TACOMA PREFUNK SATURDAY, MAY 5 2018: Seapine Seawitch Milk Stout and Harlis Sweetwater PREFUNK: Seapine Brewing’s Seawitch Milk Stout has hit Peaks and Pints’ Western red cedar tap log. Seapine’s take on the style is lush and direct, hewing close to the coffee-chocolate ideal, thanks to eight varieties of malted barley. Cinco de Mayo? Indeed. Peaks and Pints also offers a flight of five Mexican style lagers. 7 P.M. IMPROV MUSIC: Tacoma Noise. Ah, yet one more minuscule music genre. This one’s local, at least, but still pretty hard to describe in ten words or less. It’s mostly distorted, stripped
“Cinco de Mayo,” Spanish for “the sink is full of mayonnaise.” OK, not really. We made that up, which is only fitting, because the idea that May 5 is a big holiday celebrated throughout Mexico is also made up. This yarn was spun by some PR hack for Corona beer back in the ’80s, when the company was looking for a way to get Americans to drink more beer. Since this is not an especially hard task, they didn’t work especially hard on the idea, not even hard enough to note that Mexico’s real Day of Independence is Sept. 16.
Assuming you’ve read a book you, of course, realize is Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day, but rather a celebration of the country’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla. And having that basic understanding of world history is good! Reward yourself by celebrating Cinco de Mayo a day early because you never know. The polar ice caps are melting, machines are taking our jobs, bees are dying by the millions and Vladimir Putin is riding bare-chested on a pale horse. We are truly living in the End Times, folks. Peaks and Pints celebrates Cuatro
TACOMA PREFUNK FRIDAY, MAY 4 2018: Fremont Head Full of Dynomite v3 stages full of rock PREFUNK: Fremont Brewing excels at hazy IPAs, especially commanding the actual opaque, dense colored quality of the hazy to bloom, making for an incredible visual treat. Lots of fruit flavor, especially in its Head Full of Dynomite series, which version three is on tap and in the cooler at Peaks and Pints. Head Full of Dynomite v.3 (6.8%) has a malt bill of 2-Row Pale, Rolled Oats, Flaked Wheat and White Wheat with Simcoe, Simcoe Cryo, Sorachi Ace and Mosaic hops for aroma of
TACOMA PREFUNK THURSDAY, MAY 3 2018: Superfuzz Funkified Party and Green Drinks PREFUNK: Slip on your Farrah Fawcett wings, your Cleopatra Jones afro or your grandpa’s toupee and wobble over to Peaks and Pints tonight for Elysian Brewing’s Superfuzz Funkified Party Vol. 2. She’s mighty-mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out. Join Elysian Brewing for the South Sound seasonal release and tasting of its Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale, a mind-bending whirl of the aromas and flavors of blood orange and Northwest hops. Guests are encouraged to dress in funky ’70s attire while Peaks and Pints funk jams spank the
Seattle is home to thousands of sun-deprived citizens who have a passion for coffee, but it seems the bustling metropolis also has a passion for craft beers. One-third of the beer sold in America comes from just four states. Wanna guess where Seattle ranks? They have more than 80 breweries, and arguably the largest collections of brewers in the region reside in King County. In addition, more than three quarters of the nation’s hops are grown in Yakima Valley near Seattle, and the clear mountain water also plays a roll in bumping up the quality of the beer. Seattle truly
Peaks and Pints Cooler Bagging: Fresh Of The Farm, Nightmare On Brett and Pineapple Paradise May 2, 2018: When hiking our cooler save room in your backpack for these old and new craft beers. … FRESH OFF THE FARM IPA, Bale Breaker Brewing: Brewed for last year’s Seattle Beer Week, Fresh off The Farm is back with farm-fresh hops, of course. Whirlpool additions of Simcoe and Mosaic add depth to the nose generated from a post-fermentation charge of Ekuanot, Loral and the still-experimental HBC 630. 6.3%, 12oz NIGHTMARE ON BRETT, Crooked Stave: a demonic dark sour initially aged in large
Photo courtesy of Brouwerij De Kazematten World Of Beer In Tacoma: Brouwerij De Kazematten Saison Baksteenwinkel The Belgium city of Ypres sits in the middle of one of Flanders’ most productive brewing areas, in a corner of West Flanders famous for hop-growing, red-brown ales and the coveted Westvleteren, one of the world’s best beers. Yet the city has lacked one thing over the last couple of centuries: a brewery it could call its own. That changed in 2013, thanks to Hans Depypere, the owner of the Sint-Bernardus brewery, and Rudy Ghequire, manager and brewmaster at Rodenbach
TACOMA PREFUNK WEDNESDAY, MAY 2 2018: Crooked Stave and Pops on the Lawn PREFUNK: Crooked Stave is a play on the word “stave” — one of many strong wooden slats, collectively bound together by metal hoops to shape a wooden barrel. The Denver, Colorado brewery’s name is a commitment to how closely it works with each barrel, and embodies the love it puts into each beer. Wooden barrels are the focal point of the brewery and the beers it brews — specialty Brettanomyces-only, wild, sour and barrel-aged beers. Peaks and Pints carries Crooked Stave beers, including Serenata Notturna Blueberry — a
First bred by the U.S.D.A. in 1970 and released in 1983, Nugget is a hybrid of Brewers Gold and a high alpha acid male. As the second most widely grown hop in Oregon, Nugget is fairly resistant to many of the diseases in the area allowing it to store well. Nugget packs quite a punch of bitterness from its high alpha acidity and has a very strong herbal and woody aroma. Because of its versatility, Nugget is utilized in a wide variety of (mostly American) styles from India pale ales to stouts to barley wines, imparting earthy, herbal flavors with
TACOMA PREFUNK TUESDAY, MAY 1 2018: The Lost Abbey and Electric Taco PREFUNK: Peaks and Pints’ Prefunk column is back! The South Sound events paired with beer column took a hiatus during our Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters due to all the words. But, the daily Prefunk has returned, and oh is it a good one. Today, our Peaks and Pints draft craft beer suggestions are The Lost Abbey’s Judgment Day (10%) and Cuvee de Tomme (11%). Judgment Day is packed with rich Belgian character. Sherry, raisins and a touch of leather carry subtle hints of smoke, culminating in an
California is the birthplace of the American craft brewing movement. In 1965, recent Stanford graduate Fritz Maytag bought a controlling interest in the ailing Anchor Brewery and soon was brewing authentic, artful beers and reintroducing lost styles. He proved that Americans were ready for a different kind of beer; beer with flavor, diversity and history. Anchor Brewery became the first “craft” brewery since prohibition and was the inspiration that sparked a revolution in brewing. Today, more breweries call California home than any other state in the nation. As of December 2017, more than 900 craft breweries are in operation across
Peaks and Pints is sure we don’t have to tell you this, but it’s National Raisin Day. In fact, by now your raisin party is likely in full swing, and all your friends are tanked on prune juice and gin. Another memorable April 30, indeed. Anyway, raisins are tiny sundried grapes. While sunlight dries most grapes naturally in vineyards, some are mechanically dehydrated. Raisins are naturally low in fat and contain healthy nutrients. People have been enjoying raisins for as long as grapes have been growing. California produces the majority of the world’s raisin supply. In fact, the first National Raisin Day
It all came down to Rogue Ales Mocha Porter vs Wingman Brewers P-51 Porter Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters winner and recap Porters — as in, the style of beer — originated in the United Kingdom several centuries ago as a way to appease the working class. The beer gets its name from the porters that carried goods around the streets of London, rough and tumble workers who wanted something more substantial than the table beers known as bitters. The porter, with its heartier flavor profile, was exactly what they were seeking. The style of beer
April 28, 2018: When hiking our cooler save room in your backpack for these weird named craft beers. … NUKIN FUTZ IMPERIAL PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CREAM PORTER NITRO, Track 7 Brewing: Could have been named Nukin But Goodness since this creamy porter is loaded with peanut butter, chocolate and lactose sugar. 7.3%, 16oz HOUSE SAISON, Tin Dog Brewing: Be transported to the French/Belgian countryside as this rustic, refreshing, cloudy farmhouse style ale hits the tongue with barley, wheat, honey and hops with a slight spicy finish. 6.6%, 22oz OLD NUMBTONGUE BARLEY WINE, Mollusk Brewing: Big, boozy and bold. 12%, 500ml
April 6-28, 2018, Peaks and Pints pitted 64 of Pacific Northwest’s best in a malty head-to-head battle of porters. We speak, of course, of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters. Sixty-four Washington, Oregon and Idaho were selected and seeded by the public in March 2018. Some porters fell easily by the wayside, either faltered due to a defective mash tun paddle or simply because they faced a superior opponent. Malt by malt, the tri-state region drank its way through the first two rounds followed by the Sweet Saccharification 16, the Ethanol Eight, the Fermentation Four and today’s Championship Game between
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Championship vote and party For more than three weeks, Peaks and Pints challenged 64 of the Pacific Northwest’s best porters to go malt-to-malt in a showdown of craft combat. Some fell easily by the wayside, either due to a rogue mash tun cleaner or simply because they faced a superior opponent. Hop by hop, you voted down to the final four: Airways Brewing’s Curbside Porter, Wingman Brewers’ P-51 Porter, Mad Swede Brewing’s Brynhildr Robust Porter and Rogue Ales’ Mocha Porter. It was do-or-die, win-or-fly, bring-your-best-or-oxidize. Friday, April 27, Final Four Northwest Porters Games results GAME
Consider the vanilla bean. The Aztecs did. In addition to inventing long words ending in “atl” and awesome mythology, they had the patience to figure out how to cultivate vanilla — a particularly difficult flavor to come by. The pods are the fruit of an orchid plant (Vanilla planifolia), and they have to be cured and fermented over the course of about six months. If that weren’t involved enough, the high-maintenance orchid itself has to be pollinated by hand. Mexico continues to be a major producer, but bourbon vanilla pods from Madagascar are considered to be the Chanel No. 5
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Fermentation Four The Pacific Northwest loves porters — at least according to the thousands that have voted in our Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters. Yesterday’s porter voting doubled the previous highest vote count for a single day. Two games were blowouts with 80 to 85 percent of the vote. Another game saw a porter capture 61 percent of the vote. The last game was decided by 6 votes. What four potters will move onto the Fermentation Four? The drumroll please … thanks to your votes, the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters has been narrowed down
Public lands are facing a tough four years. The current administration had a terrible track record of undoing protections for public lands in 2017. But if they took some time to experience these magnificent places, he might begin to appreciate the disastrous effects the administration’s policies will have on our public lands. It’s enough to drive a lover of public lands to drink. Enter craft beer. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as that first sip of a cold beer after a hike in our epic Pacific Northwest landscape. It’s no surprise that many breweries have found unique ways to combine
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Ethanol Eight The Ethanol Eight is fully fleshed out: Airways Brewing, Reuben’s, Wingman P-51, Harmon, Mad Swede, Post Falls, Fort George and Rogue — eight breweries that — according to our public poll — serve the best porters in the greater Washington, Oregon and Idaho region. It’s all come down to eight. All the signs in the brewpubs, the mass emailings to customers and friends, the porter phone trees have paid off for these eight porter pushers. It’s now crunch(y) malt time for the porter royalty. Below is a recap of yesterday’s action followed by
Hands-down, blood oranges are the coolest-looking item in the produce aisle. The flesh of blood oranges ranges in color from orange with a pink blush to mottled red and to deep burgundy. Blood oranges often have an intense orange taste, and can have some berry-like flavors as well. Nothing perks up the way your food looks more than a slice or dice of blood orange. The red in blood oranges comes from anthocyanins, which means that they’re rich in antioxidants. Our favorite way to enjoy blood oranges is in craft beer and cider. The combination of hops and savory citrus
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Sweet Saccharification 16 ends Porter might take its name from the burly deliverymen who balanced wooden kegs on their shoulders and rapped on pub doors, announcing themselves with a shout of “Porter!” It was the first mass-market beer style of the Industrial Revolution. Breweries aged the beer in immense vats that might tower more than 20 feet high and contain thousands of barrels’ worth. In 1814, the collapse of such a vessel at Henry Meux’s Horse Shoe Brewery in London unleashed a tsunami of porter that leveled the surrounding neighborhood and killed eight people. On
Maybe if we all took a page from the friendly spirit of the craft beer movement, the world just might be a better place. It’s unlikely there is another fiercely competitive business that delights so much in hanging out together. If the market share is so small for each brewery, why cooperate with your competition? Maybe it stems from the David vs. Goliath syndrome, where craft brewers find delight in sticking together against the behemoths of industrial brewing and are willing to support each other for greater visibility and eventual higher sales. Beginning April 6, Peaks and Pints pitted 64
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Sweet Saccharification 16 You’d be hard pressed to find a crazier two weeks of porter voting than what we witnessed during Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters. We saw history made, Viking jokes, massive comebacks and epic failures. Now, the Tournament of Beer moves onto the Sweet Saccharification 16, and although your bracket may be in ruins, there is still plenty of great porters to watch, and plenty of stories to follow. So, read up on yesterday’s action, and then vote on the four games today. Sixteen Northwest porters remain, folks. Let’s get
Peaks and Pints Bagging: Evil Sister, Mountain Mama and Two Tickets to Paradise April 23, 2018: When hiking our cooler save room in your backpack for these craft beer delights. … ESPACIO MEXICAN-STYLE LAGER, Ecliptic Brewing: The Portland brewery’s lager splashes down in an ocean of lime. The right stuff. 4.8%, 12oz EVIL SISTER, GoodLife Brewing: Frickin’ fascinating hybrid of pale and wheat beer without the lasers. 8.5%, 16.9oz MOONBASE BLOOD ORANGE SAISON, Ecliptic Brewing: I’m afraid. I’m afraid, John Harris. John, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going crazy over
Just as rosé was transformed almost overnight from an ugly duckling franzia box to a glam “rosé all day” vino trend, cider has moved beyond the garage party sickly sweet bottles of Woodchuck and Angry Orchard. According to a February 2017 Draft Mag article, cider is an industry that “given its (relative to beer) small size, is still seeking to define itself. Makers of hard cider fall into many camps: Some are orchardists; some make ciders very similar to wine; some produce cider and market it like beer; some are owned by larger beer-making operations.” Add, “Peaks and Pints has
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Second Round ends Now it’s getting exciting. The Willamette hops are really starting to fly, and the Black Patent malt is getting so thick you cut it with a knife. Today is the last day of the Peaks and Pints’ Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Second Round and the competition is as hot as ever. Who will be crowned on April 28? The path to Northwest porter greatness continues. OK, pour a pint and dive into today’s Second Round porter battles. Vote for one porter per game. Voting for today’s porter battles ends at 11:45
TACOMA PREFUNK SATURDAY, APRIL 21 2018: Dogfish Head Record Store Day beer and Proctor Gulch String Band PREFUNK: Several years ago we saw The Flaming Lips at the Puyallup Fair. That was weird, but not as weird as when Lips frontman Wayne Coyne entered the stage through a giant vagina then began walking on the crowd in a human hamster ball while confetti filled the air. The band also re-recorded Dark Side of the Moon with Henry Rollins and Peaches on vocals. In a Rolling Stone interview, Coyne detailed an ayahuasca trip with Miley Cyrus. So really, a Dogfish Head beer
Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, the founder and man behind Evil Twin Brewing, was a physics and English teacher in his native Denmark before starting Copenhagen’s Ølbutikken, a highly regarded beer store. He’s also an evil twin himself. His brother, Mikkel Borg Bergsø, brews under the Mikkeller label. Jarnit-Bjergsø, however, has done his best to outshine the good twin. He founded Evil Twin Brewing in 2010 as a nomadic brewery. Like his brother Mikkel, Jarnit-Bjergsø would concocts a recipe for his beer and hand it to another brewery with some extra capacity. This contracted brewing partner brewed, bottled, priced and sold the beer,
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Second Round April 21 The subject of porters is, like the subject of barbecue, vexed and fraught with controversy. What constitutes a great porter? Who makes the best? Everyone seems to have her or his own favorite, and everyone’s an expert. In March, we pulled the public asking what are the top 64 porters in the Northwest. You chimed in. Friday, April 6, we launched the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters, pitting your 64 porters against each other, similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, only with more Wyeast 1968 (London ESB)/White Labs WLP002 (English Ale)
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,” a term that means pungent, funky and odoriferous, to both good weed and very hoppy IPAs. Dank means an extremely
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Second Round April 20 For the last two weeks we presented you with a compelling question: what is the best porter in the Pacific Northwest? And you have responded in multitudes. Sick days have been used. Friendships have fallen apart. Malt house employees and hop farm employees living together — mass hysteria! We’re deep into the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Second Round with porters poised to make the final push to the Fermentation Four, which will begin April 27. What’s on the line? The winning brewery receives a permanent spot on Peaks and Pints
Sam Calagione started making beer in 1995 when he opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in the beach community of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It was the smallest commercial brewery in America at that time. Within a few successful years, the company activated a major expansion, switching from making very small, homebrew-style batches to industrial-sized sessions in a sizeable brew house. Dogfish Head expanded and moved to a 100,000 square foot facility in nearby Milton, Delaware in 2002. They’re one of the largest craft brewers in America but yet there may be no brewery today that exhibits such a dedication to
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Second Round April 19 Beginning April 24, we’ll have cut the field of 64 Northwest porters to the Sweet Saccharification 16. April 26, it’ll drop to the Ethanol 8. April 28, we’ll announce the winner of the Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters — picked by you, of course — at our little lodge in Tacoma’s Proctor District. On that Saturday, we’ll cut the online voting at 5 p.m. and take the vote live in house, handing out ballots while you enjoy the final two porters on draft. That’s all fine and dandy,
April 18, 1775, 700 British soldiers under the command of Lt. Col. Francis Smith gathered on Boston Common and boarded ships to raid Concord. These soldiers included eight companies of grenadiers, or soldiers who stood on the frontlines and heaved grenades at the enemy, and eight companies of light infantry. During this time, Paul Revere, along with two other riders, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, began their nighttime rides to rouse the minutemen and warn citizens of an attack. Revere rode to Lexington, where Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying en route to the Second Continental Congress, and managed
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Second Round begins Now it’s getting exciting. The Fuggle hops are really starting to fly, and the Crystal malt bags are piling up so high you could make a Burning Porter fire. OK, so that’s a horrible analogy. Point is: this is serious. Today the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters officially kicks off its Second Round, meaning 32 Northwest porters remain, and the competition is as hot as ever. What porter will be crowned Saturday, April 28? The path to porter greatness starts today. Here’s a recap of yesterday’s battles, and a look at today’s
In 1974, Larry Sidor walked into Olympia Brewing Company wearing galoshes. Two decades later, he ran out. He couldn’t take dumbing down lagers anymore. He found happier times at Deschutes Brewery, developing legendary recipes such as The Dissident, The Abyss and Red Chair. In 2012, he and Paul Evers opened Crux Fermentation Project in a former AAMCO transmission shop in Bend, Oregon, with the complete freedom to brew whatever they desired, and by desire that meant sublime IPAs, complex barrel-aged Flanders reds and restrained pilsners. They designed the brewery for non-traditional brewing methods such as decoction mashing, open fermentation, oak
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters First Round April 17 Lo and behold, today marks the closing of the Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters’ First Round. After today’s battles the bracket will officially be down to 32 Northwest-brewed porters, and breweries start hiring cheerleaders. Honestly, it if gets more exciting we’ll start to understand why Dick Vitale is always yelling. Posting and toasting baby! Without wasting anyone’s time with porter related basketball innuendo, on to a recap of yesterday’s action followed by eight new porters hitting the courts today. Monday, April 16, First Round Northwest Porters Games results GAME 1, WASHINGTON
Consider the lager. Lagers are typically brewed at a low temperature to allow the yeast to reach its maximum flavor potential. The lower temperatures cause the lager to ferment at a much slower rate than ales. However, the results are a brew that is clearer than ales, which are brewed at higher temperatures. Lagers are brewed using the yeast called Saccharomyces uvarum. It does not rise to the top like the yeast used in ale but does end up at the bottom once fermentation is reached. This particular yeast does not sporulate as a result of being a more fragile yeast.
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters Round One April 16 Why did Peaks and Pints invent the Tournament of Beer? Because it’s fun. Look at the excitement generated by the NCAA basketball tournament brackets. We want to create the same excitement although with way more malts. We also hope to spark craft beer discussions using an informal, unscientific poll. Beer’s ability to lubricate conversation (and dissent) has been noted since colonial times. We want people to conduct their own Beer Madnesses and do their own second-guessing, backseat driving and morning quarterbacking. Last year, Peaks and Pints presented the Tournament of Beer:
Peaks and Pints will tap Dragons & YumYums pale ale brewed with a combination of dragonfruit, yumberry, passionfruit, pear juice and black carrot juice Thursday, April 19. Photo courtesy of Dogfish Head Y’all ready for Record Store Day Saturday, April 21? A full list of goodies will be dropped in independent record stores across the country that day. And it’s a long one. Topping the list of notable releases are Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison: 50th Anniversary Elegacy Edition, three new limited-edition David Bowie albums (Welcome To The Blackout (Live London 1978), Let’s Dance (Demo), and
America is awesome. Not because of all the freedom. Not because we were the country that invented the Ferris wheel, Pong, lasers, LED, microwave oven, computers, the Internet and the Global Positioning System. Not even because we rule the world when it comes to the Flask Tie, in which office drones no longer need to bury their hooch deep inside a drawer. No, American is awesome because we invented national food days. Sure, everyone knows about Shrove Tuesday (National Pancake Day), National Snack Food Month (February) and Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (April 12 — what, you don’t celebrate?). But did
Tournament of Beer: Northwest Porters First Round April 14 Over a three-week period, Peaks and Pints pits 64 of the Pacific Northwest’s best in a malt-to-malt battle of porters. This is a tournament, folks, not a playoff. Each match is do or die — one misstep and you’re out of the dance. Wort didn’t cool fast enough, left sediment in the conical fermenter too long, and you can pack your brewers paddle and go home. Sure, there are plenty of brewers wearing “Porter > Avocado Toast” T-shirts who can brew a mighty fine batch of porter. The Northwest’s finest porter
