Mashing-In News: TNT Diner on Grit & Grain, Upcoming Beer Festivals
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Friday, Jan. 23, 2025 — Richard Dean Anderson turns 76 today!
Today’s craft beer news reads like a mashup of resilience, reinvention, and lupulin excess — from Rogue’s fractured empire and grassroots pub revivals to festival season heating up, podcast wisdom flowing, and community-first breweries proving that culture still beats commodity.
Grit & Grain Episode 174 Explores the Life and Craft of Food Writing with Kristine Sherred
Kristine Sherred joins Grit & Grain Podcast Episode 174 to trace her path from Chicago beer writing to becoming Tacoma’s leading food-and-drink reporter, sharing behind-the-scenes realities of food journalism, city identity, and the spots that have shaped her Pacific Northwest chapter. (Grit & Grain Podcast)
Rogue Ales’ Empire Falls as Assets Scatter and Pub Revivals Begin
Rogue Ales’ collapse into Chapter 7 bankruptcy has triggered a scramble for its valuable brands and pub properties, while former franchisee Floyd Holcom reopens the Astoria Pier 39 location as a community-driven pop-up and other shuttered Rogue pubs in Salem and Portland hit the market, fueling talk of a possible brand afterlife. (The News School)
7 Summits Returns: Sound2Summit’s Imperial IPA Festival Lands in Snohomish
Sound2Summit Brewery will host its eighth annual 7 Summits Imperial IPA Festival in Snohomish from February 6–8, 2026, clearing its taps for a curated lineup of big, bold, super-hopped IPAs and TIPAs from Reuben’s Brews, Vice, Trap Door, Structures, Grains of Wrath, and a rare three-way collaboration, alongside its own Everest TIPA. (Washington Beer Blog)
StormBreaker Doubles Down with Two Winter Beer Festivals in North Portland
StormBreaker Brewing will host back-to-back winter beer festivals in north Portland—St. Johns Winter Beer Festival on January 23–24 and the NoPo Winter Beer Festival on January 30–31—featuring winter beers, cocktails, mocktails, cider, food specials, and a ticket bundle perk for attendees who hit both weekends. (The New School)
Firestone Walker Invitational Returns May 30 with Global All-Star Brewery Lineup
The 2026 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival will return to Paso Robles on May 30 with 65+ elite breweries, 20+ chefs, live music, and a weekend of anniversary events, highlighted by a pFriem collaboration beer and tickets going on sale February 4. (BrewPublic)
Beer Zombies’ Chris Jacobs on Building Community Over Chasing Distribution
Chris Jacobs of Beer Zombies shares how building community-first experiences, staying flexible through rising costs, and treating the brewery as a culture-driven brand—not just a beer producer—has helped his Las Vegas operation thrive in an evolving craft beer landscape. (Brewers Magazine)
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
