Mashing-In News: Four Generals salute, Hopsource returns
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Wednesday, August 5, 2025 — Ginger Spice turns 53 today!
Today’s craft beer dispatch spans the globe and the gut: from decoction lagers and haunted cells in Renton to a resurrected Cardiff pub mired in handpump controversy; from Portland throwbacks and Ballard goodbyes to WSU’s inclusive brewing future and Yakima’s hop-forward trials—sip in the stories shaping beer’s past, present, and pint-sized possibilities.
Lagers, Ghosts & Pink Boots: Meet Four Generals
The Grit & Grain Podcast records at 3:30 p.m. today, cracking open the story of Four Generals Brewing with sales dynamo and Pink Boots champ Ali Himmel Smith—where haunted jail cells meet decoction-mashed lagers and Renton’s historic city hall pours a fresh pint of community. (Grit & Grain Podcast)
Ballard Says Goodbye to Bickersons, But Renton Still Pours On
Bickersons Brewhouse will close its Ballard brewery and taproom on August 29, citing co-owner Shaunn’s advanced cancer diagnosis, while the Renton location will remain open and the Ballard site is now for sale as a turnkey opportunity. (Washington Beer Blog)
Widmer Brings Back Sommerbräu for 40th Anniversary
Widmer Brothers Brewing continues its “40 Years of Cheers” anniversary series with the return of Sommerbräu, a crisp, Kölsch-style ale last seen in 2014, now pouring exclusively on draft around Portland to toast summer and the brewery’s legacy in shaping the city’s craft beer scene. (Brewpublic)
Hopsource Returns to Yakima for 2025 Hop Trials
The Brewers Association’s annual Hopsource sensory event returns to Yakima September 23–25, 2025, inviting brewers to evaluate up to 30 experimental hop varieties from the USDA Public Hop Breeding Program and help shape the future of publicly funded hops. (Brewers Association)
Beer for All: WSU’s New Certificate Program Lowers the Barriers
Washington State University Tri-Cities will launch a hybrid Brewing Certificate program in September 2025, combining flexible online modules with immersive in-person brewing camps, industry partnerships, and a new scholarship fund honoring Rose Ann Finkel to support diversity and accessibility in the craft beer industry. (Tri-City Herald)
Beyond the Stein: Munich’s Other Beer Wonderland
Munich’s beer scene extends far beyond Oktoberfest, with a dazzling array of historic beer halls, sprawling gardens, hidden taverns, and modern craft outposts that together form a world-class beer lover’s paradise—best explored pint by pint and neighborhood by neighborhood. (A Tempest In A Tankard)
The Vulcan Rises: A Cardiff Pub Reborn in Brick and Memory
Once a beloved Cardiff city pub saved from demolition, the Vulcan Hotel has been meticulously rebuilt at St Fagans Museum as a living time capsule of 1915—but while its Edwardian charm and tiled facade stir nostalgia, debate over its handpumped keg beer raises complex questions about authenticity, memory, and the evolving identity of the British pub. (Pellicle Magazine)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
