Mashing-In News: Grit & Grain Waxes Fresh Hops, Netflix House of Guinness
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 — Robert Plant turns 77 today!
From fresh hops to pirate bars, today’s craft beer report spans harvest previews, new brewery expansions, star-chef pairings at GABF, global inclusivity efforts, and even Disney’s first-ever rum-soaked tavern.
Grit & Grain Podcast Breaks Down This Year’s Fresh Hop Harvest
Grit & Grain Podcast Episode 157 previews the 2025 fresh hop harvest with a deep dive into shifting Yakima and Willamette crops, later-than-usual release timing, and the breweries and festivals poised to define this year’s lupulin rush at 3:30 p.m. inside Peaks & Pints Events Room. (Grit & Grain Podcast)
Migration Brewing Expands With Three-Story Taproom and Rooftop in Milwaukie
Migration Brewing will anchor the new 1847 Food Park in downtown Milwaukie this fall, opening a three-story beer hub with 32 taps, a rooftop deck, and even a speakeasy called Six Feet Under, alongside up to 17 food carts, community spaces, and sweeping Willamette River views. (The New School)
Netflix Unveils Sweeping Period Drama House of Guinness
Steven Knight’s new drama House of Guinness, premiering Sept. 25, follows the rise of Dublin’s powerful Guinness family in the 1860s as four ambitious siblings inherit the world’s biggest brewery and struggle to protect — and expand — their empire of “black gold.” (Netflix)
James Beard Winners, Michelin Stars Highlight GABF’s PAIRED Experience
The Great American Beer Festival’s PAIRED experience (Oct. 9–10 in Denver) will showcase an all-star lineup of chefs—including multiple James Beard winners, Michelin-starred restaurateurs, and nationally recognized culinary innovators—alongside craft beer, with the event also debuting a new zero-proof Mocktail Bar. (Great American Beer Festival)
Prepared Cocktails Fuel Growth Amid Sluggish Beer and Wine
The 3 Tier Beverages Q2 2025 report shows that while beer and wine sales kept sliding, spirits picked up 2.4% in volume—driven largely by prepared cocktails (+15%)—and wine-based cocktails surged, while non-alcoholic beverages also rose 3.1% year over year, led by energy drinks, sparkling water, and super-premium NA beer. (Nombase)
800 Women, 66 Beers, One Mission—Change the Face of Beer
Rachel Auty and Women On Tap are building a more inclusive beer industry through activism, education, and global collaboration—most recently reviving and leading International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day, which united 800 women and non-binary brewers worldwide to create 66 beers, raise nearly £27,000 for women’s causes, and spark lasting change in beer culture. (Brewers Journal)
Beer Mats: From Pub Tables to Cultural Time Capsules
Beer mats—once overlooked coasters—emerge as silent storytellers of pub life and design history, tracing condensation, branding, sustainability, and even social memory, from their industrial pulp origins to their role as nostalgic collectibles and cultural artifacts. (Pellicle Magazine)
Raise a Mug, Matey: Disney’s First Pirate Bar Opens Aug. 29
Disney’s Magic Kingdom will debut its first-ever Pirates of the Caribbean–themed bar, The Beak and Barrel, on August 29, 2025. Announced in 2024 as a “rambunctious watering hole” for pirates and buccaneers, the new Adventureland venue will feature two immersive spaces: The Mess, a candlelit mess hall with communal tables and a hanging anchor centerpiece, and The Captain’s Quarters, styled as the scorched and slashed residence of a Spanish comandante. (WDW News Today)
Space Cadet Brewing Takes Philly Craft Beer to Orbit
Space Cadet Brewing Company, founded by longtime Philadelphia brewer Richie Tevlin, is a fast-growing contract brewery focused on rotating low-ABV, hop-forward beers, packaged with comic-style astronaut branding. The company has already doubled its production in 10 months and is eyeing both investors and a future Philadelphia taproom. (Breweries In Pennsylvania)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
