WEDNESDAY MAY 17 2017: Tangerine before a night in Tacoma … PREFUNK: “Tangerine, Tangerine, living reflection from a dream” so says Led Zeppelin. We have no idea what that means, but we do know this: two delicious tangerine craft beers are currently pouring from peaks and Pints’ Western red cedar tap log. For those of you who want a light and cheerful beer, Lost Coast’s Tangerine Wheat is your best bet. This candy-scented wheat beer is crisp, clean and refreshing. New Belgium’s Citradelic Tangerine IPA is certainly the sweeter of the two in terms of residual sugars, with juicy fruit
Cluster hops have a very long and interesting beer history. In 1629, when the Massachusetts Company brought their cargo of Puritans to the New World, they also brought a supply of European hops. These hops, cultivated by English and Dutch farmers, bred with the native American hops to create one of the most popular hops of the time — the Cluster hop. Fifty years ago, Pacific Northwest hop growers concentrated on Cluster hops for their bittering characteristics, but its susceptibility to downy mildew caused it to drop in popularity while also promoting hops research. Cluster leads to floral, spicy and
TUESDAY, MAY 16 2017: Whiskey Barrel-Aged Winter Warmer before hitting the town … PREFUNK: Dry Fly Distillery sits on the Spokane River in its namesake city. It produces a wonderful Triticale Wheat Whiskey using 100 percent Eastern Washington soft white wheat distilled twice in traditional American whiskey style then aged a minimum of three years in American Oak barrels. Frequently, Dry Fly’s neighbor, No-Li Brewhouse, grabs the used Wheat Whiskey oak barrels and ages its beers, like its Winter Warmer, for two years. Peaks and Pints scored the only keg of the Dry Fly Triticale Wheat Whiskey Barrel Aged Winter
Spring tends to make us feel a little bit drunk, so we have to be careful of the velvet hammer of the Belgian-style tripel ale’s strength, typically 8-10 percent, especially since they are so easy-drinking. The monks of Westmalle Abbey in Malle first to brew the tripel in 1934, dubbing it “Superbier.” The current name refers to the use of three times the malt of a standard abbey-style ale. Tripels are characterized by a relatively light color, fruity flavors, and a flowery, spicy character being more prominent than hop bitterness. Candi sugar (dextrose) is typically used to increase the alcoholic
MONDAY, MAY 15 2017: SudsPop before Tacoma events … PREFUNK: Suppose some smartypants decided to conduct a study aimed at determining the hierarchy of the days of the week, best to worst. Does anyone have to wonder where Monday would fall on that list? Easily the most reviled day of the week, Monday is defined as “fun’s over, back to work.” Fortunately, Northend Tacoma’s bottle shop, taproom and restaurant, Peaks and Pints, is doing its part to give Monday a makeover with some Friday-style flair. Every month Peaks and Pints invites a craft brewery to create a three-hour soundtrack off
MORNING FOAM FOR MONDAY, MAY 15 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the Sealions. … The 12th annual American Craft Beer Week will take place from May 15-21, 2017, throughout all 50 states. Now with well over 5,000 operating breweries within the United States, ACBW is a weeklong, nationwide celebration that focuses on the small and independent craft breweries. During this weeklong celebration there will be many various beercentric events. For a listing of events, click here, which includes an Icicle Brewing Company celebration tonight featuring the brewery’s 6th Anniversary
The “national food day” gimmick is out of control. These days, there’s everything from National Peach Melba Day to National Tortellini Day. There’s even a Turkey Neck Soup Day. The esoteric, frivolous ones are annoying. However, national food holidays that give people excuses to drink their favorite foods are still welcome and endearing. We cared really hard for National Banana Bread Day Feb. 23 — and still no one brought us any Wells Banana Bread Beer. We celebrated National Drink Your Own Bitter Tears Day instead. Today is unofficially/officially National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and we’re here to provide assistance
Happy Sunday! Whether you’ve been on Instagram since its beginnings in 2010 or you’re an Instagram neophyte, you know keeping up on important photos can be overwhelming. If you follow everything and everyone you find interesting, you can end up with hundreds and hundreds of Instagram posts showing up in your feed on a daily basis. Don’t despair. Peaks and Pints shares important and pointless IG posts from craft breweries’ IG accounts every Sunday so you may catch up on Charles Finkel’s life and the latest action along the production line. This week, Seattle Beer Week, UFOs, wild Rainier and
Peaks and Pints would like to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Today’s craft beer flight is dedicated to the mothers of Peaks and Pints very own employees, who have given the members of our team endless support and love, even after our bartenders maybe tested his or her mother’s patience back in the day. Naturally, celebration tends to come in the form of craft beer for us, so we’ve picked five good ones to share with mom. Peaks and Pints has plenty of delicious sandwiches, salads, appetizers and our S’mores Jar desserts to pair
SATURDAY, MAY 13 2017: Delicious Imperial IPA + Tacoma events … PREFUNK: Laurelwood Brewing has re-released its fan favorite, award-winning Megafauna Imperial IPA. It’s mega pine and citrus on the nose. Megafauna’s blend of hops gives it big bite of resinous pine that segues into ripe orange and grapefruit, pineapple, mango and tangerine. It’s hop-forward, full-bodied and strong. Yet the balance with the malt lends enough depth and a spicy complexity to make it very interesting. This is an IIPA that succeeds because it doesn’t try too hard to hit the palate with raw hoppiness. This is a great IIPA
Developed by The Hop Breeding Company, a joint venture between John I Haas and the Select Botanicals Group, and originally planted in Toppenish, Washington, Ekuanot — aka Equinox HBC 366 — features pronounced aroma characteristics and extremely high oil content. This variety bursts out of the spring soil in vibrant yellow and gradually matures to a deep green color by fall harvest. With descriptors such as lemon, lime, papayas, apples, cherries, mango, citrus and pine, it’s not surprising Ekuanot was quickly embraced by brewers the world over when it hit the market in 2014. Alongside these typical tropical and fruity
FRIDAY, MAY 12 2017: Bing cherry sour + Tacoma events PREFUNK: Art Larrance was no stranger to the Oregon craft beer scene when he established Cascade Brewing Barrel House in 1998. He partnered with Brewmaster Ron Gansberg, who oversaw the design and installation of the brewhouse. Together, they took more than 40 years of combined brewing experience to create fantastic sour beers inspired by an abundance of Oregon fruit. Each of their beers are then aged on wine barrels from the Northwestern Oregon region. Their 2015 Kriek is a blend of sour reds that were aged in oak wine barrels
Consider the number 8. Number 8 is the symbol of harmony and balance. In the tarot, 8 is the card for justice or strength. Most umbrellas have 8 sides. In the world of computers, a byte is 8 bits. The number 8 is the atomic number for oxygen. Spiders have 8 legs. There are 8 planets in our solar system. It takes 8 minutes for the sun’s light to reach the earth. Sadly, it took us longer than 8 minutes to write these 8 facts. Let’s keep the magic 8 ball rolling and make today’s beer flight all about 8.
THURSDAY, MAY 11 2017: Rogue Ales’ five Hop Family IPA + Tacoma events … PREFUNK: Peaks and Pints will hold a Lodge Meeting with Rogue Ales & Spirits on the agenda — specifically the southern Oregon’s Hop Family series of IPAs, celebrating all eight varietals of hops grown at Rogue Farms. It’s a family of five distinct IPAs, each a unique blend of hops personally selected by Rogue Brewmaster John Maier. The Hop Family is comprised of 4 Hop IPA, 5 Hop IPA, 6 Hop IPA, 7 Hop IPA and 8 Hop IPA, with the 5 Hop being the most
Liberty hop was first bred in 1983 in the United States and is derived from Hallertauer Mittlefrüh, which originated from the German Hallertau variety. It was bred to be downy mildew resistant. After years of testing, they were first released commercially in 1991. Liberty is commonly used in lagers and pilsners but can be used in a wide variety of beers calling for a mild hop flavor. Slightly spicy and floral, it German heritage makes the hop especially well suited for German-styles of beer. However, because of its American origins, it is primarily used in American beers. Peaks and Pints
Two Beers Brewing releases its Day Hike Summer Ale at its Seattle taproom today. Photo courtesy of Two Beers Brewing Co. MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY, MAY 11 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to beer!!!!! … Two Beers Brewing Co. marks the return of hiking season with the release of its Day Hike Summer Ale at its tasting room, The Woods today. A crisp summer ale with 4.1 percent ABV and 45 IBUs, Day Hike offers hints of lemon and grapefruit with a subtle hop bite, making
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 2017: Tacoma events paired with an delicious stout … PREFUNK: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. will take you to your final stout destination. The Poulsbo brewery ferries in an oatmeal stout that bridges roasty malty goodness with drinkable, smooth mouthfeel, thanks to the addition of oats to the grist. Keeper of Souls oatmeal stout is the very essence of life, at least in the 1800s when oatmeal stouts emerged under the pretense that adding oats to beer made it healthier, and was considered a table beer, even prescribed to nursing mothers and ailing children as a remedy
TUESDAY, MAY 9 2017: Tequila Double IPA + Tacoma events … PREFUNK: Backwoods Brewing Company has a new series of small-batch, limited-release beers: The Hidden Stash Series features unique, wood-aged beers. The second beer in the series pours from Peaks and Pints’ Western red cedar tap log: Double Cutt IIPA with tequila. The tequila wood-aged IIPA blends citrus notes from the IIPA with the smooth fruit and spice notes of the tequila. It’s freaking amazing! It’s smooth, with light tequila, some agave sweetness and a solid hoppy backbone to balance it. 3816 N. 26th St., Basecamp Proctor, Tacoma 1:30, 6:45
MONDAY, MAY 8 2017: Tacoma events paired with craft beer … Blue Mouse Theatre + Peaks and Pints = 1979 to 1994 to 2017 Jazzbones + Parkway Tavern = Live PISSED-OFF GEEZERS At 7 p.m., The Blue Mouse Theatre screens the remake of 1979’s Going in Style this time starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin assuming the roles of pissed-off geezers who plot to rob the bank that holds their now-cancelled pension funds. Stick it to the Man, shart boys! It almost makes us forget that the characters in the original were holding up the bank not because
The Wisecracker Bottle Opener, which Outside magazine digs, slips over your bike’s headset to pop the tops. MORNING FOAM FOR MONDAY, MAY 8 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the nifty accessories. … Chuckanut Brewery and Cloudburst Brewing have collaborated on Nut Burst, a hoppy lager that will be tapped at both Chuckanut facilities (Bellingham and Skagit Valley) and Cloudburst in Seattle on Mother’s Day, May 14. The 11th annual Cheers to Belgian Beers festival announced an initial beer list of more than 50 Belgian-style beers
The USDA’s Hallertau hop triploid breeding program produced quite the American ancestry of hops. Among them include the Mount Hood hop and one of its half sisters, the Crystal hop. Out of all the siblings, Crystal is the most pungent. Created in 1983 in Oregon, this hop is most widely used in the U.S., but it can be found in English and German beers as well. The scents of a forest are comparable to how Crystal smells. With pungent floral, woody and green tones, these natural earthy aromas make Crystal distinct from other descendants of the Hallertau hop. Its low
Whether you’ve been on Instagram since its beginnings in 2010 or you’re an Instagram neophyte, you know keeping up on important photos can be overwhelming. If you follow everything and everyone you find interesting, you can end up with hundreds and hundreds of Instagram posts showing up in your feed on a daily basis. Don’t despair. Peaks and Pints shares important and pointless IG posts from craft breweries’ IG accounts every Sunday so you may catch up on brewery songs and the latest action along the production line. This week, May The 4th Be with You, Seattle Beer Week, putt-putt
Northwest Porter Companion: Mill City Brew Werks Chocolate Porter — Sometimes you just have to let the possibility breathe. Sometimes you just have to allow that something grand and good might exist after miles of concrete and wire fences and town-destroying and junk-purveying soul-numbing strip malls. Northwest Dallas Street opened up possibilities. Trees, bustling cafes, bouncing shoppers, brick, cuteness. Turn on Northeast Fourth Street for boutiques and Miss Nola’s Cafe and galleries and gladness. A left onto Northeast Cedar Street and the parking slot right in front of Mill City Brew Werks, the restaurant, pub and brewery Mark Zech and
Guitarist Chris Stevens will perform with Jay Mabin at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church tonight. SUNDAY, MAY 7 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Immanuel Presbyterian Church + Peaks and Pints = Worship Tacoma Little Theatre + Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery = dreams BLUES VESPERS Seattle guitarist and singer Chris Stevens plays ultra cool spy themes, reverb drenched surf twang and blues on the edge of jazz originals with his band the Surf Monkeys. Stevens will leave the barrel tonight to join harmonica virtuoso Jay Mabin for Immanuel Presbyterian Church’s Blues Vespers at 5 p.m.
The Mount Hood hop has quite the extended foreign family tree. A descendant of the German Hallertau hop family, Mount Hood is also half-sister to Ultra, Liberty and Crystal hops. The first of the Hallertau triploid breeding program, Mount Hood was released by the USDA in 1989 after being cultivated in Oregon. Its namesake is the Mount Hood volcano just east of Portland. This hop has now become a staple of American craft brewing. With a warm and inviting aroma, refined spices and mild sweetness, Mount Hood can also be slightly floral and herbal. This varied range and temperate bitterness
“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.
THURSDAY, MAY 4 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Tacoma Comedy Club + Peaks and Pints = 21 and older Keys On Main + North End Social Club = Super Lakewood Playhouse + Engine House No. 9 = Swords BROKEN LIZARD If you were a college student at any point in the 2000s — or if you just like comedy that follows in the footsteps of the National Lampoon greats — Broken Lizard is almost a household name. The team — the five Broken Lizard guys share screen-writing, acting, and production credits for their movies — is best
MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY, MAY 4 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the Star Wars Smash Mouth. … Craft Brew Alliance, Redhook Ale Brewery’s parent company, announced it will shut down the Redhook brewery in Woodinville. Asheville, North Carolina-based Wicked Weed Brewing will be acquired by Anheuser-Busch’s The High End, a division of AB-InBev, according to a press release put out Wednesday. Wicked Weed was founded in 2012 by Walt and Luke Dickinson and friends Ryan, Rick and Denise Guthy. Diehard craft beer community followers weren’t the only ones shocked to
James Haye performs at G. Donnalson’s tonight. WEDNESDAY, MAY 3 2017: Tacoma events + craft beer … G. Donnalson’s + Peaks and Pints = Proctor night Broadway Center + The Red Hot = Black Lives Matter and Wander Brewing BLUES GUITAR It’s been a long week already, and the weekend seems so far away. You need to wash away your Hump Day woes with some fine wines. Hell, bring the whole work crew to G. Donnalson’s for some tasty wine and blues. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., James Haye will deliver an evening of smooth and sultry
Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs recap — It’s a simple equation: Water plus grain, hops and yeast. But hidden within this simple formula is a universe of variety. Session or imperial? Clear or hazy? Tropical or dank? Washington state brewers who brew the classic India Pale Ale have choices to make. And in those choices lie the path to greatness. In March 2017, we ask Washington state resident to nominate their favorite IPAs from their home state. Then, April 7-29, 2017 Peaks and Pints bottle shop, taproom and restaurant in Tacoma pitted the top 64 nominated IPAs against one
Karl Marx City screens at The Grand Cinema today. TUESDAY, MAY 2 2017: Tacoma events + craft beer … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = Stasi secret police and Kewl Hand Cuke Jazzbones + The Copper Door = Johnny Cash and the chewy beers TUESDAY FILM SERIES Has the daily onslaught of revelations about Vladimir Putin’s involvement in the 2016 U.S. election got you thinking about what life might be like under a totalitarian government? You might want to check out the documentary, Karl Marx City, which screens at 1:30 and 6:45 p.m. at
MONDAY, MAY 1 2017: Tacoma events + craft beer … Blue Mouse + Peaks and Pints = Big ape and Big Juicy The Grand Cinema + Parkway Tavern = Real-life explorer KONG IN PROCTOR Kong: Skull Island is a period piece set in 1973, with a band of Apocalypse Now-esque adventurers arriving at Skull Island and discovering the freaks of nature that reside there. What that means in practical terms is that Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson and the rest of this crew encountered King Kong and his pals three years before the Dino De Laurentiis-dispatched team from 1976 landed
MORNING FOAM FOR MONDAY, MAY 1 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the cranky Crosby. … Gig Harbor Brewing’s new spring seasonal Maritime Maibock Lager will debut in their taproom – along with new extended taproom hours – Tuesday, May 2. This is the Tacoma’s brewery’s first lager beer, and the Maibock sytle — a German celebration beer — is frequently associated with springtime and the month of May. Badass Brewing and No-Li Brewhouse collaborate to create one total ½ barrel of It’s Badass…No-Li Cascadian Stout — a combination of
What began as Northern Lights Brewing back in 1993 is now the multiple award-winning No-Li Brewhouse on the banks of the Spokane River in downtown Spokane. The brewery that created “Spokane Style” beers has a mantle full of craft beer awards such as Great American Beer Festival, Japan International Beer Competition, Brussels International Beer Competition, European Beer Star Competition, National Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association and five medals at the 2016 Washington Beer Awards including Large Brewery of the Year. No-Li Brewhouse is the special guest brewery for our SudsPop Monday music and beer nights, which begins at 6 p.m.
Happy Sunday! We’ve been swamped with Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs happenings so our we haven’t stalked Instagram as much as we would like this week. We did notice the crappy Swedish beer, as well as National Pretzel Day and the forth coming Cinco de Mayo. Be sure to keep posting those craft beer waffle photos and be sure to tag @peaksandpints if you’d like a chance to be featured! Cheers! https://www.instagram.com/p/BTRVW0TBvZh/?taken-by=pintplease https://www.instagram.com/p/BTSSQujlEn0/?taken-by=thebeeroness https://www.instagram.com/p/BTRri-DBB1U/?taken-by=filip.adam https://www.instagram.com/p/BTUppGfAz6-/?taken-by=beerblog https://www.instagram.com/p/BTXTzthjwQe/?taken-by=twobeersbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BTVCJ4Yjdyo/?taken-by=10barrelbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BTWeTHHhzKA/?taken-by=beerliveshere https://www.instagram.com/p/BTZWU49jvSI/?taken-by=tacomabeer https://www.instagram.com/p/BTXQPpiFL2r/?taken-by=breaksidebrews https://www.instagram.com/p/BTcVFYBlZDg/?taken-by=craftybeermaven https://www.instagram.com/p/BTc7UrUD1-C/?taken-by=thehopsartist https://www.instagram.com/p/BTg7eTNll5n/?taken-by=allagashbrewing
Rainy Daze Brewing Co. head brewer/woner Mike Montoney, left, and Walking Man Brewing Co. head brewer James Landers pose at the Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs Championship Party Tournament of Washington IPAs: Champion crowned — It’s a simple equation. Take water, grain, hops and add yeast. Then, it becomes tricky. Choices need to be made. Clear or hazy? English hops or American “C” hops? Session or double? In those choices lies the path to India Pale Ale greatness. Over the past three weeks we’ve pitted 64 of Washington state’s best against one another in the
Mr. Blackwatch performs at The Spar tonight. Photo courtesy of Facebook SATURDAY, APRIL 29 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Spar + Peaks and Pints = Hoohah Dockyard Derby Dames + The Ram = Dread MISTER BLACKWATCH In 2012, Tacoma musician, producer and actor Doug Mackey got the band back together — the band being Mr. Blackwatch, which was born, lo, many years ago when the band had issues with cows, kites, a monster, a snake, a robot, bongos and “Orange,” and the only cure was to work through the issues musically. The
April 7-29, 2017, Peaks and Pints pitted 64 of Washington state’s best in a frothy head-to-head battle of the IPAs. We speak, of course, of the Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs. Sixty-four state IPAs were selected and seeded by the public throughout March 2017. Some IPAs fell easily by the wayside, either faltered due to a rogue yeast pitcher or simply because they faced a superior opponent. Hop by hop, the state drank its way through the first tow rounds followed by the Sweet Wort 16, the Hot Break Eight, the Final Four and today’s Championship Game between Rainy
Tournament of Washington IPAs: Final vote and tonight’s party — For more than three weeks, Peaks and Pints challenged 64 of Washington state’s best India Pale ales to go IBU-to-IBU 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, the state drank its way down to yesterday’s Final Four: Rainy Daze Goat Boater IPA, Top Rung Shift Trade IPA, Stoup Citra IPA Walking Man IPA. It was do-or-die, win-or-fly, bring-your-best-or-oxidize. Friday, April 28, Final Four Washington IPA Games
Brass Monkeys perform at The Swiss tonight. Photo courtesy of Facebook FRIDAY, APRIL 28: South Sound events + craft beer … The Swiss Restaurant & Pub + Peaks and Pints = Funky B Sharp Coffee House + Dystopian State Brewing = Banjo and bottles SO THIS IS WHAT CHA WANT Close your eyes and those memories of baggy Ben Davis pants, Caesar haircuts and the Beastie Boys performing at the first KNDD Endfest on Aug. 8, 1992 at the Kitsap County Fairground just might come flooding back. Tribute bands are now the best way to hear
#DrinkWABeer and chill … Once again the Washington Beer Commission is set to launch its Third Annual #DrinkWABeer Instagram Campaign. Beginning Monday, May 8 and running every week through June 5, the Washington Beer Commission will select a winning photo on Instagram that is tagged with #DrinkWABeer. The one caveat is to answer the question “I #DrinkWAbeer because…” in your Instagram post. The grand prize is, drumroll please, four tickets to the biggest beer festival of the year, The 12th Annual Washington Brewers Festival June 16-18, 2017 at King County’s Marymoor Park. Full Sail Brewing Company’s
Bred in England in 1934 from a Canterbury Golding female plant and the male plant OB21, Northern Brewer is one of the original hop strains used in the first stages of breeding at Wye College in the early 1900s. Northern Brewer has been used in the breeding process of many varieties of hops including Hueller, Perle, Record, Northdown, Challenger, Viking and Saxon, among others. Easily identified by its dark green leaves, Northern Brewer has a moderate alpha acid profile and a pleasant aroma making for a great bittering hop that is also sometimes used as a late boil addition. As
Tournament of Washington IPAs: Final Four — Washington state loves India Pales Ales — at least according to the thousands that have voted in our Tournament of Beer: Washington State IPAs. Yesterday’s IPA voting action doubled the previous highest vote count for a single day. And favorites fell. They fell hard. Every winner yesterday won by capturing 73 to 83 percent of the vote, except the Stoup Citra IPA vs Fremont Lush IPa game, which trade leads all day until 8 p.m. What four hop-slinging breweries’ IPAs will move onto the Final Four? The barrel roll please … Thanks to
Forest Beutel performs at The Valley tonight. THURSDAY, APRIL 27 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Valley + Peaks and Pints = Music Olympia Film Society + Three Magnets Brewing Co. = Ghosts and Octopi BYE BYE BEUTEL The Valley down the street from the Tacoma Dome has a great show at 8 p.m. Tacoma’s Baron of Bluegrass Forest Beutel will hit the road for a month-long tour of the Southwest but no before performing bluegrass, blues and folk punk at The Valley. Scheduled to give a musical hug to Beutel include Rock
