Mashing-In News: Rails & Ales, CiderCon 2026
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026 — Sheryl Crow turns 64 today!
Today’s craft beer news pours across community milestones, industry shifts, cultural festivals, and new releases.
Rails & Ales Brings Snow and Suds to Wenatchee
Rails & Ales returns to downtown Wenatchee on March 7, transforming city streets into a snow-covered rail jam and winter festival with skiing, live music, zero-waste initiatives, and local craft beer gardens featuring Pinnacle Beerworks, Hellbent Brewing, and Timberline Brewing. (Washington Beer Blog)
CiderCon 2026 Signals Growth — and Growing Pains
American Cider Association leaders opened CiderCon 2026 highlighting modest growth for cider alongside rising costs and shifting consumer behavior, urging stronger collaboration, clearer organizational focus, and better consumer education as the industry moves into its next phase. (Brewers Magazine)
Portland’s Fuyu Fest Celebrates Sake Through Art and Community
Fuyu Fest returns February 22, 2026 as Sunflower Sake’s immersive winter festival blending curated sake tastings, live music pairings, visiting Japanese artists and brewers, cultural workshops, and community-focused programming centered on education, craft, and cultural exchange in Portland. (Brewpublic)
Neomexicanus: The Wild Hop Rewriting Terroir
Terroir Tuesday Week 11 explores neomexicanus, the only truly wild North American hop lineage, showing how its desert origins, unique chemistry, and adaptability across regions like Yakima and Oregon reveal terroir as an active force shaping modern hop flavor and future brewing innovation. (Shan Ferments)
Sustainable Packaging Becomes a Core Strategy for Brewers
Breweries are increasingly turning to sustainable print and packaging practices—from recycled materials and low-impact inks to smarter planning and short-run printing—to reduce environmental impact, meet consumer expectations, stay ahead of regulations, and build stronger long-term brands. (Brewers Journal)
From Barback to Brewer: Brian Dickson’s Craft Beer Journey
Northern Monk co-founder Brian Dickson reflects on his unconventional path from music student and pub worker to award-winning brewer, tracing a journey shaped by collaboration, curiosity, early craft beer culture, and the challenges of building one of the UK’s most respected breweries. (Brewers Journal)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
