It was, unmistakably, beer o’clock—somewhere around the sacred hour of 3 p.m.—when the South Sound Craft Beer Festival morphed from casual sip-fest into full-blown hoppy congregation inside the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall. Yes, beer o’clock is now officially a word, sanctioned by none other than OxfordDictionaries.com alongside such linguistic gems as awesomesauce, butthurt, and hangry, all of which could’ve described the vibe if you showed up too late and the IPA kegs kicked. We, naturally, arrived fashionably delayed—thank you fallen trees, rogue sewer drains, and an unfortunate case of barstool manspreading during Parkway Tavern’s simultaneous IPA blowout. But by the time we elbowed our way in, the hall was humming: Seahawks jerseys, citrus-drenched pints, and more than 30 Washington breweries slinging liquid gold. We snapped a few shots. We tasted the nectar. We lived the beer-flavored lexicon. NBD.

LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory