Ah, the holidays—when the beer is darker, the cider is spicier, and the collective generosity of the craft brewing world swells like a barrel-aged heart three sizes too big. All year long, breweries and cideries pour love into their communities, but something magical happens when twinkle lights go up and flannel gets thick: they band together. So when the fine folks at Douville Home Group called on 14 righteous breweries and cideries for this year’s Hoppy Holiday Food Drive, every last one said “hell yes” faster than you can say 253 with pride—especially once they heard that the Emergency Food Network would once again be the beneficent force on the receiving end.
And tonight, it all culminates at Peaks & Pints, where each participating brewery and cidery—7 Seas, Black Fleet, Camp Colvos, Cockrell, Dunagan, E9 (both Firehouse and OG), Fierce County, Gig Harbor, Incline, Narrows, North 47, Odd Otter, Sig, and Wet Coast—will have a tap pouring in righteous solidarity. You bring the non-perishable food. We’ll bring the beer. There’ll be raffles. There’ll be cheer. There’ll probably be someone in a Santa hat who’s already had three imperial stouts. And yes, you can take the spirit home with you via Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Hoppy Holiday Food Drive Beer Flight—a lovingly assembled to-go collection of what we can wrangle from these generous brewers and cider whisperers. No, we can’t cram all 14 into a single box (yet), but what’s in the cooler still packs enough holiday cheer to make a snowman blush. Cheers, Tacoma. Let’s drink for good.
Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Hoppy Holiday Food Drive Beer Flight
Black Fleet Lil B4 Noon Mocha Stout
4.8% ABV, 35 IBU, draft
In the summer of 2018, Kyle Maxwell and Caitlyn Byce opened Black Fleet Brewing, a 10,000-square-foot, two-story brewery equipped with a 10-barrel system in Tacoma’s Historic Brewery District. Their Lil B4 Noon Mocha Stout offers chocolate flavors of roasted barley intertwining with Caffé D’arte’s locally roasted “Meaning Of Life” coffee in a velvet wave of decadence. Background notes of dark cherry and honey keep this brew on the sweeter side of life.
Sig Jack & Holden’s ESB
5.1% ABV, can
Founded in spring 2020, Duncan Susag, brother Alex Susag and cousin John Samuelson opened Sig Brewing on the edge of Tacoma’s Historic Brewery District, along Tacoma Avenue South in the building formerly occupied by Duncan’s concrete design firm, Studio Make. Head brewer Jeff Stokes has been cranking out delicious craft beers, including this classic ESB brewed with all British malts — Maris otter forms the base and a hint of Caramalt and Pale Chocolate create lovely roast and texture.
7 Seas Fruited Hazy IPA
6.2% ABV, 55 IBU, can
In 2016, 7 Seas Brewing opened a new location spanning two city blocks in Tacoma’s historic Brewery District adjacent to the University of Washington campus. Housed in the Heidelberg Brewery’s former distribution warehouse, the new facility was a ten-fold increasing in brewing capacity compared to their Gig Harbor location. Brewed with blood orange and passionfruit, this fresh and juicy hazy IPA offers tropical fruit and ripe citrus notes.
Narrows Griswold Hazy IPA
6.8% ABV, 45 IBU, can
Founded in July 2013 by a group of friends, Narrows Brewing Co. is a 15-barrel brewhouse built on wood pilings next to Narrows Marina above the Narrows waterway with a glorious view of the Narrow Bridge and active waterfront. Peaks and Pints asks you to skip the view for one day and drink Narrows’ holiday beer, Griswold Hazy IPA, brewed with 2-Row and malted wheat. The Tacoma brewery double dry hopped it with Citra and a touch of Strata at six pounds per barrel resulting in an aroma of orange, strawberry, and a little coconut for the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f—ing Kaye.
Wet Coast Fixed the Newel Post
8.5% ABV, 70 IBU
The imperial red ale style (sometimes called a double red ale) is medium- to full-bodied and known for strong hop bitterness, aroma, and flavor. While the hoppiness can be intense, the bitterness and underlying malty tones blend with the alcoholic strength of the beer to lend a spicy complexity to the flavor profile. Wet Coast Brewing brews this imperial red ale with Caramel and Crystal Rye malts for sticky-red-sweetness with enough hops for resinous pine and juicy citrus flavors and aromas.
E9 Sekiu 2022
In the early ’90s, Dusty Trail converted the historic Engine House No. 9 bar into a brewpub at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Pine Street, officially becoming the first microbrewery in Tacoma. Dick Dickens grabbed the Engine House reins in 2002, bringing in head brewer Doug Tiede. Heads turned and medals were hung. In 2011, The X Group added the Engine House to their local restaurant empire, with Shane Johns and Donovan Stewart running the kettles and hanging even more medals, mostly for their sours and saisons. Two years ago, they separated the brewery from the restaurant and opened E9 Brewing in Tacoma’s Historic Brewery District. E9’s Sekiu English-style barleywine is aged for more than a year in Heritage Distilling Rye Whiskey and Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels for classic notes of candied dried fruit and toffee character with a lovely, restrained barrel complexity.
LINK: Peaks & Pints cooler inventory