibs and jalapeno peppers here, people. We’re talking about salt, oysters, mango coffee, frozen Hawaiian pizza and money. Yes, paper currency. Peaks and Pints pours five craft beers with off the wall ingredients for our flight today, which we call Craft Beer Crosscut 9.5.18: A Flight of Off The Wall Ingredients. Ninkasi Whiteaker

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 9.4.18: Tastes Like Autumn

Share

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 9.4.18: Tastes Like Autumn The leaves are falling. You’ve got a sweater on. Wait … not true. Yet, you can reach for you favorite fall liquid in Peaks and Pints’ cooler. Go with it. … HOLLOW JACK, 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Hollow Jack kicks pumpkin-spiced lattes back into the patch. Made from A brew of fresh-pressed apples, caramelized pumpkin and sweet potatoes, it’s basically fall in a glass. The pumpkin flavor isn’t overwhelming, which is enjoyable and not too sweet. 6.4%, 16.9oz NICE & NAUGHTY, 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Nice & Naughty spiced apple cider is Christmas

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 9.4.18: A Flight of Ringoktoberfest

Share

On this date in history, 1962, the Beatles, with their new drummer Ringo Starr, went into EMI’s Abbey Road studios in north London to record their first single. The A-side was Love Me Do, one of the least original in John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s burgeoning songbook. Through it ran a harmonica riff played by Lennon and shamelessly cribbed from Bruce Channel’s recent hit, Hey Baby. The lyrics were rudimentary: “Love, love me do … you know I love you … I’ll always be true.” No one then recognized a sound with power to change the world. In honor of

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight 9.3.18: Portland

Share

It’s Monday, which means Peaks and Pints celebrates the taking of apples and pears and making them alcoholic and drinkable via a cider flight. Today, we focus on Portland, Oregon. While Portland is known for having more breweries than any other city in the world, amazing wines from the nearby Willamette Valley and a host of craft distilleries, the latest beverage trend in town is definitely hard cider. Sure, the city has a penchant for drinking, but maybe also because of Portland’s proximity to some of the world’s best apples that it’s quickly become the place to go for the country’s

Continue reading »

Fancy Pants Sunday: Evil Twin Maple Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Mexican Biscotti Toasted Coconut Cake Break

Share

Fancy Pants Sunday: Evil Twin Maple Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Mexican Biscotti Toasted Coconut Cake Break Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø contract brewed at Westbrook Brewing in South Carolina before moving his Evil Twin Brewing to New York City. As he brewed his Biscotti Break imperial stout with vanilla, almond and coffee he drank Westbrook’s Mexican Cake imperial stout with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and fresh habanero peppers. Then one day Biscotti Break met Mexican Cake and they knew it was much more than a hunch. Soon they became the Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break, an imperial stout brewed with coffee, cinnamon,

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 9.2.18: A Flight of C-Hops

Share

There are more than 120 different hop varieties used today. To be a true hop fan, the appeal of hops has to be more than just bitterness. Hops offer a range of flavors and aromas that resemble herbs, pine, tropical fruits like grapefruit and tangerine and more. How can you distinguish one hop from another? Hop aroma and flavor can be subtle. And year to year, growing conditions can also affect hop aroma and flavor within a variety. With the arrival of Firestone Walker’s C-Hops Pale Ale on our Western red cedar tap log, we thought it appropriate to offer

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 9.1.18: Labor Day Weekend Craft Beer

Share

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 9.1.18: Labor Day Weekend Craft Beer Celebrated the first Monday of every September, Labor Day honors America’s workers and their many contributions to our nation’s strength, prosperity and well-being. That said, it’s also a great time for friends, family, cookouts and BEER all weekend. Peaks and Pints has a six-pack waiting for you. … BELLWETHER AGED DOUBLE WIT, Breakside Brewery: Imperial wit aged in gin barrels with lime leaves that hits the nose with funky, woody and orange aroma. It’s sour, in a pleasantly puckering sort of way, which is immediately followed by a sugary,

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 9.1.18: A Flight of Oktoberfest Beer

Share

The party began in October 1810, when a great horse race was organized to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Everyone had so much fun that it was held again, and eventually became an annual event, dubbed “Oktoberfest” in 1872. It has since evolved into a 16-day Munich blowout in late September and early October. Oh, to be in that great mass of humanity, dancing to the throbbing polka beats, scarfing down sausage, kraut, and strudel, and most of all, imbibing from the holy grail … er, stein. … You see before refrigeration, fermentation

Continue reading »

Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest

Share

Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest — Thirty more days of fresh hops and Oktoberfest beers Last September, Peaks and Pints released The Hunt For Fresh Hoptoberfest on the masses, a month-long autumn beer party marrying up two popular seasonal beers — fresh hops and Oktoberfest. Women dressed in lederhosen. Men got fresh … hop beers. Hop farmers and malters began living together — mass hysteria! Meet Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest. That’s right. Peaks and Pints presents a sequel. Son of Fresh Hoptoberfest is not only a worthy successor to the first fresh hop-Oktoberfest mash-up, but even better as we won’t force

Continue reading »

Three Magnets Brewing cans new Aroma of Tacoma

Share

Peaks and Pints co-owner Ron Swarner, left, and North End Social Club owner Justin Caillier smell the new Aroma of Tacoma. Photo credit: Asa Bender Three Magnets Brewing cans new Aroma of Tacoma Breathe in, Tacoma. Do you smell that? “It smells an awful lot like happiness,” said Justin Caillier as he dipped his nose into the pile of Nelson Sauvin hops. “It should smell like strong tropical fruit and crushed grapes that mingle with citrus like tangerine and grapefruit,” replied Three Magnets Brewing Head Brewer Jeff Stokes as he checked the vitals of what would

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.31.18: A Flight of Brewery Collaboration

Share

Collaborations between breweries aren’t exactly new, but their results have become a much more common sight in Peaks and Pints’ cooler lately. Collaborations can give brewers a chance to exchange ideas with others and mix their individual house styles. The best collaborations often result in something unique that neither brewery would normally make on its own. Typically, whoever owns the collaboration brewing system and sells the beer sets the rules. Also, when professional brewers collaborate with other professional brewers, the conversations lean toward technical details. When professional brewers collaborate with civilians, the brewing room chatter tends to be more about

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 8.30.18: Beer Firm of Whipper, Oatis and Futz

Share

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 8.30.18: Beer Firm of Whipper, Oatis and Futz Here are six beer suggestions from the Peaks and Pints cooler. … 30 YEAR WHIPPER, Urban Family Brewing: In rock climbing, a whipper is an especially hard or dynamic fall where the rope is weighed by a significant load. Vertical World — America’s First Climbing Gym and Urban Family’s neighbor — opened a little more than 30 years ago. By some sort of mathematical equation, 30 Year Whipper, a collaboration with Vertical World, is an oak fermented sour ale with raspberries and cherries. 5.4%, 500ml HOPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.30.18: A Flight of Pumpkin Beers

Share

Like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” at Forever 21 and candy corn at 7-Eleven, pumpkin beer arrives earlier and earlier every year. Before the leaves turn yellow and it’s time to start wearing grey socks with Birkenstocks again, many of the most sought-after brands’ pumpkin beers will be long gone. That means restaurants and bars that don’t have a place to store extra kegs for a month or two are out of luck if they want to serve this seasonal specialty in the proper season. That makes the beer industry surprisingly similar to fashion: When you’re still wearing your

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 8.29.18: Potpourri of Craft Beer

Share

Peaks and Pints Six Pack 8.29.18: Potpourri of Craft Beer When you can’t turn on the nightly news without hearing yourself utter, “What fresh hell is this?” it just may be time to go back to the basics and find some common ground on which we can all agree. It’s time to construct a six-pack and get the hell outta Dodge. Here are six craft beer options resting in Peaks and Pints cooler. … IMPERIAL PUMPKIN PORTER, Alaskan Brewing: Good grief. The nose is pumpkin and heavy pie allspice with caramel, roast, brown sugar, dark caramel, doughy yeast and hints

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.29.18: A Flight of Cascade Hopped Beers

Share

Interestingly, Cascade was a hybrid hop that sat dormant on the shelf for a while. Cascade originated from an open seed collection in 1956 including an English Fuggle, a Russian Serebrianker hop and an unknown male. Named for the Cascade Mountain Range, Cascade hops were released to the public in 1972. Flavors of pine, citrus, and floral undertones give these beers their life and personality. And a moderate alpha level (think bitterness) lends them their versatility as both aroma and bittering hop. In addition to its appealing flavor qualities, Cascade has a resistance to downy mildew, the single most devastating

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.28.18: A Flight of Interstate 5 Breweries

Share

Interstate 5 is the main highway of America’s West Coast, running parallel to the Pacific Ocean and U.S. Route 99, from Mexico to Canada. The major states I-5 goes through include California, Oregon and Washington. It runs through some pretty cool cities too: Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego. It also happens to be the only continuous Interstate highway to touch the borders of both Canada and Mexico. Sprinkled along the I-5 corridor are some of America’s craft breweries. Peaks and Pints picked five to include in our beer flight today, Craft Beer Crosscut 8.28.18: A Flight of

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Six-Pack 8.27.18: Mainstream Pop Song, Blueberry Dojo and more

Share

Peaks and Pints Six-Pack 8.27.18: Mainstream Pop Song, Blueberry Dojo and more The kids are weeping, the nights are getting cooler, and there are moments here and there when it just plain feels like autumn. That’s right: Summer is almost over, and aside from a lot of binge-watching various Netflix series in front of the A/C unit, you just don’t have much to show for it. But it’s not too late: Get you butt to Peaks and Pints, load up your cooler with these six treasures and getaway! BLUEBERRY DOJO, Aslan Brewing: Zen out with this saison style ale brewed

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.25.18: A Flight of Craft Beer Cocktails

Share

It’s National Whiskey Sour Day. You know how to celebrate — with a craft beer flight at Peaks and Pints. There are craft beers, there are cocktails, and there are craft beer cocktails. Then, there are also beers that taste like cocktails. When beer is your job, you don’t necessarily want to go home and drink more beer. So it’s no shocker that on his or her down time, brewers like a stiff cocktail — which has led to craft beers that taste like cocktails; what a vicious, delicious cycle this is. The base is beer (usually, but not always,

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.24.18: A Flight of India Pale Ales

Share

Originally thought to have been first sighted in London, the first known mention of Indian PaleAle was in an advertisement in an Australian newspaper in 1829. The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser ran an ad that mentions “East India pale ale.” The ad didn’t mention what brewery the beer was coming from. That London rumor comes because of the beer export business that was going on in England in the early 1800s. Hops were reportedly added to the beer so that it was able to make the journey to India and still be worth drinking when it arrived.

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.22.18: A Flight of Palisade

Share

The Palisade, named for an American hop variety that is related to the German Tettnanger, is a proprietary hop owned by Yakima Chief. It is an extremely vigorous hop, unlike Tettnanger, with rather high yields. When harvested early in the season, Palisade has a gentle, pleasant aroma that blends well with beers having a delicate flavor profile, but when harvested later Palisade becomes rather aggressive and pungent. On average, Palisade shows a range of tropical fruit aromatics and is sometimes reminiscent of mango, with notes of apricot and freshly cut grass. Today, Peaks and Pints feature Palisade hops in our

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.21.18: A Flight of Seattle Interbay Breweries

Share

Scoured out of the earth by the Vashon Glacier 13,500 years ago, Seattle’s Interbay neighborhood was a marshy area between what would come to be called Salmon Bay and Smith’s Cove. Native Americans of the Shilshole tribe made their permanent home on the north side of Salmon Bay, a salt water extension of Puget Sound. The settlement consisted of cedar long houses that sheltered several dozen people during winters. Summers, the family groups scattered and camped along the shores and in the uplands fishing and hunting. The Interbay area was a rich source of shellfish and waterfowl. Today, a transcontinental

Continue reading »

TACOMA PREFUNK MONDAY AUGUST 20 2018: Fort George 3-Way IPA and Han Solo

Share

TACOMA PREFUNK MONDAY AUGUST 20 2018: Fort George 3-Way IPA and Han Solo PREFUNK: Astoria’s Fort George Brewery has brewed 3-Way IPA since 2013, featuring two different craft brewery collaborators every year. This year, Holy Mountain Brewing Co. and Modern Times Beer shared ideas and techniques with Chris Nemlowill of Fort George Brewery, and after 6.66 people brewed six batches, presto(!) — the final 2018 Fort George 3-Way IPA landed in early June. And it keeps landing. Fort George has continued to brew the hazy IPA with lots of herbal and dank hop notes, green onion, chives and some light

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight 8.20.18: Washington State

Share

In common American usage, raw apple juice that has not been filtered to remove pulp or sediment is referred to as “fresh cider” or “sweet cider.” The term “apple juice” indicates the juice has been filtered to remove solids. Fermented apple juice is called “hard cider.” In Europe, all non-fermented apple juice is referred to as “juice,” and fermented apple juice is referred to as “cider.” Worldwide, cider varies in alcohol content from less than 3 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) as found in French cidre doux, to 8.5 percent ABV or above in traditional English ciders. New tax legislation passed

Continue reading »

I Survived The Drive to Broken Top Tailhead

Share

“I Survived The Drive to Broken Top Tailhead.” That’s my brilliant T-shirt idea after hiking the Broken Top Trail yesterday. The T-shirt design doesn’t focus on the beautiful 360-degree view at the top nor the pristine No Name Lake that nestles against the mountain’s eastern slope. Nope. The 4-mile road to the trailhead requires a high-clearance four-wheel drive capable of slogging through some deep ruts and steep pitches. My head smashed into my Jeep numerous times. Food decorated the floor mats. The rough access and short seasonal window of opportunity makes this the to Broken Top Crater all the more

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.16.18: A Flight of Atwood Ales

Share

Located just 18 miles north of the burgeoning Bellingham brewery scene, on the outskirts of a scenic seaside town, is Blaine, Washington’s first, and oldest, brewery — Atwood Ales. The unique setting provided by a 100 year old farmhouse and barn and the surrounding acreage is not only visually compelling, but also provides countless opportunities to directly incorporate estate and locally grown agricultural and natural ingredients into Atwood’s small batch beers. It’s a family-operated farm and brewery. Josh Smith brews the beer. Monica Smith takes care of sales, marketing and distribution. Josh’s parents, Stephen and Leslee Smith, co-own the brewery,

Continue reading »

Daily Six Pack 8.15.18: Wingman’s pilsner is in a can, yo

Share

Daily Six Pack 8.15.18: Wingman’s pilsner is in a can, yo When staring down the barrel of the dour and feeling the temptation to drown in bitter fatalism, instead take some form of action — any action — toward the good, the nourishing, the positive. Peaks and Pints has six craft beers in our cooler to start the conversation. … PELICAN PEACHED ON DECK: Thanks to Pelican Brewing’s 2018 Lone Pelican Small Batch Series latest release, “Peached On Deck” now means a lager brewed with 50 pounds of peaches per barrel. Expect delicate flavors of toasty malt and sweet fruit

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.15.18: A Flight of Wingman Brewers

Share

Anxious to start a business venture in the growing craft beer industry, homebrewer Ken Thoburn didn’t have to look far for inspiration for his brand, Wingman Brewers. With a grandfather who painted various nose art designs on a variety of World War II airplanes, Thoburn fell in love with the 1930-40s-era vintage military theme. Combine that with an area that has a large saturation of active-duty and retired Air Force and military members and Tacoma’s Wingman Brewers was born. Head Brewer Thoburn, including Derrick Moyer and Daniel Heath, started Wingman Brewers in April 2011, brewing beer to sell to local

Continue reading »

Catch the Lagunitas Super Cluster at Peaks and Pints

Share

Catch the Lagunitas Super Cluster at Peaks and Pints Did you enjoy the Perseid meteor shower last weekend? Tonight, an overabundance of Citra hops will pass through Peaks and Pints when the Lagunitas Super Cluster makes it s annual appearance. Don your space pants, grab a blanket and orbit around that special someone in our little lodge in Tacoma’s Proctor District.

Continue reading »

Daily Six Pack: Oktoberfest in August

Share

Daily Six Pack: Oktoberfest in August The horror: having to drink good beer a month before we’re supposed to. … As the dog days of summer crest upon the beer world, a familiar collective roar gathers volume. SEATTLE CIDER PUMPKIN SPICE: Yo, we’ll tell you what we want, what we really really want: a cider spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice. It’s pumpkin pie’s long-lost love. 6.9% GREAT DIVIDE HOSS OKTOBERFEST LAGER: Märzen-like lager with rich, layered malt notes, hints of cherry and dark fruits and the unique addition of rye imparts a slightly earthy, spicy character. Hoss’ plaid

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.14.18: A Flight of Mandarina Bavaria Hops

Share

Mandarina Bavaria is often cited as a next generation German varietal being bred to compete with the novel hop varieties being grown in the Pacific Northwest. Mandarina Bavaria is one of three “special flavor hops” that were developed by the Hop Research Institute at Hüll, in Germany’s Bavaria region. In addition to the sweet lady Mandarina, the other two hops are Hallertau Blanc and Huell Melon. Daughter of Cascade and an undisclosed male from the Institute’s breeding program, Mandarina was released to the brewing masses in 2012. It’s extremely limited and in high demand for all kind of beer styles.

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight 8.13.18: Berry

Share

Summertime calls for berry picking season. But if you want to get out of the sweltering heat, you can drop those fruit baskets and head to Peaks and Pints cider case to enjoy all the delicious, dark and tart berry ciders. That’s right, friends. It’s Monday, which means Peaks and Pints offers a flight of ciders and, as you can guess from the smart introduction, we’re offering a flight of berry cider today. We’ve moved past the initial wave of apple ciders and onto the flavors. (For the record, any drink called a “cider,” by definition, has apple in it.)

Continue reading »

Fancy Pants Sunday: Tilquin Oude Gueuze á l’Ancienne

Share

Fancy Pants Sunday: Tilquin Oude Gueuze á l’Ancienne A small cadre of Belgian iconoclasts go on quietly stirring the imagination of brewers around the world, showcasing deliciously dry, hop-forward beers, rustic farmhouse offerings, bold and complexly balanced strong ales, and all manner of tart and funky brews, including the unparalleled sensory experience that is authentic lambic. Gueuzerie Tilquin is one of those iconoclasts. Pierre Tilquin founded the small family brewery based in Bierghes, Brussels, in 2009. He exclusively blends lambic beers, such as this week’s Fancy Pants Sunday beer — Tilquin Oude Gueuze á l’Ancienne (6.4%). Tilquin purchases worts from

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.12.18: A Flight of Backwoods Brewing

Share

In 1880 A. S. Estabrook built the first sawmill in Wind River Valley, a waterpower concern on Carson Creek in Skamania County, Washington. The following year, a company built a good-sized steam sawmill where the town of Carson now stands. The lumber industry has since left Carson, but Backwoods Brewing Co. pours craft beers and serves delicious pizza for flannel-wearing folk in the town. Backwoods’ taproom sits at the gateway to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Old Man’s Pass and Mt. St. Helens. Wind River Highway runs directly through Carson leading to world class fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, berry

Continue reading »

Craft Cider Crosscut 8.11.18: A Flight of Peaks and Pints Pacific Northwest Cider Invitational

Share

Long before Washington state had legal weed, it had apples. In 2008, Craig Campbell and his wife, Sharon, began experimenting with making cider from dessert apples grown in their 400-acre Eastern Washington commercial fruit orchards. They opened Tieton Cider Works. Since then, the craft-cider scene has exploded. Add to all the great Washington and Oregon cider our sparkling blue skies, stunning scenery and plenty of places to hike, bike and otherwise work off our cider bellies, and there’s no place in the world to drink craft cider. Peaks and Pints held our first Pacific Northwest Cider Invitational last night to

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.7.18: A Flight of Tacoma Beer Week

Share

Our beer mugs runneth over here in Tacoma and Pierce County. Tacoma Beer Week 2018, the seven-day showcase of craft breweries and their beers, is an excellent way to experience Tacoma’s bubbling beer culture. Founded by Zoe Brackney, the fifth annual edition of Tacoma Beer Week official started Sunday and continues through Saturday, Aug. 11. Whether you’re making your first visit to a local brewery tasting room, heading out on a craft beer special event or exploring how beer and food interact, Tacoma Beer Week is the perfect time to dive into the craft beer scene. For a complete listing

Continue reading »

Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight 8.6.18: Apricot

Share

Apricots are a finicky fruit that needs a dry spring, free of the late-spring frosts that can devastate crops. It has an odd ripening habit, softening from the inside out, giving the fruit that candy-in-the-center appeal of so many childhood desires. And the flavor is consistently sweet and potent. More so than other fruits, apricots tend to ripen all together and for a very short window of time so you’ve got to watch them like a fruit-loving hawk. When the fruit has turned a golden, orange color, the fruit has a strong, sweet smell, and is firm but has a

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.4.18: A Flight of Joel VandenBrink

Share

You know the story. In 2005, Joel VandenBrink found himself in a disagreement with a friend, so they headed to a local pub to talk it through. After the second pint disappeared, the two friends had an honest conversation. Before that second pint, VandenBrink was putting his engineering degree from Grand Valley State University to use at the Johnson Controls plant in Holland, when he wasn’t exploring the great outdoors. The outdoorsman eventually moved to the great Seattle outdoors, epic solo hikes and, eventually that second pint of beer. After a homebrew starter kit and an inspirational tour of New

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.3.18: A Flight of Pilsners

Share

In the world history of beer, pilsners are relatively recent. Around 1840, eons before marketers invented “drinkability,” Czech brewers in Bohemia created pilsner, a light beer that didn’t taste like spongewater. The primary source of the innovation was the use of bottom-fermenting yeasts, which yielded a livelier, more consistent beer than the traditional top-fermented brews. Today, the best pilsners are still found in continental Europe, partly because of demand and partly because it’s home to the style’s signature Saaz hop, Pilsen’s soft water and crackery, paler malt. German and Bavarian styles tend to emphasize bitterness and spicy hop flavor. But stateside,

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.2.18: A Flight of Mountain Hankering

Share

Your plan was simple: Rent an apartment, find a job, ski 120 days on the mountain and fly back home. The mountain, however, quietly cast a spell on you. At about the time you should have been moving out of your riverside apartment, you were casting a dry fly to rainbow trout. When you should have been tackling your home’s overrun landscape, you were pitching a tent next to a waterfall. And at the point you should have been tendering job applications for computer jobs, you were edging up the side of a rock face. And you’re still living in

Continue reading »

Craft Beer Crosscut 8.1.18: A Flight of Peaches

Share

Even if you’re not an Allman Brothers fan, this is the time to be eating peaches — out of hand, in cobblers and pies, over ice cream, in beers, while spinning 46 year-old records. National peach Month begins today. Did you know that peaches originated in China, where they have been cultivated since the early days of Chinese culture?  The peach was brought to America by Spanish explorers in the 16th century and eventually made it to England and France sometime during the 17th century. Peaches are said to have been a regular item on the menu in Queen Victoria’s day,

Continue reading »

TACOMA PREFUNK TUESDAY, JULY 31 2018: Bale Breaker Sesiones del Migrante Mango IPA and woman directors

Share

TACOMA PREFUNK TUESDAY, JULY 31 2018: Bale Breaker Sesiones del Migrante Mango IPA and woman directors PREFUNK: Peaks and Pints tapped Bale Breaker’s Sesiones del Migrante Mango IPA. The 5.9-percent IPA has quite the story. In May 2017, two of Bale Breaker’s brewer-owners, Kevin Quinn and Kevin Smith, traveled to Mexico to brew beer with California breweries Ronin Fermentation Project from Truckee and SouthNorte from San Diego. At Cerveza Loba brewery in Guadalajara, the brewers concocted Loba Nómada, a New England-style IPA featuring hand-peeled mangoes, a homegrown ingredient. At Cerveceria de Colima in Colima, they brewed Vale Bale, an IPA with

Continue reading »