Peaks & Pints bartenders Amber and Bethany are calling the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs games at peaksandpints.com. 6-Pack of Things To Do: Tuesday April 13 2021 Ah, sunshine. It’s refreshing as a banana split in hell, cloudless as a forest nymph’s dream of spring. This week’s sunshine will make you look around the city and sigh in a swooning, maybe-the-world-isn’t-as-miserable-as-I-thought kind of stunned bliss. Here is today’s 6-Pack of Things To Do. Enjoy! TOURNAMENT OF BEER: Lo and behold, today marks the closing of the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs First Round. After
Lagers have seen a resurgence of late. Almost every brewery makes at least one, from the American light lagers modeled on Bud, Miller and Coors, to the ever-present pilsner, to more interesting varieties like dunkels, dopplebocks and marzens. This wasn’t the case five years ago, however, for several reasons. For starters, since lagers typically take at least a month to ferment, as opposed to two weeks for ales, most quickly growing breweries focused instead on keeping their taprooms full of the more popular hoppy ales. Lagers can also be finicky if a brewery lacks specialized equipment, and they remind some
Peaks & Pints bartenders Amber and Bethany team up again to bring you Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs action. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 13 AMBER: Lo and behold, today marks the closing of the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs First Round. After today’s battles the bracket will be officially down to only 32 Northwest brewed double IPAs, and the competitions are becoming fiercer by the hop addition. Honestly, if it gets any more exciting we’ll start to understand why Dick Vitale is always yelling. Plus, we’ll be really
The relationship between limes and lemons is more complex than meets the eye. They belong to the same family, but the smaller lime is actually a predecessor of the lemon, and stems from a different continent, where the lemon can’t grow. Lemons, scientifically known as Citrus limon, originate from limes, Citrus aurantifolia. They were originally developed as a two-step hybrid, first between the lime and the citron in India and Pakistan, and the second (lime with pummelo) in the Middle East. They were introduced to Europe by Arabs in Moorish Spain in the year 400, before being introduced to Northern
Peaks & Pints bartenders Bethany, left, and Amber discuss today’s four games in the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 12 AMBER: Double IPA brewing isn’t rocket science. Combine water, grains, hops and yeast and enjoy. But hidden within those four elements is a complexity that defies the short ingredients list. Making a double IPA is garage play; making a great double IPA is another thing entirely. Opening a discussion on which Pacific Northwest breweries are making delicious double Ipas serves as our mission for the
Instagram Outsider: National beer Day, Mullet Party, Patti Gonia From Dead Guy trail rules to Pattie Gonia trail rules, from Mullet Party to National Beer Day, Peaks and Pints Instagram Outsider returns today with a photo essay of Instagram posts from the past week. Be sure to keep tagging us @peaksandpints for your chance to be featured on Peaks and Pints Instagram Outsider. And, please, wash your damn hands; wear your damn mask. Until we meet back here again next week, enjoy Instagram Outsider: National beer Day, Mullet Party, Patti Gonia. View this post on Instagram A post
Dry Fly Distilling is a Spokane-based, award-winning, small batch craft distillery that is a true farm to bottle operation. When Dry Fly’s vice-president of sales and marketing, Terry Nichols, reached out to Ecliptic Brewing owner and brewmaster, John Harris, about Dry Fly’s “Cask and Release” project where they send freshly dumped whiskey barrels to a brewery for a barrel-aged beer, then the brewery sends the barrels back for Dry Fly to refill with whiskey. Harris gave the thumbs up. “Our Magnetar Scotch Ale was the perfect base beer for these barrels,” says John Harris in a news release. “It’s a
Peaks & Pints bartenders Sarah Jane, left, and Erin check out the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs big board. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 10 SARAH JANE: Beginning April 14, we’ll cut the field of 64 Northwest brewed double IPAs to 32. April 20, it’ll drop to the sweet 16. Two days later, the Great Eight, then the Final Four and April 24 we’ll announced the winner of Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs — picked by you, of course, through online voting. Because of COVID, we’re
6-Pack of Things To Do: Saturday April 10 2021 Ever wonder if that old book in your attic is worth something or just a 1950s copy of a valuable book? Us too. Now onto today’s 6-Pack of Things To Do. Cheers! MARKET DAY: For the first time since 2019, April feels full of hope — and fresh produce. Unlike last year, at the start of the pandemic, the Proctor Farmers Market opened on time and it was a beautiful thing. The overall energy of the place buzzed with spring fever. The Market returns today, like it will every Saturday until
It’s National Cinnamon Crescent Day. Weird, right? How is this baked good not celebrated in the fall? The crescent-shaped dough is filled with sugar, cinnamon, and butter then rolled, shaped, and baked to a golden-brown deliciousness. Jerry Seinfeld puts it perfectly in the Seinfeld episode “The Dinner Party.” He says, “People love cinnamon. It should be on tables at restaurants along with salt and pepper. Anytime anyone says, ‘Oh, this is so good. What’s in it?’ the answer invariably comes back: cinnamon. Cinnamon. Again and again.” Peaks & Pints celebrates National Cinnamon Crescent Day the only way we know how —
Peaks and Pints New Beers in Stock 4.9.21 New beer is here and the Peaks & Pints cooler is packed to the brim with must have brews! Peaks and Pints New Beers in Stock 4.9.21 has the latest from Alesong, Mirage, Stoup, Twin Sisters, and Wayfinder. Cheers! Alesong Brewing & Blending Mocha Rhino Suit: A blend of imperial stouts aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels and finished on hand-selected and freshly roasted Nicaraguan coffee and Honduran cocoa nibs from the local artisans at Coffee Plant Roasters and Chocolate Alchemy for notes of vanilla and coconut marrying with flavors of dark
Dogs have been associated with breweries for centuries. Many a brewer has stood watch over a mash tun with a faithful canine companion, although not in Pierce County as the Health Department states reusable glassware and food don’t pair well with canines. Dogs are also a familiar sight on beer labels. Lagunitas Brewing Co. has a dog for its logo, a pit bull inspired by Petey from The Little Rascals. Taking it a step further, it could be said dogs are the animal equivalent of beer-drinkers: happy, loyal with general joie de vivre that makes you want to hang out
Peaks & Pints bartenders Shayne and Nicole discuss the high noise level during the Gigantic Ginormous vs. Little Beast Dear Giant game. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 9 NICOLE: Welcome to Day Six of Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs. I’m Peaks bartender Nicole, and four years ago we challenged 64 Washington state IPAs to enter tournament-style brewing combat, hop versus hop, with Rainy Daze Goat Boater crown best IPA. The next year, porters took center-stage in our quest for brewing badassery, with Wingman Brewers’ P-51 Porter reigning
Remember being hit with the heady aroma of summer at its peak — rows of crimson nectarines and deep-purple plums bursting through the South Sound farmers’ markets with vibrant urgency? Spilling onto our foodscape, golden peaches and tender apricots reigned over the region’s summer menus, adding texture to whisper-thin flatbreads and savory chutneys. That’s the power and grace of stone fruits — nectarines, cherries, mangoes, apricots, peaches and plums. These fruits contain large hard seeds, or stones. Craft beer made with stone fruits is particularly popular with brewers both traditional and innovative, and sipping on a stone fruit brew is
Peaks & Pints bartenders Bethany, left, and Sarah Jane are all fired up over the Structures vs. Skookum game result. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 8 BETHANY: The double India pale ale (IPA) is also called an imperial IPA. The style is an American creation, evolving from hop lovers’ quest for a robust and aggressive bitterness and strength. The double IPA is most often deep golden to reddish amber in color, with medium- to full-bodied mouthfeel. It’s known for a strong hop profile that features resiny, piney and/or citrus tones depending
6-Pack of Things To Do: April 7 2021 First, everyone needs to check off a couple items. Number one: Check out yesterday’s Tournament of Beer winners here. Number two: Vote on the eight Northwest double IPAs battling it out today — also here. Number three: Check out today’s 6-Pack of Things To Do. Cheers! TOUR: Take a virtual guided tour along Downtown Tacoma’s historic waterfront and learn about locations and individuals that have had a significant impact in our city. Led by Patty Peterson, director of the Tacoma Waterfront Association, the 1.6-mile walk, will be available on the free GeoTourist
We’ve been having a dry April so far here in the South Sound, and by the power of optimism, it can only go up from here! But before you break out the beachwear, it looks like afternoon rain today. Spring showers brings spring beer, or something. That’s probably not the popular adage, but in works at Peaks & Pints. After all, climate change has made wacky weather even more pronounced, so breweries find it difficult to create the right beer for the season, since the “season” in April can mean refreshing lagers on the patio one day (yesterday) and thick,
Peaks & Pints bartenders Sarah Jane and Nicole Allen discuss the Great Notion vs. Culmination close game. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 7 NICOLE ALLEN: Let’s see, your boss is on spring break with the family, meaning there’s no need to actually show up on time to work after Hump Day, meaning the party train should continue to chug at Peaks & Pints. Reserve your table on the Open Table app. We’re opening to 10 p.m. on weekdays now. Everybody all aboard! SARAH JANE: Hold on Missy! First, everyone needs to
6-Pack of Things To Do: Tuesday April 6 2021 Side effects of today’s 6-Pack of Things To Do: Random bouts of deep sighing/relief coupled to spurts of awkward elation feeding into an urge to hug teachers and botanists and animators and karaoke hosts. Also, brewers. TOURNAMENT OF BEER: What constitutes a great double IPA? Who brews the best in the Pacific Northwest? Everyone seems to have his or her own favorite, and everyone’s an expert. Throughout the month of February Peaks & Pints polled the public asking what are the top 64 double IPAs brewed in Washington and Oregon. You
Today, April 6, is the day we all celebrate New Beers Eve. This is a real thing. New Beer’s Eve was the night before the first alcoholic beer became legally available after 13 years of prohibition. From 1920 to 1933, no alcoholic beverages were legal in the United States. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had barely been president for a month when he and a new anti-prohibition majority in Congress known as “The Wets” brought back beer. The Cullen-Harrison Act increased allowable alcohol in beer from 0.5% to 3.2%. Prohibition would be completely reversed later that year with ratification of the 21st
Peaks & Pints bartenders amber Hamilton, left, and Bethany Carlsen discuss today’s Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs action. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 6 AMBER HAMILTON: What constitutes a great double IPA? Who brews the best in the Pacific Northwest? Everyone seems to have his or her own favorite, and everyone’s an expert. Throughout the month of February Peaks & Pints polled the public asking what are the top 64 double IPAs brewed in Washington and Oregon? You chimed in. Friday, April 2, we launched the Tournament of Beer: NW
Peaks & Pints bartenders Amy Kirk, left, and Bethany Carlsen are calling today’s Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs action. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 5 AMY KIRK: Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the 2021 Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs from the historic Proctor District in beautiful Tacoma, Washington. I’m Peaks & Pints bartender Amy Kirk and whaddaya know? It’s April 5 and dagnabit if all that “Madness” isn’t still in the air! What’s one to do with all that pent up madness? It can make
Monday Cider Flight And A Movie: 2021 Oscar Shorts The Best Documentary Short Film Oscar nominees are often among the standouts of the Academy Awards selections. Taken as a collection, this year’s nominees explore the intersection of identity and memory, with its subjects wrestling with the now through the lens of the then in search of a better tomorrow. The stories they platform are important, and several shorts are sure to be conversation-starters within the communities they impact. The Grand Cinema streams the 2021 Oscar Shorts – Documentary nominee package in their Virtual Screening Room. Stop by Peaks and Pints
Peaks and Pints: Hair of the Dog Green Dot and Oyster Dome Hair of the Dog Brewing Green Dot was nominated as a seventh seed in the Northern Oregon Region of the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs, which runs now through April 24, 2021. Green Dot faces off with StormBreaker’s Triple Double April 12. In the meantime, Peaks & Pints grabbed the Green Dot and climbed Oyster Dome on National Oysters On The Half Shell Day. Hops: Hair of the Dog Green Dot People have been making pilgrimages to Portland, Oregon for Alan Sprints’ beer since
Instagram Outsider: Ballpark Beer, Easter Beer, Beer Promotions From beer at the ballparks to beer in Easter baskets, from Pink Boots to promotions, Peaks and Pints Instagram Outsider returns today with a photo essay of Instagram posts from the past week. Be sure to keep tagging us @peaksandpints for your chance to be featured on Peaks and Pints Instagram Outsider. And, please, wash your damn hands; wear your damn mask. Until we meet back here again next week, enjoy Instagram Outsider: Ballpark Beer, Easter Beer, Beer Promotions. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Craft Beer•Cocktails•Wine
We’re grown up now, so Easter is no longer about hunting for eggs — unless they’re perfectly scrambled, done over easy, or sitting elegantly atop the two halves of an English muffin. Yes, Easter has usurped the giant chocolate bunnies, Easter baskets, and that impossible-to-vacuum-up plastic grass. Cadbury Eggs? We know some people love these things, but people love fried pork rinds, too. Let’s face it — no one really likes Peeps. Their sole purpose for existing is to entertain us by having duels in the microwave, complete with toothpick swords. Easter, at least to Peaks and Pints, is about
Peaks and Pints New Beers in Stock 4.3.21 Peaks and Pints New Beers in Stock 4.3.21 offers more options for Final Four and Easter companions. … Laurelwood Megafauna Imperial IPA: Nominated into the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs, this scarce, 140 IBU, old school double IPA offers layers of pine, citrus and tropical fruit, 9.5% Monkless Belgian Ales Capitulation: Monkless dry hopped their Belgian tripel The Trinity to add a blast of flowery, citrusy hop aroma, 8.1 Monkless The Trinity: Belgian-style tripel with husky grainy malt, clove, lemon, mild light stone fruit with a medium body,
Peaks and Pints bartenders Justin Johnson, left, and Shayne Aragon discuss the Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs opening day results. Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 3 JUSTIN JOHNSON: Yo, yo, yo! Welcome to Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 3 from the historic Proctor District in beautiful Tacoma, Washington. I’m Peaks & Pints bartender Justin Johnson. With me is Peaks’ bartender Shayne Aragon. SHAYNE ARAGON: Whad up everybody! JOHNSON: Sixty-four Washington and Oregon double IPAs were picked by the public for the Tournament of Beer, which
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales was started by Full Sail founding brewer and yeast master Dave Logsdon who has a special affinity for traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ales. When he launched the Hood River, Oregon brewery, he planted an orchard on the property with Belgium-imported Schaerbeekse trees. These trees grow the sour cherries necessary to craft authentic kriek beers. Dave Logsdon has since retired from full-time day-to-day operations, with John Plutshack and his wife Jodie Ayura managing brewery operations with Head Brewer Shilpi Halemane and Assistant Brewer Mark Pearson running the beer side. Logsdon has more big changes on the horizon, including collaboration
Peaks and Pints New Beers In Stock 4.2.21 Peaks and Pints New Beers In Stock 4.2.21 has new cans for your weekend! Matchless Brewing Australia Vs Hazy IPA: Brewed with Australian grown hops Galaxy, Vic Secret, and Topaz on a base of Pilsner, pale wheat, and Carafoam malts with flaked wheat for a medium bodied IPA with notes of pineapple, honeydew, and cantaloupe melons with a hint of strawberry, 6.8% Matchless New Zealand Vs Hazy IPA: Brewed with the exact same malt bill and recipe as Australia Vs but featuring New Zealand grown hops Nelson Sauvin, Waimea, and Rakau for notes of fresh lime citrus zest,
6-Pack of Things To Do: Friday April 2 2021 The 6-Pack of Things To Do is back after getting lost in the woods for a few days. We’re refreshed and ready for three weeks of Tournament of Beer action! Let’s get ready to see double! TOURNAMENT OF BEER: Over the next three weeks, Peaks and Pints pits 64 of Pacific Northwest’s best in a head-to-head battle of double IPAs. This is a tournament, folks, not a playoff. Each match is do or die — one misstep and you’re out of the dance. Added too much Caramel malt, missed your clean
Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs April 2 ERIN MILLER: Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the 2021 Peaks and Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs from the historic Proctor District in beautiful Tacoma, Washington. I’m Peaks & Pints bartender Erin Miller and I’m thrilled we’re hosting another Tournament of Beer. Now in its fifth year, this year’s Peaks & Pints bracketed beer competition pits 64 Washington and Oregon double IPAs against one another in frothy head-to-head matchups voted on by craft beer enthusiasts. Joining me is another OG Peaks bartender, Nicole Allen. NICOLE
In the early ’90s, Dusty Trail converted the historic Engine House No. 9 bar into a brewpub at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Pine Street, officially becoming the first microbrewery in Tacoma. Dick Dickens grabbed the Engine House reins in 2002, bringing in head brewer Doug Tiede. Heads turned and medals were hung. In 2011, The X Group added the Engine House to their local restaurant empire, with Shane Johns and Donovan Stewart running the kettles and hanging even more medals, mostly for their sours and saisons. Two years ago, they separated the brewery from the restaurant and opened
Peaks and Pints New Beers in Stock 4.1.21 Peaks and Pints New Beers in Stock 4.1.21 has treasures for your Opening Day Baseball, March Madness, and Easter weekend. Cheers! Black Raven Brewing Tropical Trickster: Brewed with slightly less bitterness to let the tropical flavors of pineapple and mango juice stay bright and sunny, 6.9% Breakside Brewery Macchiato Stout: Coffee milk stout collaboration with Beachwood Brewing with notes of caramel macchiato, bittersweet chocolate, and molasses, 7.9% Chuckanut Brewery Doppelbock: Rich malty lager aged more than 9 weeks and usually up to 3 months for notes of chocolate, toffee, and dried stone
Since Greg Koch and Steve Wagner founded it in 1996, Stone Brewing Co. has been producing an ever-expanding line up of well-crafted and often in-your-face beers and interesting collaborations. Stone’s gargoyle mascot watches over each of these beers, attempting to draw in their ideal consumer and to scare off the Keystone-swilling undergrad that stumbled into the display. Don’t let them intimidate you. Known for their bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing. The Brewers Association just
Peaks and Pints: GoodLife Comatose and Artists Point Trail GoodLife Brewing Comatose Imperial IPA was nominated as a fourth seed in the Southern Oregon Region of the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs, which will begin April 2, 2021. Since we’re not touring breweries to preview the tournament this year, we enjoyed the Peaks and Pints: GoodLife Comatose and Artists Point Trail pairing … while wearing showshoes. Hops: GoodLife Comatose Imperial IPA Incorporated in 2009 as Noble Brewing Co., Brewmaster Curt Plants, Ty Barnett and Pratt Rather signed a lease in 2010 for the space it now
Before Coca-Cola found its way down the gullets and onto the palates of Americans in 1886, hard apple cider, another effervescent drink, had been one of the most popular drinks on the East Coast. In fact, hard cider had been the preferred alcoholic beverage, even touted by our founding fathers. In 1895, on the west Coast, between Salem and Portland, Bauman Farms was first homesteaded by Elizabeth Bauman and her teenage sons, Stephen and Leo. Stephen eventually married at the cider apples on their Gervais, Oregon, farm, with the barrels in their barn fermenting the goods into hard cider. When
Instagram Outsider: National Puppy Day, Boulder Strong, Foaming Porters From all the puppies to mountain shots, from snowboarding ironing to foamy porters, Peaks and Pints Instagram Outsider returns today with a photo essay of Instagram posts from the past week. Be sure to keep tagging us @peaksandpints for your chance to be featured on Peaks and Pints Instagram Outsider. And, please, wash your damn hands; wear your damn mask. Until we meet back here again next week, enjoy Instagram Outsider: National Puppy Day, Boulder Strong, Foaming Porters. (Photo of Kimberly Johnson of Final Draft Taphouse courtesy of Mateo Ellis)
Peaks and Pints: Sig Terraformation and Point Defiance Park Sig Brewing Terraformation IPA series was nominated as a 14th seed in the Southern Washington Region of the Peaks & Pints Tournament of Beer: NW Double IPAs, which will begin April 2, 2021. The tournament bracket will be released soon. Since we’re not touring breweries to preview the tournament this year, we enjoyed the Peaks and Pints: Sig Terraformation and Point Defiance Park pairing. Hops: Sig Terraformation Sig Brewing just released their fourth Terraformation 1.5x hazy IPA, V4 Ur, featuring a triple dry hop of Altus cryo, Comet cryo, and Strata
By time Peaks and Pints opens today at 11 a.m., your NCAA Men’s Basketball bracket will likely be in the garbage. These are the facts of March Madness. Therefore, you should focus on something eminently achievable: drinking beer. The good news is Gonzaga will face off against Creighton in the Sweet 16 this morning. The Gonzaga Bulldogs will play in their sixth-straight Sweet 16. This is Creighton’s first Sweet 16 appearance since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Bulldogs 13.5-point favorites, but stranger things have happened. It’s not called March Madness for
6-Pack of Things To Do: Saturday March 27 2021 The Proctor Farmers Market is full on beginning today. Plus cabbage pudding! Here’s your Saturday 6-Pack of Things To Do! MARKET DAY: Spring is here, and warmer weather is on the way, which means it’s time for the Proctor Farmers Market to sweep the street every Saturday morning. The market will reopen every Saturday through Dec. 18 at its 27th Street and Proctor location next to Connect the Brick LEGO store. The Proctor Farmers Market provides locally grown produce, pasture raised meats, wild caught seafood, cheeses, eggs, fruit, flowers, plants, and
There was a time when beer was just called beer? You would order a light beer or a dark beer? Maybe ask for a sweet beer or a bitter beer. Although, during Oktoberfest, you’d order a clear, golden lager. And, before a Seahawks game, you tried something red and acidic at FX McRory’s across from the Kingdome. What the hell was that? Nice work Charles Finkel! Then, in 1977, a man named Michael Jackson (two gloves, not just one) wrote a book called The World Guide to Beer. Combining the work of earlier authors with his own experiences, Jackson pretty
6-Pack of Things To Do: Friday March 26 2021 Join Peaks & Pints as we vault headlong like a boss into the 6-Pack of Things To Do: Friday March 26 2021. Cheers! ART: Tacoma Arts Live alerts us to Imagine Van Gogh the Original Immersive Exhibition in Image Totake© featuring more than 200 of the Dutch artist’s paintings, which is making its debut in the Pacific Northwest this winter at the historic Tacoma Armory. Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron, renowned for their work at Cathédrale d’Images in Les Baux-de-Provence, France, are the artistic directors behind the creation of this unique exhibit that brings
If you created a Venn diagram representing today’s Peaks & Pints to-go beer flight, you’d have “Beer” in the first circle, “Milkshake” in the second circle, “Lassi” in the third circle, “Smoothie” in the fourth circle, and Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Soda Fountain On The Fly in the center circle. Over the last 40 years, brewers have experimented with an array of flavors, processes and ingredients. They’ve turned classic styles into comfort foods such as pastry stouts or beer slushies. A growing trend in craft beer is the beer milkshake/smoothie/lassi. These beers are often with so much fruit puree
