Mashing-In News: Toll Bridge Brewing Opens, Pumpkin Junction
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 — Julia Roberts turns 58 today!
Today’s craft beer news is a study in contrasts — from the roasty revival of black beers and the Belgian charms of Woodinville’s newest brewery to San Diego’s beer-fueled party games and Brooklyn’s nationwide ambitions.
Toll Bridge Brewing Opens in Woodinville with Belgian Flair and Fiendishly Good Beer
Toll Bridge Brewing, a new Belgian-inspired brewery founded by longtime homebrewers Teri and Keith, has opened in Woodinville’s former Hop & Seed space, offering a “fiendishly good” lineup of Belgian-style beers, bread-infused brews, and community-focused events like Halloween parties and food truck nights. (Washington Beer Blog)
Are Black Beers Making a Comeback? Porters and Stouts Rise Again in the Pacific Northwest
Once the backbone of American craft beer, porters and stouts have all but vanished from taplists — yet a recent flurry of dark releases from Fort George, Living Haus, Occidental, and others hints that black beers, with their roasty charm and molasses glow, might just be creeping back into the light. (Beervana)
Pumpkin Junction 2025 Brings Seattle’s Ultimate Gourd Fest to The Beer Junction
Seattle’s The Beer Junction celebrates spooky season with Pumpkin Junction 2025, an all-week tap takeover (through Nov. 2) featuring pumpkin-spiced, -flavored, and -inspired beers and ciders — including a special collab with Logan Brewing, “The Man With The Golden Gourd,” plus festive pours from pFriem, Cloudburst, Sig, and more. (Washington Beer Blog)
Montavilla Brew Works Hosts “Snap to It” Food Drive to Support Portland Families Amid SNAP Threat
Montavilla Brew Works will host a “Snap to It” food drive benefit on Thursday, October 30, offering $1 off pints for guests who bring non-perishable donations, matching every pound collected to support Mainspring Community Pantry and Oregon Food Bank as Portland faces potential SNAP cuts amid the federal shutdown. (Brewpublic)
Brooklyn Brewery Partners with United States Beverage for Nationwide Sales Expansion
Brooklyn Brewery has announced a major nationwide expansion through a new partnership with United States Beverage, which will become its exclusive U.S. sales partner starting November 1, 2025 — a move designed to boost the brewery’s national presence while keeping brand ownership and production fully in-house. (Craft Brewing Business)
Steal This Beer Talks Hop Selection and “Truth” with Rhinegeist’s Cole Hackbarth and Nick Brehm
On Steal This Beer Episode 549, hosts Augie Carton and John Holl sit down with Rhinegeist Brewery’s Cole Hackbarth and Nick Brehm to talk Ohio brewing, hop selection adventures in the Pacific Northwest, and the enduring success of Rhinegeist’s flagship IPA, Truth. (Steal This Beer)
From Filler to Foundation: How Adjuncts Are Redefining Modern Brewing
Once dismissed as cheap fillers, adjuncts like oats, wheat, maize, and rye have become essential brewing tools for innovation, efficiency, and flavor — with breweries from Vocation to Shepherd Neame using high-quality cereals from Silvery Tweed to refine haze, texture, and stability in modern beers. (Brewers Journal)
Next Glass Acquires Ekos, Expanding Its Global Craft Beverage Software Ecosystem
Next Glass has acquired Ekos, the leading craft beverage supply chain management platform, uniting two major software providers under one umbrella to streamline production, sales, and B2B ordering across breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries—while pledging a two-year price freeze for all existing Ekos customers. (Next Glass)
The Great Beer Pong Championship Turns San Diego into a Craft Beer Carnival
San Diego’s Great Beer Pong Championship has evolved from a college pastime into a full-blown citywide celebration of beer, camaraderie, and competition — blending craft brews, food trucks, live music, and friendly rivalry into a uniquely local festival where beer pong becomes both sport and social ritual. (San Diego Beer News)
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