Ten years ago, Steve Luke stepped away from Elysian and struck the match on Cloudburst Brewing, not because Seattle needed another brewery, but because it needed one that refused to behave. Safe was never the assignment. From day one, Cloudburst spoke in one-offs — a restless churn of hop experiments, fleeting recipes, and glorious “don’t get attached” beers that built a national reputation on surprise, precision, and just enough gleeful troublemaking to keep things interesting. Now the 10th anniversary has arrived in full Seattle weather and volume: Jan. 9–11 at the Shilshole location, layered with celebratory pours and good chaos, capped tonight by the Cloudburst 10th Anniversary show at Sunset Tavern — doors at 8 p.m., music at 8:30 p.m. — featuring Cloud Nothings, Soft Boiled, and Laminate, because of course it does.
To mark the moment, Peaks & Pints built a Cloudburst 10th Anniversary Flight that mirrors the brewery’s own restless arc. It moves deliberately rather than linearly, shifting from calm to color, from clean restraint to hop swagger, from bright glow to roasty memory. This is anniversary drinking the Cloudburst way: a palate-resetting lager, a celebratory IPA that kicks the door open, another that reminds you why hops still matter, and a porter that bows to the city that made all of it possible. Less a victory lap than a living snapshot, the flight captures where 10 years of curiosity, collaboration, and refusal to stand still land right now — in the glass, still in motion.
Peaks & Pints Cloudburst 10th Anniversary Flight
Cloudburst Exquisite Taste
4.9% ABV | Rice Lager | Seattle, Washington
Quiet confidence defines this pour, a feather-light glide of crisp grain, soft sweetness, and mineral snap that feels composed rather than flashy. Exquisite Taste treats restraint as the whole point, clearing the palate and slowing the moment, a rice lager that proves elegance often lives in what beer chooses not to say.
Cloudburst Quite the Party IPA
6.7% ABV | Hazy IPA
Already mid-laugh when it arrives, this IPA bursts with mango flesh, citrus zest, and a soft pine edge that reads as invitation, not performance. Brewed to kick off Cloudburst’s 10th anniversary celebration, Quite the Party layers Nectaron, Simcoe, Citra, and Chinook with the ease of a brewery fully comfortable in its own skin, juicy without wobble, celebratory without chaos, marking the milestone with momentum instead of nostalgia.
Cloudburst Cosmic Lust IPA
7.6% ABV | American IPA
Familiar but newly tuned, this IPA carries citrus and tropical notes from Chinook, Citra, Amarillo, and Galaxy over a base that stays lively instead of blunted. Cosmic Lust balances bright fruit, soft bitterness, and a hint of dank swagger, reminding you why IPA still earns its place when hops sing with intention rather than volume.
Cloudburst Northwest Porter
6.6% ABV | Porter
History pours dark and steady here, cocoa-rich malt, gentle caramel, and an earthy hop hum settling into something grounding rather than showy. Brewed in collaboration with Seattle brewing legends Dick Cantwell, Kevin Forhan, Bill Jenkins, and Fal Allen — the original Pike Brewing crew behind Coal Creek Porter, Perseus Porter, and Pike Porter — Northwest Porter is lineage-made liquid. It channels that first mind-blowing Coal Creek memory into a living thank-you, tasting like gratitude, continuity, and the city that taught Steve Luke just how soulful dark beer could be.
LINK: Cloudburst Steve Luke on the Grit & Grain Podcast, Part One
LINK: Cloudburst Steve Luke on the Grit & Grain Podcast, Part Two
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
