Beer Line Blog

Craft Beer Crosscut 2.19.17: A Flight of Centennial

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Our daily craft beer sampler flight has landed in a Cascade hop field, the citrusy workhorse of the craft beer industry, but today we’re focusing on Centennial: Cascade’s bigger, more bitter, less flowery cousin. Centennial hops were first bred in 1974 as a cross between many different strains including Brewers Gold, Fuggle, East Kent Golding and Bavarian hops. The name comes from the Washington state Centennial Celebration, which occurred in 1989, just before the public release of Centennial hops in 1990. Centennial is a great dual-purpose hop and can be used successfully for both bittering and aroma. Centennial hops are

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THURSDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Paterson and aerialists

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  THURSDAY, FEB. 16 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = Jarmusch-y and No-Li-y night Rhythm & Rye + Fish Tale Brewpub = Uppers and downers DRIVER THE DRIVER Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, at his most Jarmusch-y, Paterson is a film of incredible warmth and humanity; a sweet, gentle celebration of everyday people. Adam Driver plays a bus driver named Paterson, who lives in Paterson, New Jersey. He writes poetry, goes to work and when he comes home, spends time with Laura and their bulldog, Marvin, goes to bed,

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Rhein Haus opening in Tacoma, 25 most important American craft beers and Matching beer to your horse problems

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Rhein Haus opens in Tacoma Saturday. Photo courtesy of rheinhausseattle.com MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY, FEB. 16 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer and cider news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom horse issues. … The Rhein Haus officially opens its expansive beer hall in Tacoma’s Stadium neighborhood Saturday. The menu features German leaning dishes — spaetzle, schnitzel, cabbage rolls, goulash, sauerbraten, schweinschaxe among them — as well as pub food built for pairing well with more than 20 beers on tap. The 25 most important American craft beers ever. If

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.16.17: A Flight of Eastern Washington

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There are many metrics by which we can measure the brewing explosion that has taken place in the Eastern Washington over the past half-decade. We can talk about the number of new breweries, or the emergence of growler stations and beer bars. If we want to get really technical, we can tally the amount of barrels brewed and even track how many of those are traveling to other markets, serving as liquid evangelists for a craft beer scene that’s turning heads in the Northwest. But perhaps an easier, more visible metric would be to taste the delicious craft beer coming

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WEDNESDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Blood Simple, The Good Doctor and hardcore

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = Coen and pFriem Wheelock Library + Beach Tavern = Kula and Alexander Obsidian and Northwest Beerwerks = Hardcore and Ex Novo UNCONVENTIONAL It’s hard to believe Blood Simple is Joel and Ethan Coen’s first film. Suspenseful, wonderfully plotted, complete with a set of unlikable yet intriguing characters, the 1984 release carries a maturity one might expect from more seasoned filmmakers. Yet, the Brothers’ attempt at film noir is spot-on. The cast includes a series of what would become Coen regulars: Dan

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.15.17: A Flight of Light

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It’s the day after Valentine’s Day. How do you feel? You should have known eating mac-and-cheese on a holiday made for lovers is like eating ice-cream cake after a funeral. At first, it tasted so good, you forgot how absolutely alone you felt. You savored the flavors, audibly sighing at your ability to cook a basic, yet satisfying meal. This was counterbalanced by the dread you felt scrolling through the hellscape of social media, where all your friends in loving relationships were posting pics of fancy dinners and bouquets of roses. You need a day of light, easy drinking. You need

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TUESDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer and wine before Live Action Shorts and classical love songs

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TUESDAY, FEB. 14 2017: Tacoma events paired with craft beer and wine … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = Drama Classical Tuesdays + El Tufo = Love LIVE ACTION SHORTS Today, The Grand Cinema presents the 2017 Oscar-nominated Live Action Short Films, a 130-minute program, with material ranging from the comic to the political. Sélim Azzazi’s “Ennemis Interieur” (France, 28 min.) is a two-hander in which a man is applying for French citizenship. An immigrant from Ghana struggling to find work in Copenhagen in “Silent Nights” (Denmark, 30 min.) strikes up a romantic relationship with a lonely woman

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.14.17: A Flight of Valentine’s Day

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Happy Valentine’s Day! As this saccharine-sweet holiday (or Singles Appreciation Day, if you prefer) rears its head, couples are clamoring for romantic plans while singles and casual daters are simply trying to let the day pass without a hitch. Why stress? It’s just a day. So to give you a little peace of mind on this hectic day of love, we the Craft Beer Crosscut 2.14.17: A Flight of Valentine’s Day. Midnight Sun Panty Peeler 8.5% ABV, 15 IBU Once called Extreme Polar White Bier, Midnight Sun Brewing Co. changed the name after this Belgium style triple earned itself a

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MONDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Abraham Lincoln, Mel Gibson and Sean Jackson

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Parkway Tavern Manager Sean Jackson pours Sierra Nevada Beer Camp #175 Chicocabra through a Randall tonight. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner MONDAY, FEB. 13 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … King’s Books + Parkway Tavern = Being Abraham Lincoln and Being Sean Jackson Blue Mouse Theatre + Peaks and Pints = Parks and Re-creations LINCOLN RAW Yesterday was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. King’s Books in Tacoma’s Stadium District is still celebrating, inviting author DL Fowler to give an inside scoop on his book, Lincoln Raw, and the coming sequel, Lincoln’s War. Lincoln Raw shows hos 7-year-old

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Matchless Brewing on the move, long beer lines and Valentine’s Day beer

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Block 15 Love Potion #9 is a sweet stout, brewed with chocolate and black cap raspberries, exactly what many of us think of V-day gift boxes. MORNING FOAM FOR MONDAY, FEB. 13 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom crazy task. … After months of operating and trucking beer between two locations, Matchless Brewing owners Grant Bolt and Patrick Jansen are ready to move into their own brewhouse, cold storage and retail tasting room in Tumwater. Maui Brewing Company is finalizing details on partnering with

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.13.17: A Flight of Breakfast

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Beer. It’s what’s for breakfast. We know what some of you are thinking. Beer for breakfast, Who does that? But the true advocate of craft beer knows there is nothing quite like waking up, making scrambled eggs and bacon and cracking open 22 ounces of your favorite brew. Beer for breakfast? Who are we to judge? Enjoy our Craft Beer Crosscut 2.13.17: A Flight of Breakfast. Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat 5.5% ABV, 15 IBU For those of you who want a light and cheerful beer, Lost Coast’s Tangerine is your best bet — but you better like tangerine. Tangerine Wheat

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Peaks and Pints Instagram Stalker: Snowmen drinking beer, dogs drinking beer and beers snowboarding

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Peaks and Pints Instagram Stalker: Snowmen drinking beer, dogs drinking beer and beers snowboarding There have been lots of posted photos to comb through this past week. A snowman drank beer. A man became a snowman drinking beer. Dogs drank beer.  Beers snowboarded. You’ll find all that (plus silliness) right here in this weeks’ edition of Peaks and Pints Instagram Stalker. Be sure to keep posting those graham crackers in whirlpools and be sure to tag @peaksandpints if you’d like a chance to be featured! Cheers! https://www.instagram.com/p/BQL7gz4jJBp/?taken-by=dicksbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BQL5gCyFk0L/?taken-by=wingmanbrewers https://www.instagram.com/p/BQJro10BAEg/?taken-by=saranacbrewery https://www.instagram.com/p/BQQ3MGOjtPv/?taken-by=wingmanbrewers https://www.instagram.com/p/BQRTzSMD938/?taken-by=3magbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BQRhm_7Dmzk/?taken-by=3magbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BQRn9VdAS_v/?taken-by=bbaybrewery https://www.instagram.com/p/BQQyzCQAAjF/?taken-by=filip.adam https://www.instagram.com/p/BQTSF3_BhIv/?taken-by=odellbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BQUDn2qgJ4S/?taken-by=greatnotionpdx https://www.instagram.com/p/BQZUYtEhRAN/?taken-by=7seasbrew https://www.instagram.com/p/BQWLGDPghai/?taken-by=twobeersbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BQYkp8GAqpC/?taken-by=lalo1981_ https://www.instagram.com/p/BQWgRk4hBf6/?taken-by=10barrelbrewing

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SUNDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Emmet Cohen and Artists Craft Fair

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SUNDAY, FEB. 12 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Tacoma School of the Arts + Peaks and Pints = Jazz and Bale Breaker Dormancy Breakfast Stout King’s Books + 7 Seas Brewing = Artists fair and Black Currant Wild Imperial Stout JAZZ TRIO New York City-based pianist Emmet Cohen will join Russell Hall on bass and Kyle Poole on drums for a 6 p.m. jazz concert at the Tacoma School of the Arts Theater in downtown Tacoma. The multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer plays with a striking and effusive elegance. He moves all over the keyboard with

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.12.17: A Flight of Barleywines

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Despite its name, the barleywine is indeed a beer but at wine strength — ranging as low as 7-percent alcohol by volume in British versions and upwards of 15 percent in American interpretations. Despite its name, barleywines aren’t made with tons of specialty grains, as one might assume. Historically, barleywines are brewed with pale malt, the same malts used for pale ales. Brewers achieve that rich caramel flavor that’s expected in barleywines by extending the length of the boil, which caramelizes the flavors and imparts that deep color. Yeast and hops vary between English-style and American-style barleywines, but either way,

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New Beer Saturday: Valentine’s Day Edition

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Yes, another Valentine’s Day is upon us. Obvious expectations on this “special” day include the following: grumpy singles, unsavory public displays of affection, overly excitable girlfriends, an arsenal of disgruntled Hallmark employees, and, of course, lots and lots of chocolate. But before Peaks and Pints goes on, let us anticipate a few of your nagging questions. First, yes, chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac! And, no, it’s not all right to buy her (or him) the Snicker’s Family Pak and call it a night. We hate to break it to you, but that’s just not worthy of your Valentine. Craft beer

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SATURDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Ailey II, Greg Fitzsimmons and Valentine Juerga

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SATURDAY, FEB. 11 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … Broadway Center + Peaks and Pints = Funambulists and Filaments Tacoma Comedy Club + The Copper Door = Bitter Antique Sandwich Co. + Narrows Brewing = Love ALVIN JR. As far as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is concerned, a lot of folks just can’t get enough. Year after year the company fills the Broadway Center’s venues with a multiethnic audience the likes of which you don’t see many other places. Alvin is back … OK, Alvin Jr. At 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater, Ailey II, the

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.11.17: A Flight of Dessert Beers

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, our palates and stomachs could use a warm-up. So we’ve compiled a list of luscious, indulgent, dessert beers to stimulate your appetite. Let’s sharpen that sweet tooth with Craft Beer Crosscut 2.11.17: A Flight of Dessert Beers. Pacific Chocolate Blonde 5% ABV, 15 IBU OK, let’s ease into this dessert beer flight. We know what you’re thinking, what is a blonde doing on this dessert list? But take our word for it, this one’s worth trying. Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. delivers an impressive balance of sweet and light, it hits your mouth

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FRIDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before This Saxophone Kills Fascists and Champagne Sunday

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Arrington de Dionyso brings This Saxophone Kills Fascists to The Valley tonight. FRIDAY, FEB. 10 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Valley + Peaks and Pints = Doing things different Zog’s + North End Social Club = Mixing it up ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO There comes a time for many rock musicians when they get, well, bored of playing rock music. There’s only so many chord progression combinations and melodies they can think of before they start repeating themselves, essentially writing the same song in different ways over and over. The world of experimental

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.10.17: A Flight of Black and White and Red All Over

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The question “What is black and white and red all over?” is a classic riddle with several possible answers. One answer, using a play on the homophonic words to change the word “red” to mean “read,” is a newspaper. Other possible answers to the riddle add an attribute that is red in color to something that typically is black and white in coloration. These answers include a zebra painted red, an embarrassed skunk, a Communist nun and a sunburned penguin. Variations of these answers interchange the attribute and the object. For example, alternative responses to the question include an embarrassed

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Boundary Bay Irish-Style Red, Backwoods Brewing Hidden Stash Series and craft beer legal idiosyncrasies

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MORNING FOAM FOR FRIDAY, FEB. 10 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom dumb craft beer laws. … Boundary Bay Brewery released its Irish-Style Red seasonal. Every year it’s brewed to celebrate the spirit of the Bellingham Community and the Bellingham St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Ordnance Brewing, located in Boardman, Oregon, will release four, wine-barrel-aged craft beers in 2017, the first being an Oat Brown Ale aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels provided by internationally acclaimed Dundee winemaker, Jesus Guillen. Backwoods Brewing Co. has launched the Hidden Stash Series,

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THURSDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Rod Cook and Kristen Marlo

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Rod Cook performs at G. Donnalson’s tonight. THURSDAY, FEB. 9 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … G. Donnalson’s + Peaks and Pints = Iron guitarist and Iron beers Odd Otter Brewing + Kristen Marlo = Release party BLUES GUITAR Rod Cook is a well-respected guitarist known for his stylistic versatility and soulful, melodic playing. A mainstay with folk/funk, Americana artist Laura Love in the 1990s and the early part of last decade, Cook began the guitar at the age of 9. Cook has backed up blues legend Taj Mahal as well as opened as

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Washington Beer Open House, RODENBACH cans and Cascade Sour Fruit Fest

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MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY, FEB. 9 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom secret. … More than 100 breweries will open their doors for tours and special releases as part of the Washington Beer Open House Saturday, Feb. 25, including South Sound breweries 7 Seas Brewing, Dick’s Brewing, Dystopian State Brewing, Fish Brewing, Gig Harbor Brewing, Narrows Brewing, Pacific Brewing & Malting Co., Tacoma’s Ram Brewing, Tacoma Brewing, Top Rung Brewing and Wet Coast Brewing. RODENBACH Brewery, makers of world-class renowned sour beers in the traditional Flanders red style,

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.8.17: A Flight of Bliss

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So you’ve stood atop the mountain and screamed your naked desires to the universe and you’ve had your share of barleywine-fueled hallucinations of images of the pagan goddesses in the sweat lodge and you have fever dreamed your way to what someone said might be nirvana but was more likely something akin to synapse epilepsy and you have asked your dreams and opened your heart and eaten the vegan bean sprout salads and cleansed your colon and detoxed in the tub 10,000 times and endured the self-help libraries and marinated your soul in the juices of desire and forgiveness and

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WEDNESDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Larry Murante and Larry Huffines

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Larry Murante will perform at B Sharp Coffee House tonight. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8 2017: Larry + craft beer … B Sharp Coffee House + Peaks and Pints = Larry Murante and Matchless Brewing GiGi Pop + The Red Hot = Larry Huffines and Airways Brewing LARRY ONE Larry Murante. Man, this singer-songwriter with a powerful, distinctive voice blew away audiences in the early 1990s. He was compared to Lyle Lovett, Hal Ketchum and Michael McDonald. His lyrics were filled with compelling stories about real life. His beautiful, smoky, full-bodied voice racked up a string of national

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.8.17: A Flight of Fear

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The names threaten. What to believe? How fearful and anxious to be, exactly? One thing Peaks and Pints knows for sure: It’s not advisable to live in fear. It’s a fool’s game to base your life choices around what might happen. After all, the Big One has been inevitable in the South Sound for decades (and it still is). Human extinction, too. Irish Death? Turbodog? Holy crap Velocihoptor? How to process it all? How to properly understand the real risks, the false alarms, the ominous and seemingly imminent potential for collapse? Try them. Today’s beer sample flirts with the scary

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TUESDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before civil rights, art and books

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Drop in on the Open Book Club at Obsidian tonight. TUESDAY, FEB. 7 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = Transfiguration University of Puget Sound + The Copper Door = Farm To Table To Bottle shop Obsidian + Three Magnets Brewing Co. = Book Worms and Hop Heads REV. JAMES LAWSON In 1960, Rev. James Lawson helped to launch the Nashville sit-in campaign, which successfully desegregated the Woolworth’s lunch counter, and inspired a new generation of student civil rights activities throughout the South. After Nashville he pastored

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.7.17: A Flight of Nugget

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Nugget hops were created in 1970 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a breeding program that paired up Brewers Gold, Early Green, Cantebury Golding, Bavarian, and an unknown hop together to create this hybrid hop. The breeding was done primarily to aid in disease resistance, including downy mildew, powdery mildew and Peronospera. A true hop-lover’s hop, Nugget is woody, resiny and plenty bitter. Used mainly as a bittering hop due to its high alpha acidity, Nugget is sometimes used as an aroma hop to balance out the floral and citrus notes of other hop varieties. Because of its versatility, Nugget

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MONDAY PREFUNK: Passengers and Uinta Golden Ale national release party

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Oh, no … all we have is Folgers. MONDAY, FEB. 6 2017: Proctor Tacoma Snow Day Blue Mouse Theatre + Peaks and Pints = universe release and national release RISE AND SHINE ASTRONAUTS Don’t you hate it when you wake up early? So do Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, who are roused from suspended animation 90 years too soon and have to find a way to occupy themselves on the space vessel they’re traveling in. Job One turns out to be protecting their still-sleeping fellow astronauts from an unexpected threat to the ship. Those late risers,

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Luponic Distortion No. 005 with Washington hops, Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest and hard coffee

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MORNING FOAM FOR FEB. 6 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom commercials. … If you couldn’t tell by watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, a new Nielsen Harris poll has made it official — beer is still the top selling alcoholic beverage in the United States. The next release in Firestone Walker’s Luponic Distortion revolving hop series is rolling out with Revolution No. 005 — a blend of five hops led by an emerging American cultivar from Washington’s Moxee Valley! Tickets for this year’s Firestone Walker Invitational Beer

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.6.17: A Flight of Snow Beers

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Strap them on or sled your way to peaks and Pints for a flight of snow beers. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner First things first… SNOW. Snow prompts Peaks and Pints to think that the All Mighty, while he may not shoot craps with the universe as Albert Einstein said, at least has a sense of humor. She makes existence uncertain by conjuring up sea-level snow every now and then, but at no apparently regular interval, and throws in a few earthquakes, ice storms, floods and the like now and then just to let us know who

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Instagram Stalker: Melvin 2×4 Day, crazy hats and awesome Deschutes brewers photo

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Happy Sunday! This week on Instagram Stalker, we are reminded that even though the Super Bowl sponsors try to claim this to be the biggest drinking holiday of the year, a good craft beer can make any occasion better. We saw a lot of violence during Melvin’s 2×4 Day, women posing with craft beers and whatever that Russian guy is wearing. Be sure to keep posting those craft beer nestled against cactus photos and be sure to tag @peaksandpints if you’d like a chance to be featured! Cheers! https://www.instagram.com/p/BPtqpIUgcVO/?taken-by=hopheadhunny https://www.instagram.com/p/BP5crDABJdA/?taken-by=breaksidebrews https://www.instagram.com/p/BP8FVc1jfhW/?taken-by=redhook https://www.instagram.com/p/BP8sVCpAxbM/?taken-by=melvinbeer https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_kC_cjpjF/?taken-by=ninkasibrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_TnTKg3mY/?taken-by=culturebrewingco https://www.instagram.com/p/BQDwN49AaDH/?taken-by=hopworksbeer https://www.instagram.com/p/BQEKBEQAClJ/?taken-by=foundersbrewing https://www.instagram.com/p/BQE7YMLg6xD/?taken-by=deschutesbeer https://www.instagram.com/p/BQI1JJCghOD/?tagged=craftbeer https://www.instagram.com/p/BQILz99F4VW/?taken-by=andunion https://www.instagram.com/p/BQJE1rOAdd3/?tagged=craftbeer

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.5.17: A Flight For The Super Bowl

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An overly alcoholic, big beer will put a damper on your big Super Bowl experience; you need a lighter, easy-drinking beer that can keep you going from kickoff to the after-game celebration. But that’s where the trouble comes in: most people will grab a six-pack of a light beer from the big beer companies, thinking that only a light beer can sustain through the game. As Peaks and Pints has found in our craft beer brethren, it’s just no so. A low-alcohol beer doesn’t have to skimp on the essence of a craft beer, big flavor and big hops. Whether

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Uinta Brewing Golden Ale salutes national parks

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Peaks and Pints will host the Uinta Brewing’s Rotating Park Series Golden Ale No. 1: Yosemite release party at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. When national parks are mentioned what comes to mind? Mount Rainer, Olympic, or perhaps the Great Smokey Mountains? But what about Uinta? Yep, not a national park and not the noted national forest — Uinta Brewing Co. in Salt Lake City, Utah. We speak of the craft brewery founded in 1993 best known for the delicious pine and citrus forward Hop Nosh IPA. Uinta has introduced Golden Ale, a light bodied, slightly

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.4.17: A Flight of Tacoma

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When you drink local, you drink fresh — but you also support the local economy. We’ll break it down for you: When you drink a Wingman Brewers’ craft beers you’re not only showing some love for a local business, you’re supporting a business that’s outsourcing their graphic design to a local artist. Everyone benefits. Our beer sample flight centers on local breweries. Please stop by and enjoy Craft Beer Crosscut 2.4.17: A Flight of Tacoma. 7 Seas Water Chopper Gose 4.8% ABV This dry, moderately sour, and extremely refreshing beer is made in the gose tradition at 7 Seas’ Tacoma

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Peaks and Pints New Beer Saturday: Super Bowl Sunday Edition

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Super Bowl Sunday is certainly a day about football. That much is for sure. But it’s almost as much about craft beer. While many will be doing their American duty and watching the game on Peaks and Pints’ 130-inch screen while enjoying our sandwiches, others will indulge in house parties. If you fall into the latter category, many new and restocked bottled and canned craft beers arrived at Peaks and Pints this week to pair with your friend’s bean dip. BALLAST POINT RED VELVET NITRO The deep red color comes from beets, which add a rich, earthy character that complements the

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Melvin 2X4 Day, Two Beers Cold Brew Coffee Brown Ale and Cascade Brewing Sang Du Chene

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MORNING FOAM FOR SATURDAY, FEB. 4 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom Budweiser. … Melvin Brewing — Wyoming’s astonishingly talented brewer of hoppy ales — celebrates its multiple Great American Beer Festival-winning 2×4 IIPA today by shipping fresh kegs to certain bars in 30 states and three countries. 2×4 is of course the star of the show, but other beers which will make special appearances include Drunken Master IIPA, Asterisk IIPA, Citradamus IIPA, Carlton CDA, Pilsgnar Pilsner, Hubert, MPA Melvin IPA and rare kegs of the brewery’s much-lauded Lambda

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FRIDAY PREFUNK: Jim Basnight and the Moberlys and the Washington Hop Mob

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Jim Basnight and the Moberlys perform at The Valley tonight. FRIDAY, FEB. 3 2017: Tacoma concert paired with triple IPAs ROCK HISTORY Jim Basnight goes all the way back to the seminal Seattle Syndrome album from 1981 — a compilation of Seattle-based bands and artists released on vinyl and cassette by Engram records. He named his band after the director of the Seattle School District, David Moberly. Jim Basnight and the Moberlys have gone through breakups, reinventions, side-projects, re-releases, and reincarnations in the almost 40 years since they first hit the scene. According to Rev. Adam

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THURSDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Tacoma jazz and blues

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Keith Henson Octet will perform at B Sharp Coffee House tonight. THURSDAY, FEB. 2 2017: Tacoma events paired with craft beer … B Sharp Coffee House + Peaks and Pints = Oscar and Oskar G. Donnalson’s + Silver City Brewery = romantic THE GREAT EIGHT The Keith Henson Octet will perform an extensive repertoire of jazz and American songbook standards at 8 p.m. in B Sharp Coffee House in downtown Tacoma. Led by Henson, expect five-horn arrangements from composers Shorty Rogers, Harry Warren, Mingus, Coltrane and others. PREFUNK: Why look, here comes one of Western Pennsylvania’s

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Gig Harbor Brewing Spice Winter Ale, Best of Craft Beer Awards and BC Cider Week

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MORNING FOAM FOR THURSDAY FEB. 2 2017: A seven-taster flight of craft beer and cider news, from the fluffy head all the way to the bottom love. … Gig Harbor Brewing Co. has been busy this winter. It just released its seasonal beer, Gig Harbor Spice Winter Ale. It’s also barrel-aging its beers, with a barrel-aged Imperial Stout currently on tap in its Tacoma taproom. Oregon dominated the 2017 Best of Craft Beer Awards, taking home more than twice as many medals as any other state. In a blind taste test with 88 certified beer judges, Oregon won 64 medals altogether, 18

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WEDNESDAY PREFUNK: Craft beer before Ancestors In Training, comedy and Kim Bum Soo

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Kali and hi Ancestors In Training perform at The Valley tonight. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1 2017: South Sound events + craft beer … The Valley + Peaks and Pints = Family Tacoma Comedy Club + Parkway Tavern = Trickster Broadway Center + Pint Defiance = Silver and Soo SO STREET Kali Stoddard-Imari and his Ancestors In Training is a Boston-based band comprised of street musicians and open mic junkies with a passion for meeting new people and playing as much good music as possible. The body and soul moving music that emanates from the folk pop, rhythm

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Craft Beer Crosscut 2.1.17: A Flight of Entry Level Craft Beers

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There’s a paradigm shift in the beer world. After work on Friday, the average beer mom or dad is buying fewer six-packs of Miller at Safeway. Instead, they’ll cruise by places like Peaks and Pints for a quick pint, grab a 64-ounce growler to go, and then cruise home and rejoin the family for dinner. That said, there’s still a large portion of the population that doesn’t get craft beer. The most common deterrent is the illusion that all craft beers are hop bombs served by beer snobs. Oh contraire. For our daily beer sample flight friendly Peaks and Pints

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TUESDAY PREFUNK: Trappist craft beer before The Brand New Testament

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TUESDAY, JAN. 31 2017: And it was good … The Grand Cinema + Peaks and Pints = Heavenly CLEVER SPIRITUAL COMEDY Cheerily sacrilegious, the inventive comic fantasy The Brand New Testament by Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael is narrated by a 10-year-old girl in Brussels (Pili Groyne) who’s neglected by her drunken mother (Yolande Moreau) and beaten by her frustrated father (Benoît Poelvoorde). Imagining him as God and herself as Jesus’s kid sister, she vows revenge and hits the streets to recruit a homeless man as her Peter and various other lost souls as her disciples. Catch this wackiness at

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Craft Beer Crosscut 1.31.17: A Flight of Chinook Hops

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Meet the American roughneck, Chinook. This hop is usually used for its bitterness but has lately gained popularity for the aromatics it imparts in many American craft beers across the style spectrum. The Chinook hop is a cross between the Petham Golding and USDA-selected male (#63012, if you want to be specific), and was first released from the breeding program in 1985. Primarily grown in the Yakima region of Washington state, this hop is primarily used for its high alpha acid content as a bittering hop. These days, however, late additions and even dry-hopping with Chinook is becoming more popular.

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MONDAY PREFUNK: Fantastic Beasts and blind beer tasting

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MONDAY, JAN. 30 2017: Blue Mouse Theatre + Peaks and Pints = Flight The Power MORE WIZARDS J.K. Rowling will always be aces in Peaks and Pints’ book. Got an entire generation interested in reading. Gave away so much of her money that she no longer qualifies as a billionaire. So yeah, she can milk the wizarding crap for the rest of her life as far as we’re concerned. Warner Bros. seems to agree, having allowed Rowling for the first time to adapt her own work in the form of Fantastic Beasts, a story that predates Harry Potter’s by some

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