
Mashing-In News: Thru the Sightglass, Montavilla Brew Works Turns 10
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 — Kevin Bacon turns 67 today!
Thru the Sightglass: A Year of Beer, Spirit, and Story
In Episode 151 of the Grit & Grain Podcast, Austin and Julie of Thru the Sightglass roll back into Tacoma like vinyl prophets after a yearlong pilgrimage across the map of American fermentation. We’re talking creaky backroads and chrome tap handles. Brett-splashed basements and spontaneous fermentations under desert moons. They brought stories—mythic ones—and beers too, gleaned from Colorado cathedrals and Georgia hideaways, from dusty Nebraska gems to fermented fever dreams in Maine. (Grit & Grain Podcast)
Keep On Truckin’: Montavilla Brew Works Turns 10 Without Selling Out
Against all odds—and without food, kids, liquor, or hype—Montavilla Brew Works has thrived for 10 years as a 10-barrel, draft-focused, Grateful Dead–loving, cask-beer–pouring neighborhood stalwart in a converted Portland garage, staying fiercely independent and true to its old-school ethos while the city’s beer scene swirled through booms, busts, and pandemics around it. (The New School)
Washington Brewers Unite to Defend Public Lands
From trail to taproom, 82 Washington breweries, hop growers, maltsters, and distributors—from Port Angeles to Toppenish—have united in a powerful letter coordinated by Washington Wild, urging Congress to protect the public lands that nourish their water, fuel their hops, and inspire the very spirit of our state’s craft beer culture. (Washington Wild)
Washington’s Largest Craft Breweries See Mixed Results in 2024
Despite national headwinds and shifting drinking habits, Washington’s craft beer scene saw mixed fortunes in 2024, with heavyweights like Silver City and Mac & Jack’s posting double-digit sales declines, even as standouts like Icicle Brewing (+28%) and Georgetown surged ahead—proof that while the industry’s froth may be thinning, innovation and local loyalty still pour strong. (Axios)
Stella Artois Drops New Ad With Beckham, Damon, and 50 State Chalices
Stella Artois has released a hilarious new installment of its “David and Dave” campaign—starring David Beckham and Matt Damon as long-lost twins—featuring a state-themed chalice-collecting quest, with proceeds from the limited-edition “Fifty States of Stella” capsule benefiting Water.org’s mission to provide global access to safe water. (American Craft Beer)
Terpenes Take Over: How Abstrax Is Rewriting the Rules of Brewing
Faced with rising costs, flavor drift, and production inefficiencies, today’s brewers are turning to terpene science and advanced hop products—like those from Abstrax—to streamline operations, enhance consistency, and unlock bold, next-gen flavors across IPAs, hop waters, and fruit-forward brews, all while saving time, money, and resources. (Craft Beer & Brewing)
Vancouver Island’s Largest Craft Beer Fest Hits Chemainus August 16
The largest craft beer festival on Vancouver Island returns August 16 as the Cowichan Craft Beer & Food Festival transforms Chemainus’ Doc Lewis Park into a delicious celebration of 100+ beers, live music, island eats, and community spirit—with proceeds supporting local business and VIP tickets benefiting the Canucks Autism Network. (Victoria Buzz)
Sleep, Sip, Repeat: Garage Beer Unveils Bed With Built-In Tap
Garage Beer—co-owned by NFL brothers Jason and Travis Kelce—is giving away the BeerBed, a one-of-a-kind queen-size bed with a built-in beer tap in the headboard, Casper mattress, and kegerator, as part of their latest absurd-yet-brilliant marketing stunt running July 1–15, proving once again that while they only brew light beer, their ideas are anything but. (Craft Brewing Business)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory