Mashing-In News: Beer Fest Fever, Baerlic Turns 11
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Friday, June 27, 2025 — Tobey Maguire turns 50 today!
Grit & Grain Beer Fest Fever
The Washington Brewers Festival and Firestone Walker Invitational have come and gone, and the Grit & Grain crew was lucky enough to be on the ground for both. In Episode 150, they’re recapping the magic—their favorite beers, favorite moments, and the unforgettable folks who made both festivals shine. Don’t miss their Instagram highlight videos from the Washington Brewers Festival, where they chatted with amazing brewers and reconnected with some familiar podcast faces. (Grit & Grain)
Baerlic Brewing Turns 11
Baerlic Brewing celebrates its 11th anniversary this Saturday, June 28, at their original SE 11th Avenue location in Portland—marking over a decade since founders Rik Hall and Ben Parsons transformed a former bagel shop into a beloved, self-distributing brewery with three citywide locations, pandemic-era pivots like the Super Secret Beer Garden and Beer PieHall, and a loyal fanbase clad in cutoff denim. (The New School)
High Flying Beer Garden Opens Saturday
On Saturday, June 28, Chuckanut Brewery at the Port of Skagit will host the High Flying Beer Garden from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., offering prime views of the Skagit Skies Fly In with extended hours, world-class beer, wood-fired pizza, an Alfa Romeo car show, and all-ages entertainment as planes and parachuters soar overhead. The celebration kicks off early on Friday, June 27, with the Children’s Museum’s Pre-Flight Bite Fundraiser from 5–7 p.m. on the tarmac, featuring local beer, bites, and a preview of the weekend’s aerial performers—all to support a new aviation exhibit. (The Northwest Beer Guide)
2025 NW Cider Cup Awards Winners Announced
The Northwest Cider Association announced the winners of the 2025 Northwest Cider Cup at a June 26 ceremony at Holocene in Portland, celebrating top ciders from across the Pacific Northwest in one of North America’s most rigorous cider competitions. Washington’s Empyrical Cider took home both Small Cidery of the Year and Best of Show honors for its high-tannin perry, while Bauman’s Cider, 2 Towns, and newcomer Olympic Bluffs Cidery were among the standout winners from a field of 231 entries. (The New School)
What Does It Mean To Be Local?
Speaking of beer podcasts, Drink Beer, Think Beer with John Holl recorded a second podcast at Wheatland Spring Farm and Brewery in Virginia that continues the conversation on what it truly means to be local—and the small, intentional choices businesses make to cultivate an authentic sense of self in their communities, featuring insights from John Branding, Rob Rubba of Oyster Oyster (Washington, DC), Christian Gregory of Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, and Sarah Searle of Quartzwood Farm Winery. (All About Beer)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
