Fancy Pants Sunday: Matchless Pome Moon Saison Ale Back in the 1700s, if you asked a Belgian farmhand is his saison was aged you’d probably meet your fate at the end of pitchfork. Saisons were never meant to be aged. The word “saison” means season in French and speaks to its intimate connection to the seasons. The zippy Belgian ale originated in Wallonian farmhouses, intended as farmhand refreshments. Cellar a saison, and most likely those beautiful fruity esters, light earthy hops, and refreshing afternoon sipper would be tossed against the side of the barn. When American grabbed hold of the
Grains of Wrath rocks lagers The metal movement has an outsider ethos and no-holds-barred authenticity that appeals to many brewers, including Grains of Wrath Brewery co-owner and brewmaster Mike Hunsaker. The metal- and punk-loving 48-year-old cut his teeth as a homebrewer and by working for breweries in Chicago and Cleveland, before relocating to Portland in 2014 to become the head brewer at Fat Head’s Brewery, where he became known for original west coast IPA recipes such as SemperFiPA and his GABF Gold Medal-winning Blitzkrieg Bock. Fat Head’s closed, which lead to Hunsaker opening his new punk and metal inspired brewery
This Mother’s Day, skip the box of chocolates or a handmade card. Honor the top lady in your life like the queen she is, and thank her not only for bringing you into being but spending all that time and energy trying to raise you right and feed you well. Peaks and Pints suggests you buy her five world-class and award-winning craft beers for a freakin’ reasonable price. Craft beer is social, but sitting down to a taster flight with mom is high-intensity training for your taste buds. The key here is to talk about the beers, and your upbringing, as
Ecliptic Brewing 5 Beers For 5 Years: Firestone Walker In Tacoma You’re on your way to Peaks and Pints for the Ecliptic/Firestone Walker “Space Walker” tap takeover Thursday, May 16. What to wear? Well, her Highness Zsa Zsa Gabor will of course be sporting a sheer sarong, tied provocatively for maximum thigh exposure. Her sultry henchwomen will surround her wearing the very latest in shapely, military-style tennis togs. And heels. Or perhaps you’re coming to Earth, to either destroy us or teach us a valuable lesson. In either situation, you should dress entirely in aluminum foil or some other thin,
Dark, silky barrel-aged beers might seem just right for chilly fall days and frigid winter nights, but that’s not how Peaks and Pints (barrel) rolls. First, barrel-aged beers are better suited than many light-colored beers for pairing with summery foods like barbecue meats. Their earthy flavors and rich, toasted aromas mimic the ones already billowing out from the grill. And barrel-aged beers actually benefit from the weather — as the beers warm, their complex, smoky undertones begin to unfurl. The key to a good summer barrel-aged beer is finding ones that are low in alcohol, dry tasting and snappy on
One of the best parts of South Sound summer is when locally picked raspberries start arriving at the farmers’ markets. Pick up a pound and you’ll ask yourself how the hell you spend 10 months of the year eating strangely flavorless raspberries trucked up from California. There are more than 20 varieties of red raspberries, including several that originate here in the Northwest. They also come in black, purple and even golden varieties. One cup of raspberries will supply more than half your daily requirement of vitamin C, along with a heart-helping, fat-busting, cancer-fighting abundance of antioxidants. Get yourself primed
If you spent anytime at Peaks and Pints craft beer bar, bottle shop and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District, then you probably know our bartender Nicole Allen. You know she loses her mind every time a dog is walked past our front windows. All service stops for all the dog meet-and-greets, followed an explanation of the dog’s name, breed and cute factor to each and every table. You know she loves to laugh, but means business when it comes to protecting the business. You know she’s studying psychology, as she’ll often open a book, and a bottle of Prosecco, from
Seattle Beer Week in Tacoma: 11 Things To Do Before Founders Barrels It’s that time of year again: Seattle Beer Week. From May 9-19 the Seattle beer business goes all out to celebrate, with special events, special beer releases, and plenty of toasts. Where will you toast Seattle Beer Week? How about Tacoma? The City of Destiny has earned its reputation as a welcoming seaport town by crafting community, culture, hospitality and kick-ass things to do and see. Peaks and Pints will champion such sights before hosting craft breweries during SBW. Saturday, April 11, Peaks and Pints celebrates Seattle Beer
Named for a sharp hook in the Deschutes River in Central Oregon’s high desert, Bend wasn’t on everyone’s radar; decades ago it was a bump on the state highway between golf resorts Black Butte Ranch and Sunriver. Lumber ruled the roost until the two large timber mills closed in 1994. Now what? Boom! Bend underwent a housing boom — and an image boom — in the mid ’90s. Suddenly mountain biking wasn’t just for teenage boys, kayaks outnumbered suits and ties and microbrews poured in Mount Bachelor’s ski lodges; Bend became a paradise for outdoor adventures and outdoor beer gardens.
HEY SEATTLE! THING TO DO IN TACOMA: 4Real! won the Audience Choice Award last year at The Urban Grace in downtown Tacoma. Grand Cinema’s 253 Short Film Party. Who will win this year? Find our Friday night at The Urban Grace in downtown Tacoma (video below story). Seattle Beer Week in Tacoma: 11 Things To Do Before Vancouver breweries Back for its 11th iteration, Seattle Beer Week kicks off 11 days of sudsy celebration May 9, 2019. Whether your goal is to low-key drink tasty brews with your friends or travel from Coupon, Pennsylvania (actual city
Peaks and Pints new beers in stock May 7 2019 On these sunny, warm days you almost feel like you’re experiencing spring for the first time. You’re cherishing every ounce of sunshine, the fresh tang of plant life bursting with yellow blooms — and pollen. And you’re enjoying drinking craft beer on your patio. Here are six to consider. … Bear Republic Brewing THRU THE HAZE IPA: Bear Republic’s hazy IPA is back with all the aromatics of Vic Secret, Citra and Hallertau Blanc hops in a more juicy, less bitter and bracing profile than typical Bear Republic IPAs. Thru
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
When Peaks and Pints’ friend Mr. Underhill showed up at our door this morning, we could see right away that he had it bad. We told him to walk over to our cooler and we’d give him a more thorough examination. Now, we’re not a doctor but we sometimes play one in front of the TV. Mr. Underhill was obviously restless. His skin was perhaps a little pale and his back had a strange curve to it. We told him to describe any other symptoms he was having. “Well,” he said, “some people say that I haven’t been acting rationally
How much does Peaks and Pints loooove Cinco de Mayo? Every Fifth of May we bathe in salsa and ride a burro around Tacoma’s Proctor District handing out chimichangas and parasitic water. But even though Cinco de Mayo is dominated by idiots mainlining margaritas, it is, in fact, an actual holiday. Apparently, on May 5, 1862, a French army landed in Mexico to collect outstanding debts from the newly elected government of democratic president Benito Juarez. Well, there would be no dinero for those greedy dudes as 4,000 scrappy Mexicans beat the pommes frites out of the French army and
Ecliptic Brewing and Firestone Walker collaboration Hazy Double IPA, Dupont and Allagash collaboration Brewers’ Bridge and other treasures. Peaks and Pints new beers and ciders in stock May 3 2019 Happy Friday, y’all! Partly cloudy and upper 60s this weekend! Which one of these new arrivals will be your first to crack open from the lawn chair? Peaks and Pints has them all in our craft beer bar/bottle shop/restaurant. Come snag them up! 2 Towns Ciderhouse CAMP CLEMENTINE — An easy drinking summer cider packed with California clementines and yellow Maracuyá passionfruit. It’s juicy and bright. 5.5% 7 Seas Brewing
Flash back to the Roaring Twenties, when America was in the midst of the Prohibition: Booze was banned, stealthy speakeasies adorned Tacoma, and the Paramount Theatre sat in Tacoma’s Proctor District, which later became Peaks and Pints bottle shop, taproom and eatery in November 2016. Prohibition, the law that prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol in the United States, was ratified as the 18th amendment on Jan. 16, 1919, and went into effect on Jan. 16, 1920. Dec. 5, 1933, passage of the 21st Amendment, brought an end to Prohibition. Peaks and Pints presents a flight of the
Peaks and Pints new beers in stock May 1 2019 It might be sunny spring day, but it’s still cold outside. Head to Peaks and Pints and warm up with these new arrivals. Decadent Ales DELIGHT —With their first collaboration ever, Decadent Ales has teamed up with Evil Twin Brewing to bring a new imperial stout to life. Decadent Delight is brewed with coconut, pistachio, rum flavoring (made with molasses and sugar cane) and a small touch of cinnamon. 11.7% DOUBLE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW — This full-bodied Double IPA is dry hopped with a blend of Madagascar vanilla bean, candied turbinado
Originally from Belgium’s Flanders region, Flanders red, also known as the Burgundies of Belgium, won’t destroy your cheeks like other sour beers from the country. This beer is brewed using large amounts of Munich and caramel malts with traditional brewing methods. The beer is then aged in large wooden barrels, vats, and foeders, then is inoculated with wild yeast and lactic acid-producing bacteria. The most important is the tradition of aging the red ales in huge vats of unlined oak. The wood, which cannot be sterilized, is home to dozens of wild yeast and bacterial strains that consume the residual
It’s not surprising that craft cider has taken root in Washington state — a region of wine and craft beer enthusiasts. Washington is the second largest wine producer and has the second highest number of craft breweries in the country. But when it comes to cider, Washington is fourth in the nation. In 2008, there were maybe four cideries in Washington state; now about 66 dot the state from San Juan Island to Pullman, and even wineries are getting in on the action. Meet five Eastern Washington state ciders in what we call Peaks and Pints Monday Cider Flight 4.29.19:
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Champion Game players Kulshan Sales executive Kattie Johnson and Occidental Sales Executive Chris Spinelli. Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Champion It’s a simple equation: Water plus grain, hops and yeast. But hidden within this simple formula is a universe of variety. German or Czech? Saaz and Hallertau noble hops? Open fermentation, long boils, extra-long lagering? Pacific Northwest brewers who brew pilsners have choices to make. And in those choices lie the path to greatness. In February 2019, we ask Washington and Oregon resident to nominate their favorite pilsners from their home
April 5-27, 2019, Peaks and Pints pitted 64 of Pacific Northwest’s best in a pillowy head-to-head battle of pilsners. We speak, of course, of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners. Sixty-four Washington and Oregon pilsners were selected and seeded by the public in February 2019. Some pilsners fell easily by the wayside, either faltered due to a defective mash tun paddle or simply because they faced a superior opponent. Saaz by Saaz, the Pacific Northwest drank its way through the first two rounds followed by the Sweet Wort 16, the Hot Break Eight, the Final Four and today’s Championship Game
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners final vote and tonight’s party RON SWARNER: The titanic pilsner throwdown finale is on! Voting for Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Championship Game is live. After three weeks of voting, you have picked the most popular pilsners in the Pacific Northwest. What began as 64 Saaz-slinging pilsners has been narrowed down to two! PEAKS AND PINTS WEATHER GUY: A 50 percent chance of snow showers at Mt. Rainier today. High 10 degrees. Blustery, with a west-northwest wind 26 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. AccuWeather map shaped like Abe Vigoda.
During the month of February, we asked our Peaks and Pints patrons and the public to vote for their favorite pilsners brewed in Washington and Oregon. Through an online nomination system, beer enthusiasts listed 81 pilsners with the top 64 seeding the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners’ knockout bracket, which kicked off Friday, April 5 when the first eight pilsners met on our wooden floor. Today, the final four pilsners face off until the final buzzer at 11:45 p.m. Peaks and Pints is offering a chance to taste all four in a beer flight we call Craft Beer Crosscut 4.26.19:
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Final Four April 26 RON SWARNER: The Pacific Northwest loves pilsners — at least according to the thousands that have voted in our Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners. Yesterday’s pilsner voting action doubled the previous highest vote count for a single day. Every winner yesterday won by capturing 60 to 65 percent of the vote, except the pFriem Pilsner versus Buoy Czech Pils game with the winner grabbing 53 percent of the votes. PEAKS AND PINTS WEATHER GUY: Mostly sunny for a La Center Loop hike today. High near 65. Few more clouds and 20
The mosquito season in the Northwest starts right now and lasts until early October. The National Weather Service says there is a 50 to 80 percent chance the region will be hotter than usual, and the Northwest is expected to get more precipitation throughout the summer of 2019 than usual, which means there will most likely be more mosquitoes throughout the region this year, too. We need to take action before mosquitoes darkened the sky of a summer’s evening, strafing our villages and carrying off children and livestock. Together, we need to pray for no mosquitoes … while drinking beer.
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Hot Break Eight April 25 RON SWARNER: The Hot Break Eight is fully fleshed out: Maritime Pacific Portage Bay Pilsner, Reuben’s Brews Pilsner, Kulshan Pilsner, Farmstrong Cold Beer Pilsner, Occidental Bohemian Pilsner, Heater Allen Pils, pFriem Pilsner, and Buoy Czech Pils. It’s interesting to note that that pFriem Family Brewers Pilsner is the highest seed remaining in the Tournament of Beer, a No. 1. Fourteenth seed Farmstrong Cold Beer Pilsner is the lowest seed in the final eight. PEAKS AND PINTS WEATHER GUY: Partly cloudy day on the trail to Colchuck Lake in the Alpine
Hair of the Dog In The Woods and in the cans Peaks and Pints new beers in stock April 24 2019 Stand before the Peaks and Pints cooler, open the pores of your id, widen the space around your worldview and let what you think you know fall into the molten void of the Mystery as you reach for these six craft beers. Hair of the Dog Brewery ADAM FROM THE WOOD 2018 — This is Adam living several years in a tiny American oak house. First released in 2000, this 12-percent Adambier hits the nose
Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners has hit the Sweet Wort 16, which means 16 pilsners brewed in Washington and Oregon remain. Chosen through a nomination process in February, the top 64 vote getters — the cream of the crispness — began competing April 5, Monday through Friday, on our website, until the championship game April 27 inside Peaks and Pints craft beer bar, bottle shop and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District. It’s just like March Madness, only with way more Saaz hops. To vote on today’s action, click here. Peaks and Pints presents an opportunity to taste
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Sweet Wort 16 April 24 RON SWARNER: The best pilsner in the Pacific Northwest? You think you know where to find it. We all do. After weeks of feverish voting (and with the help of a complicated computer program stolen from cavemen) we at Peaks and Pints have watched you, beloved voters, narrow down pilsners from Washington state and Oregon from 64 to the very best 16, the rounded mouthfeel of the crop. Yesterday, the first eight pilsners in the Sweet Wort 16 did battle. Today, the remaining eight go at it. PEAKS AND PINTS
Peaks and Pints new beers in stock April 23 2019 Our lives are filled with many unanswered questions. Where does the sky end and space begin? Will humans ever be able to travel through time? Why does the Munich Oktoberfest take place mostly in September? All of these are perplexing issues, we know, but don’t tax your brain too much pondering them. Instead, head to Peaks and Pints and celebrate German Beer Day with our special German beer flight. Afterward, grab these four beers that arrived in our cooler today. Avery Brewing BARREL-AGED VANILLA BEAN STOUT — A double dose
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Sweet Wort 16 April 23 RON SWARNER: For more than two weeks we presented you with a compelling question: Who makes the best pilsner in Washington state and Oregon? And you have responded in multitudes. Vacation days have been used. Neighbors have started feuds. People are selling their wine cellars. Craziness! PEAKS AND PINTS WEATHER GUY: Cloudy day for the hike from La Push to Second Beach. Winds from the west at 5 mph. Partly sunny tomorrow. Had to wear safari hat for morning cast, bartenders making gag/choke sounds during my presentation to PTA. Chance
Today, the German Beer Purity Law — Reinheitsgebot — celebrates 503 years of absolutely nothing but barley (or wheat), hops, water, and yeast. Not so much as a spruce tip or cacao nib may defile anything called “beer.” Across Germany, breweries, brewing museums, beer gardens and micro-breweries will mark the purity law anniversary by opening their doors to allow a glimpse behind the scenes for visitors to experience the art of brewing as well as its long history. German brewing traditions are influenced by the highly controlled pragmatic Bavarian approach of the Reinheitsgebot coupled with the flamboyant, daring, and just
Today, you’ll be able to hang with plants inside Peaks and Pints craft beer bar, bottle shop and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District. Fernseed, a modern plant shop opening in our neighborhood today, has decorated our tables with greenery. Founded in 2018 as an online shop that sold plant pots, plant stands, plant hangers, hanging planters, and everything else to hold and display houseplants, founder Katherine Raz is going pro as they say. It’s a dress rehearsal week for Fernseed; the official grand opening is Saturday, April 27. Peaks and Pints is thrilled to have Fernseed as neighbors. Before or
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Second Round April 22 RON SWARNER: Beginning tomorrow, we’ll cut the field of 64 Northwest pilsners to the Sweet Wort 16. Then, April 25, it’ll drop to eight. Saturday, April 27, we’ll announce the winner of the Tournament of Beers — picked by you, of course — at our bottle shop, taproom and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District. On that Saturday, we’ll cut the online voting at 4 p.m. and take the voting live at 5 p.m. in Peaks and Pints, handing out ballots while you enjoy the two final Northwest pilsners from our Western
Peaks and Pints new beers in stock April 20 2019 Peaks and Pints is open both holidays this weekend: 420 and Easter. Below are a few new arrivals that can be enjoyed on both holidays. Cheers! MATCHLESS BREWING Be The Beer IPA — Inspired by Caddyshack, Be The Beer tees off with classic C-hops: Chinook, Centennial and Cascade. It’s got Maris Otter and flaked barley for malt depth, but was brewed to be bitter and dry with American ale yeast. Expect notes of orange marmalade and pine tree resin going for it, which is nice. Stop thinking. Let things happen.
April 20 is a day to toast and get toasted. There’s no shortage of things you can do to celebrate 4/20, like, say, visiting numerous dispensaries and buying copious amounts of deeply discounted cannabis and cannabis products, and then, you know, consuming them, perhaps in a Mrs. Butterworth’s bong or Cheech & Chong joint. Hey, so long as you consume responsibly and don’t drive afterward, of course. But there are things happening on 4/20 that are a bit more, shall we craft beer oriented, like drinking beers that are dank and resinous. Brewers honor the date — which is known
Scuttlebutt Brewing Head Brewer Eric Nord displays his Second Round winning Ray of Hope Pilsner. Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Second Round April 20 RON SWARNER: For more than two weeks, Peaks and Pints challenged 64 of the Pacific Northwest’s best pilsners to go pillowy foam-to-pillowy foam in craft beer combat. Some fell easily by the wayside, either due to a rogue taproom employee or simply because they faced a superior opponent. Pint by pint, we drank our way through two weeks. It was do-or-die, win-or-fly, bring-your-best-or-acetaldehyde. PEAKS AND PINTS WEATHER GUY: Sunny conditions today on
Consider the saison. History did. During the 19th century, Belgian farmers brewed saisons, or “farmhouse ales,” using the leftover grains from the fall harvest. In fact, not only did farmers decrease leftover grains (and keep busy during the non-growing months) but also livestock ate the spent grain feed, and seasonal workers drank during the hot summer months to stay hydrated. That’s what you call a win-win. And back then, saisons only clocked in at about 3.5% ABV, making it a sessionable, hydrating beer during warm weather. The reason for so much of the funky yeast commonly found in saisons? Farmers
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Second Round April 19 RON SWARNER: Laid-back is the essence of Friday. That means an early lunch with a pilsner. Then, blaze from work early to grab another pilsner. Dinner with friends at Peaks and Pints and plenty more pilsners … you know the routine. The mere thought of lifting a finger to wash the mountain of dishes in the sink should make you shudder. Yesterday, a good chunk of the South Sound changed its Thursday routine. Voting in the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners was added to the mix. Yesterday saw the most votes
Oct. 17, 1989, the Pike Place Brewery, as it was then known, officially opened in the old Liberty Malt Supply space under the Pike Place Market on Western Avenue in downtown Seattle. At the time there were only three other craft brewers in Washington state and IPAs were hard to find on tap or in bottle. A lot transpired at the brewery since, including a name change to the Pike Brewing Company, but Charles and Rose Ann still proudly own the brewery and the history of beer museum that doubles as their restaurant and taproom. Tonight, Peaks and Pints celebrates
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Second Round April 18 RON SWARNER: Peaks and Pints honestly had no idea how the Tournament of Beers: Northwest Pilsners would be treated. Much like the actual NCAA bracket, the 64 breweries voted in are strikingly different. Some Washington and Oregon breweries have been around for a while and have huge fanbases; others are mid-majors, known mostly to those living in the brewery’s same city. Some people have stood inside Peaks and Pints and passionately expressed dismay at the pilsner tournament seeding, even though the public seeded it. What we do know is: thousands of
Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners has hit Second Round action today, which means 32 pilsners brewed in Washington and Oregon remain. Chosen through a nomination process in February, the top 64 vote getters — the cream of the crispness — began competing April 5, Monday through Friday, on our website, until the championship game April 27 inside Peaks and Pints craft beer bar, bottle shop and restaurant in Tacoma’s Proctor District. It’s just like March Madness, only with way more Saaz hops. To vote on today’s action, click here. To get you in the pilsner voting mood,
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Pilsners Second Round April 17 RON SWARNER: Now it’s getting exciting. The hops are really starting to fly, and the water is so soft that you’ll have to beat the Charmin bear off with a stick. OK, so that’s a horrible analogy. Point is: This is serious. Today, the Tournament of Beer officially kicks off its Second Round, meaning 32 pilsners remain, and the competition is as hot as ever. Who will be crowned champ Saturday, April 27? The path to pilsner greatness starts today. PEAKS AND PINTS WEATHER GUY: My forecast calls for cloudy skies
June 15, 2006, Ninkasi Brewing Company set out with a single mission: Perpetuate Better Living. Operating under this core purpose, the brewery has grown from a two-man team — Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge — to become the 35th largest craft brewery in the United States, operating entirely from its facilities in Eugene, Oregon and employing more than 100 employees. Producing award-winning craft beers, giving back to each community that serves its beers, and garnering national recognition as a top employer are just a few milestones the brewery has achieved since it opened with Total Domination IPA on the fateful
