Last night’s Thirsty Sisters event at Pike Brewing was all it promised to be and a little bit more. The event, which I describe as a celebration of the role women play in the Pacific Northwest beer industry, featured a number of beers brewed by women. Also, a lot of great food from local vendors.

Thirsty Sisters Seattle describes itself as: “Uniting local women interested in or working in the beer industry. To introduce and educate our Thirsty Sisters to craft beer. The Thirsty Sisters evolved out of a growing desire for the women involved in the craft beer industry in the greater Seattle area to come together and pool their resources. With the ever expanding involvement of women in the brewing business, Thirsty Sisters recognized a need to not only celebrate their love for craft beer, but also to educate other women on the historical significance of females in the craft beer industry. Through events such as the one planned for Seattle Beer Week, Thirsty Sisters hopes to bring more women into the fold and foster a vibrant, diverse craft brew community.”

Below are some photos I took at last night’s event.

Sometimes beer news comes to us in sips and not gulps. Here are a few things that landed in our inbox recently and collectively warranted a single post.

Wingman Brewers

We recently told you that Wingman Brewers opened a taproom near the Tacoma Dome (read it).  That aint all. Today we are happy to report that Wingman Brewers is now canning its beer. Learn more about it, including where you can find it, on the Wingman Facebook page.

Silver City Brewing

Silver City Brewing brought home more medals from the 2012 World Beer Cup than any other Washington brewery. Silver City Brewing brought home three medals: a gold (Imperial Stout), a silver (Winter Bock), and a bronze (Old Scrooge). See our previous post about all of the World Beer Cup winners. Silver City Brewery opens its new taproom at the brewery in Bremerton today (see our previous post).

Westsound Brewers United

And speaking of Silver City… how about a blog dedicated solely to the breweries located along the western shores of Puget Sound? Sounds like a good idea to me. Introducing West Sound Beer News. Spearheaded by Jonathan Rowe, the owner of the Marina Market in Poulsbo, the new West Sound Beer News blog provides a single-source dedicated to all things beer between Gig Harbor and Kingston. The website is still in its infancy but it is alive. West Sound breweries include 7 Seas Brewing, Bainbridge Island Brewing (coming soon), Der Blokken Brewery, Hale’s Ale Brewery, Hood Canal Brewing, Slaughter County Brewing (coming soon), Slippery Pig Brewing, Silverdale Brewing, Sound Brewery, and Valholl Brewing.

Reuben’s Brews

We recently heard from Adam Robbings of Reuben’s Brews. No official date has been announced but the new brewery in Ballard is expected to open sometime in June. Adam wants to make sure everything is 100 percent approved and ready to go before he starts throwing dates around. Licenses have been secured. A bit more build-out and some final approvals from the local authorities and the brewery will be ready to go. This is not a nanobrewery: a 7-barrel brewhouse will fill 10-barrel fermenters.

Two Beers Brewing

Last weekend Two Beers Brewing won a gold medal for its Panorama Wheat at the 2nd Annual AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival. The event, held in Chandler, Arizona featured 113 canned beers judged in nine different categories. Click here to see the complete list of winners. Two Beers was the only Washington medal winner, although I don’t know if anyone else even entered.

Schooner Exact

For some time now we have known that Schooner Exact’s planned expansion at its SoDo location would involve the addition of some form of brewpub. There is no real beer news in that–the brewpub is still too far off to realistically approximate an opening date. Yesterday, when Seattle Met reported on its blog about the planned expansion, we learned that Warren Peterson will be the man behind the food. Warren was the Beer Czar for Tom Douglas Restaurants before leaving to help open Elliott Bay Brewery’s Lake City Way pub. Now he’s moved on to Schooner Exact. We’ll keep an eye on things as the plan progresses.

Wingman Brewers' beer now in cans.

Did you hear it? Yesterday (Monday, May 14) KUOW invited a few guests into the studio to talk about beer. To celebrate Seattle Beer Week the local NPR affiliate invited Manny Chao (Georgetown Brewing), Heather McClung (Schooner Exact Brewing), and Joe Bisacca (Elysian Brewing) to join The Conversation host Ross Reynolds for a 20 minute chat about the local brewing scene. It went very well. Good radio.

Even if you missed it, you can now listen to it in the KUOW archives. The more attention we beer lovers pay to stuff like this, the more attention organizations like KUOW will pay to beer. Go listen to it on line. Consider dropping them a note and thank them for dedicating some air time to beer.

About The Conversation: Reporter Ross Reynolds hosts this fast–paced news call–in program. Engaging, stimulating and informative – a forum where listeners have the chance to speak directly with experts on news–oriented topics. The Conversation covers the very current topics and issues of the day.

Last June we reported that then-Mariner pitcher Chris Ray is an avid home brewer with dreams of going pro (read it). We met Chris at Fremont Brewing Company where he was brewing the first batch of Homefront IPA. He was wide-eyed as he raked the mash. He shoveled the wet grain out of the tun like a seasoned veteran, only with greater enthusiasm. These mundane brewing chores seemed to excite him. And why not? It was his first time pitching yeast in the big leagues. Today we report that Chris Ray is at it again.

The physical labor at Fremont Brewing was practical, hands-on experience. Recognizing that his professional baseball career comes with an inevitable expiration date, Chris Ray decided that opening a brewery would be part of his exit strategy. He and his brother are currently in the process of building their own brewery in Ashland, Virginia: Center of the Universe Brewing (COTU Brewing).

Not many professional baseball players spend their free time shoveling out a mash tun.

Chris Ray and Fremont Brewing created Homefront IPA to raise money and awareness for Operation Homefront, an organization providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. The beer was available at the ballpark and around the Seattle area. This year Chris greatly expanded the project’s scope and the beer is being brewed at six different breweries across the country. The project is now dubbed Hops for Heroes (visit the website).

Participating Breweries:

• Fremont Brewing, Seattle, WA
• St. Arnold Brewing, Houston, TX
• Sly Fox Brewing, Phoenixville, PA
• 21st Amendment Brewing, San Francisco, CA
• Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
• Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, MO

Baseball ambassadors and special events will be announced in the upcoming weeks. We will have more information for you when it becomes available. For now, we can tell you that Seattle Mariner relief pitcher Todd Wilhelmsen will be the local Homefront IPA ambassador.

See all of our previous stories about Homefront IPA.

The Washington Beer Blog has teamed up with SIP Northwest, Laurelwood Brewing and The Burgundian to present a very special beer dinner. Chef Ryan Sturm put together an amazing menu (below) for the event, which takes place this Saturday, May 12. Seating is limited so I recommend that you do not delay – get tickets, make reservations.

Regular readers of this blog know that we are serious about beer and food pairing. When we started to kick around the idea of putting together a beer dinner for Seattle Beer Week the list of potential partners was very short. We wanted to pair a top-notch brewery with a top-notch kitchen–a kitchen well-versed in the art of beer and food pairing. That’s how we ended up with Laurelwood Brewing and The Burgundian Tavern.

Laurelwood Beer Dinner at The Burgundian
Saturday, May 12,  7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $65.
Seating is limited. Do not delay.
Tickets are available at The Burgundian or online.
Call The Burgundian at (206) 420-8943

The five course meal includes:

Smoked Salmon Cioppino Soup – Lightly smoked local salmon in a rich roasted tomato and fennel stew topped with spinach and cilantro. Beer Pairing: Hooligan English Brown Ale.

Foie Gras Crème Brule – A savory brandy and roasted shallot cream with rich foie gras and an orange zest and juniper crust. Beer Pairing: Free Range Red Ale.

Truffle Roasted Golden Beet & Pistachio Goat Cheese Salad – Pistachio crusted fried medallions of goat cheese with sweet and tender roasted golden beets over a bed of frisee greens tossed in a truffle clementine orange vinaigrette. Beer Pairing: Workhorse IPA.

Pork Porterhouse. Iron seared Iowa pork chop over bacon roasted fingerling potatoes topped with a blue cheese cream and crowned with an apple compote. Beer Pairing: Ink Heart Cascadian Dark Ale.

Chocolate Framboise Mousse – Rich Ghirardelli chocolate mousse flavored with Lindeman’s Framboise and organic honey served over a chocolate decadence cake and topped with a candied shallot and Turkish apricot jam. Beer Pairing: Space Stout.

Amongst the sea of Seattle Beer Week happenings, an event at the Pike Brewery Pub celebrates the role that women play in the Northwest beer industry. The event will feature a number of beers brewed by women. Thirstysisters at Pike Brewing provides an opportunity to meet and mingle with some of the most influential women in the Northwest beer business.

The event, on the Seattle Beer Week schedule as “Northwest Women in Beer,” takes place on Tuesday, May 15 from 5:00 – 8:00 at the Pike Brewery Pub in the Museum Room. Advance tickets are available online or you can pay at the door. Cost is $20 and proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood.

Among the many different women-brewed beers featured at the Thirstysisters event, Beer Broads Red Ale was conceived via a survey, recipe drawn up with help from Janelle Pritchard, then brewed by a group of beer-minded women, the Beer Broads, with a heavy assist from Alex Dittmar of Airways Brewing. Mrs. Beer Blog (a.k.a. my wife Kim) got in on the brewing action for that one.

This post is about the Thirstysisters event next week at Pike Brewing and I don’t want to confuse the message, but you can to try Beer Broads Red Ale at both Airways locations on Thursday, May 10th. It will be on tap starting at noon at the Airways Bistro, and on cask at 3:00 p.m. in the Airways Tap Room. Otherwise you can try it at the Thirstysisters event next week.

Here is the official press release:

thirstysisters at PIKE BREWING

NW women in beer, Seattle Beer Week

May 15, 2012 – 5 to 8 p.m.

Seattle Beer Week, May 10 – May 20, is a 10-day long celebration of local craft beer at venues throughout the Seattle area.

Thirstysisters

On May 15, Pike is proud to host the first annual thirstysisters Seattle Beer Week event: Northwest Women in Craft Beer. We hope you will join us for a taste of locally brewed beers and the chance to meet some of the most influential ladies affecting the local craft beer industry today. thirstysisters is an extraordinary event focused on women involved in the craft beer industry in the Pacific Northwest.

Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Where: Museum Room, Pike Brewing Company

Time: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Cost: $20 includes 5 tasting tickets (additional tickets 6 for $10)

RSVP: Tara 206-812-6604

Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets, and at the door.

Proceeds from this event will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Representatives will attend with information.

We encourage you to reserve/purchase tickets early; they will go fast and space is limited. There will be a raffle featuring some wonderful gift items throughout the evening. Raffle tickets are available at $5 for 6, or $10 for 11 (must be present to win).

thirsty brew crew

Pike brewsters: Jan Balcom, Meg Bragg, Tiffany Herrington, along with Linda Stratton-Peterson (Pike Sales,) Rose Ann Finkel (owner,) and Erika Tedin (Full Throttle Bottles) brew beer for the event.

The event features women making beer at local breweries, and women making a difference by educating consumers at women-owned bottle shops. Participating are: Airways Brewery, Black Raven Brewery, Chuckanut Brewery, Diamond Knot Brewing, Elysian Brewery, Fremont Brewing, Hales Ales, Der Blokken Brewery, Naked City, Schooner Exact, Pike Brewing Company, Red Hook Brewery, Silver City Brewery; Full Throttle Bottles, Gravity Beer Market, and 99 Bottles; along with tasty treats from local women-owned cheese producers, food purveyors, and confectioners. And as if that weren’t enough, the thirstysisters themselves will be presenting and serving special brews that the ladies have brewed themselves. Revealed only at this event, it will be the only opportunity you will have to taste these one-of-a-kind beers!

about thirstysisters

The thirstysisters evolved out of a growing desire for women involved in the craft beer industry in the greater Seattle area to come together and pool their resources. With the ever expanding involvement of women in the brewing business, the thirsty sisters recognized a need to not only celebrate their love of craft beer, but also to educate other women on the historical significance of females in the craft beer industry. Through events such as this one planned for Seattle Beer Week, the thirsty sisters hope to bring more women into the fold and foster a vibrant, diverse craft brew community.

participating sisters: Anastasia Logan, Black Raven; Sara Nelson, Fremont Brewing; Kathy Hale, Hales Ales Brewery; Jessica Husted, Der Blokken Brewery; Erika Tedin, Full Throttle Bottles; Tiffany Adamowski, 99 Bottles; Roma Bert, Gravity Beer Market; Janelle Pritchard, an Independent Special Beer produced at Naked City; Mari Kemper, Chuckanut Brewery; Sharon Campbell, Tieton Cider Works; Sarah Williams, Wandering Aengus Ciderworks; Dione Dittmar, Airways Brewing; Crystie Kisler, Finnriver Farm & Cidery; Corinne McNielly and Whitney Burnside, Elysian Brewing; and Jan Balcom, Meg Bragg, Tiffany Herrington, Rose Ann Finkel, Laura Stoudt, and Linda Stratton-Peterson, from our own Pike Brewing Co.

Participating sisters (and brothers) in food:  Catherine Brooke-Barrows, Tabbey Cat Pickling Co.; Rebecca Staffel, Deluxe Jams, Julie Obrien, Firefly Kitchens; Gina Batali, Salumi Artisan Cured Meats; Matt Day, Mt. Townsend Creamery; Nicki Kerbs and Laura Glass, Cupcake Royale; Kevin Bartlett, Taylor Shellfish, Diana Puterbaugh, Hops Direct; Rebecca Early, Macrina Bakery; Julie Farrell, Tease Chocolates; Marci, Macio’s Italian Specialty Foods; Pamela Hinckley, Tom Douglas Restaurants; and Gary Marx, Pike Brewing Company.

thirstysisters educational tables: Teri Fahrendorf, Country Malt Group; and Planned Parenthood – Great Northwest.

This blog focuses primarily on beer and not on food. However, this is a big deal. The Washington Beer Blog wants to extend our congratulations to Tom Douglas and the local company bearing his name. Last night in New York the James Beard Foundation named Seattle’s own Tom Douglas “Outstanding Restaurateur.”

For the uninformed, winning a James Beard Foundation award is a really big deal in the world of food. In the world of beer, we have no equal. It’s like a writer winning a Pulitzer Prize or a politician winning a Nobel Peace Prize. It is a really, really big deal.

Tom Douglas Restaurants now operates 15 food establishment in Seattle including the Brave Horse Tavern, which opened just one year ago. Apparently opening a beer-focused restaurant is what helped push Douglas over the top.  At least we would like to think so. Good beer creates good karma, right? This was the fourth time Tom Douglas was a finalist for the coveted James Beard Foundation award. He teetered on the brink of become the Susan Lucci of the food world: always nominated but never a winner. Today, he can refer to himself as “the James Beard Award winning Tom Douglas.” Cheers to you, Tom!

Read the Seattle Times story for more information.

Tom Douglas (left) with fellow Seattle culinary icon Thierry Rautureau.

Today I am sad to report that the Washington State Liquor Control Board discontinued Hazel Dell Brewpub’s microbrewery license. The brewpub, located in Vancouver, WA, closed its doors at the end of 2011. Now it is official. It is always sad to see a brewery close. On a positive note, I am happy to report that there are currently 15 new breweries awaiting approval by the state.

Even if these 15 breweries actually gain approval, there are no guarantees. Some breweries approved by the state never actually come to fruition. Starting a brewery is more complicated than many people imagine and most wannabe breweries learn some tough lessons along the way. Getting approval from the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is perhaps the most significant and time-consuming hurdle. Municipal permitting issues also seem to be a big deal-breaker for many would-be breweries. When it’s all said and done, getting the state license might be the easiest part of the process.

Someone should write a book. Actually, someone did write a book: the Brewers Association’s Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery. As I understand it, Elysian Brewing Company’s Dick Cantwell is currently working on a revised, updated version.

Check out the list below of microbrewery licenses pending approval by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. By the way, without getting too deeply into the semantics of the whole thing, in Washington all of our breweries are licensed as “microbreweries.” Redhook in Woodinville is a microbrewery and so is Slippery Pig in Poulsbo.

Liquor Control Board Actions with Regard to Microbrewery Licenses

New Microbrewery Applications (Pending)

• Machine House Brewery, Seattle
• Bad Chemist Brewing, Seattle
• Dungeness Brewing, Port Angeles
• Flood Valley Homebrew, Chehalis
• Beer Falls Brewing, Richland
• Rainy City Ales, Seattle
• Rainy Daze Brewing, Silverdale
• Lake Stevens Brewing Company, Lake Stevens
• Ashtown Brewing, Longview
• Black Dog Spirits, Seattle
• Shrub Steppe Smokehouse Brewery, Richland
• Bale Breaker Brewing, Yakima
• Island Hoppin’ Brewery, Eastsound
• Sayulita Brewing, Seattle
• St. Helens Brewing, Toledo

Recently Approved Microbrewery Applications

• Herbert Benjamin Friendly Brewing, Renton

Other Actions

• Northern Lights Brewing in Spokane is now No-Li Brewhouse (name change).
• Hazel Dell Brewpub in Vancouver. According to the state, the microbrewery license is now discontinued.

Two of Oregon’s most beloved breweries have teamed up to create a collaboration beer. Deschutes Brewery and Hair of the Dog Brewing announced today the release of a new collaboration brew. Here is the press release..

Deschutes Brewery & Hair of the Dog Brewing Company Collaboration Brew Arrives

After years in the making, two Oregon breweries announce an artistic collage of cask-aging alchemy 

May 7, 2012 – Bend, Oregon – It took two years, and lots of time aging in the dark and mysterious interiors of hand-selected barrels for four distinctive brews to become COLLAGE, the first beer brewed in Deschutes Brewery’s Conflux Series. The journey began with a conversation between Hair of the Dog’s Alan Sprints and Deschutes Brewery’s Gary Fish, when they set out to explore the idea of a collaboration beer unlike any other.

In the spring of 2010, four world-class beers were brewed: Deschutes Brewery’s The Stoic and The Dissident and Hair of The Dog’s Fred and Adam. These four classics continued their courtship for the next 24 months aging in a variety of cask barrels, including rye whiskey, cognac, sherry, pinot noir, bourbon, new American Oak, and new Oregon Oak.

In fact, more than 100 distinct barrel-aged rounds were sampled to identify prominent flavors and subtle nuances. Gary, Alan and the Deschutes Brewery brewmasters then began the fun and challenging task of determining the perfect blend.  In the end, Gary Fish declared, “We expected something really good.  What we got is really great.”

Fish continued, “It’s an industry where we can do things because it’s fun, because it’s interesting and intellectually stimulating.  We’re lucky we have a group of consumers that are passionate about what we’re doing.”

The result is a virtual “collage” of patience, time and collective curiosity. The final blend has so many flavors and gradations; it is unlike any other tasting experience imaginable. Alan Sprints marveled, “It was amazing how we blended all those different barrels together and you can still pick out individual characteristics from each barrel.”

A match made in craft beer heaven? We think so.

Collage will be available in extremely limited quantities in 12-ounce bottles only starting May 15^th at Deschutes Brewery’s Bend & Portland brew pubs. Special beer dinners are being held in Portland at Wildwood Restaurant (May 14) and at Deschutes Brewery’s Bend Pub (May 18) to celebrate the release and provide a unique opportunity to try the component beers; visit www.deschutesbrewery.com/events for details and tickets.

About Deschutes Brewery
Located in beautiful Bend , Oregon , Deschutes Brewery is in the business of daring people to expect more from their beer. That’s why we started off in 1988, on the banks of the Deschutes River here in Bend , Oregon , by selling Black Butte Porter at a time when others were sure a dark beer would never catch on. Our brewers love to push the envelope, especially if it makes someone nervous.  But for us, the highest praise is a raised glass and a toast of “Bravely Done!”  For more information about Deschutes Brewery and its courageously crafted beers, please visit www.DeschutesBrewery.com.

About Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is located in Portland , Oregon and was created to produce bottle-conditioned beers that improve with age.  The main focus is to provide the beer lover with new and unusual beer styles, and is known for its barrel aged and high alcohol beers.   Hair of the Dog is one of the world’s smallest Breweries, producing a mere 120 gallons per brew, last year’s production was about 15,000 gallons.  For more information about the brewery and our beers, check out hairofthedog.com

Seattle Beer Week is almost here. This is part two of our Seattle Beer Week Survival Guide. (See our previous post.)

In part one of our Survival Guide we talked about the events that pique our interest. Today we approach it from a different angle: what’s happening at particular locations for Seattle Beer Week. There is so much stuff happening at so many places, making these choices is a daunting task.

This list is partial at best and is not at all intended to be comprehensive. Perhaps the greatest value of this list is that it serves as a testament to the sheer volume and diversity of events happening around the city. I encourage you to use the comments section below to share any thoughts you have about which locations around the city really plan to ramp it up for Seattle Beer Week.

Click here to see the complete list of Seattle Beer Week events.

Beveridge Place Pub

• Thursday, May 10 and Friday May 11 – Seattle Cask-o-Rama. Seattle-brewed beers served the way God intended – from firkins lined up on the bar.
• Sunday, May 13 – Iron Brewers Showdown. Six breweries compete in 3 different head-to-head matchups.
• Monday, May 14 – This is Washington, Damn it! All of the taps turned over to Washington beers. Because those out-of-state breweries get plenty of love during Beer Week. It’s good to show WA some love.
• Wednesday, May 16 – Beer Trivia night. A lot of the regular pub trivia geeks stay away from this one. Serious beer questions for serious beer minds.
• Friday, May 18 – Bodacious Beverages: the biggest and bawdiest brews. You never know what kind of scary monsters haunt the Beveridge Place Pub’s cellar. Come prepared for some big, badass brews.

Big Time Brewery

A short but meaningful list of events for Big Time Brewery.

• Monday, May 14, 2:00 p.m. – Big Time Brewery will release its first-ever bourbon-barrel-aged Stout.  Heavenly Bourbon is a 9% Stout aged for eight months in a Heaven Hills bourbon barrel.
• Wednesday, May 16 11:30 a.m. until they’re gone.  The Big Time will tap five cask-conditioned quarter barrels of five different India Pale Ales: Scarlet Fire, Bhagwan’s Best, Homegrown, Solo and Icculus. The casks will be tapped when they open at 11:30 and will pour until they are gone.

Burgundian

The Washington Beer Blog’s North Seattle Bureau Chief, North Seattle Sarah, posted a listing of Burgundian events. Click here. Among the events at Burgundian, the Washington Beer Blog teamed up with SIP Northwest and Laurelwood Brewing to put together a very special beer dinner. Click here for details about the dinner on Saturday, May 12. Limited seating. It will sell out. Do not delay.

Brave Horse Tavern

• Thursday, May 10 – Kill the Line Up! – Kill the Line Up. If it’s on tap, it’s gotta go. They need to make room for all the beer week hoopla so special prices to help empty the kegs.
• Saturday & Sunday, May 12 & 13, 10:00 a.m. – Kegs n’ Eggs with Elysian Brewing.
• Sunday, May 13, 6:00 p.m. – Newbies Night. Introducing some of Washington’s newest breweries. In the house: Twelve Bar Brews, North Sound Brewing, Slippery Pig Brewing, Dirty Bucket Brewing and Brick Yard Brewing.
• Monday, May 14, 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. – Lagunitas Brewing will be there.
• Tuesday, May 15, 4:00 p.m. – Battle of Eugene. Ninkasi Brewing and Oakshire Brewing bringing some special treats.
• Wednesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m. – West Coast Brewers Dinner. Beers from some of the best west coast breweries paired with delicious courses.
• Thursday, May 17, 4:00 p.m. – Alpha Acid Overload. Hops, as featured in the beers of Double Mountain Brewing, Everybody’s Brewing, and Schooner Exact Brewing.
• Friday, May 18, 3:00 p.m. – Whiskey n’ Boilermakers. Local distilleries and local breweries combine to create local boilermakers.
• Saturday & Sunday, May 19 & 20, 10:00 a.m. – Kegs and Eggs with Pike Brewing.
• Saturday, May 19, 11:00 a.m. – Sudsy Shuffle w/ Beer West Magazine. A shuffleboard tournament is a great excuse to drink beer during the daytime.

Cooper’s Alehouse

• Thursday, May 10, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. -“A Day at the Races” with Sierra Nevada.  Watch and “wager” on real horse races for a chance to win some great prizes.  We’ll be pouring some great Sierra beers including Hoptimum, Life & Limb 2, Ovila Dubbel, and more!
• Friday, May 11, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. -We are participating in the first Maple Leaf Art Walk.  We’ll have photography from Karla Thomas and artwork from Christel Weixelman on display and for sale.
• Monday, May 14, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. -“Beer Bingo” with Hale’s Ales.  Just like regular bingo but with BEER!  And prizes!  $3 pints of Hale’s all night long!
• Tuesday, May 15, 8:45 p.m. -“Tuesday Trivia” with Snoqualmie Brewing.  We’ll have some great pints and prices on Snoqualmie’s beers plus prizes for the teams that “Beat the Brain” of Snoqualmie’s team.  $3 pints of Snoqualmie all night long!
• Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (May 17, 18, 19) – IPA Fest Championships!  A blind tasting featuring the three highest rated Double IPA’s from this years’ IPA Fest pitted against last years’ winner.

Malt & Vine

• Friday May 11, 5:30-7:30. Firestone Kick Off Party. Start Seattle Beer Week off with the newly released Wooky Jack, a rare Firkin of Dry Hopped Double Jack, Anniversary 14, Anniversary 15, and Parabola all on draft. A brewery representative will be there to answer questions.
• Monday May 14, 5:30-7:30. Crispin Cidery’s “Marvin.” Super rare keg of the “Marvin” (cider brewed with molasses and stout yeast, then aged on Pinot Noir barrels) will be pouring alongside a nice selection of other Crispin and Fox Barrel Ciders.
• Tuesday May 15, 5:30-7:30. Stone’s Darkness of the Draft. Beers from Stone will include Vanilla Oak’d Porter, Belgian Imperial Stout, and a two year old Oak Aged Imperial Stout. Also, a cask-conditioned firkin of Stone IPA that they dry hopped especially for the occasion.
• Saturday May 19, All Day Long Malt and Vine 5th Anniversary. Black Raven has brewed a Double IPA using five different new hop varieties. This will be the fourth year Black Raven has brewed the birthday beer for the Malt and Vine: all four vintages will be on tap. There may be a surprise or two.
• Sunday May 20, 1:00 p.m. Eastside Brewer’s Hangover Brunch. This event features all of the eastside brewers; Black Raven, Snoqualmie, Foggy Noggin, Redhook, Mac & Jack’s, Issaquah, Dirty Bucket, and 12 Bars Brews. It’s a potluck style event with a laid back demeanor.

Maritime Pacific, Jolly Roger Tap Room

• Friday, May 11 – Decompression Strong Ale Release Party (5pm to Close.) Celebrate the release of Maritime Pacific’s latest seasonal offering, Decompression Strong Ale. Compare firkins of 2011 and 2012 Decompression as well as 2011 bourbon-barrel-aged Decompression.
• Tuesday, May 15 – Jolly Roger Vertical Tasting (5:00 p.m. til their gone.) The 1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2011 vintages of Jolly Roger will be available for sampling. Be sure to pick your favorite. Sample trays will be available along with special Jolly Roger appetizers.
• Friday, May 18 – Firkin Friday! (5:00 p.m. to close.) Can one turn down 6 cask conditioned Real Ales? The line up for this event includes: the Devils Islander (Islander aged with Fresno Chiles and Lime Zest,) Coconut-Rum aged Bosun’s Black, Bourbon Barrel Aged Salmon Bay Bitter, Empirical Imperial (a mammoth-ly dry hopped Imperial,) and XPA Harvest Ale as well as a special cask treat.

• Saturday, May 19 – Jolly Roger Taproom Parking Lot Party (1:00 – 5:00 p.m.) Because of the popularity of last year’s Official Kick-Off Party, the parking lot of the Jolly Roger Taproom will again be blocked off for a special summertime party.  Food will be available as well as beers and live music.

Naked City Taphouse and Brewery

Our North Seattle Bureau Chief, North Seattle Sarah, posted a listing of Naked City’s Beer Week events. Click here.

Noble Fir

• Friday, May 11, 4:00 p.m. – Double Mountain vs. Terminal Gravity Tap Takeover. Exact beers TBD.
• Saturday, May 12, 4:00 p.m. – Dogfish Head vs. Cascade – Beer/wine hybrid night. They’ll be putting up The Vine and Sang Royal from Cascade head to head against Noble Rot and Red and White from Dogfish Head
• Sunday, May 13, 1:00 p.m. Mother’s Day featuring Winesap Estate Cider. Give the Moms a break from the kids.
• Wednesday, May 16, 4:00 p.m. – Snipes Mountain Sour Night. Pouring five sour offerings:
  Sour Coyote (Dark English Mild), Darkstrong (Port barrel aged version), Twangzister #3 (Bourbon barrel), Dali’s Garage (Spontaneously fermented unhopped heather and mugwort blonde, Bordeaux barrel aged), Quinceanera, the blended culmination of the above 4 barrels.
• Friday, May 18, 4:00 p.m. – Boulevard Brewing Night. They will be pouring Rye on Rye, Chocolate Ale, and TBD third beer.
• Saturday, May 19, 4:00 p.m. – Hawaiian Night Featuring Maui Brewing Co.
• Sunday, May 20, 1:00 p.m. Ellen’s 40th Birthday!! – It’s Ellen’s 40th Birthday, and she’s getting a tattoo of the Chicago Cubs Walking Bear logo. Two Beers Brewing will releasing a one-off batch of Walking Bear Imperial IPA to help celebrate the occasion.
• Everyday Four Roses Boilermakers – All week long we’re doing specials on Four Roses Bourbon Boilermakers.
• Thursday, May 10, 9:30 p.m. – Seattle Beer Week Kickoff part 4. The fourth and final stop on the opening
• Saturday, May 12, 3:00 p.m. – Pine Box Beer Can Derby – The race is on. Drink a can of beer and then turn it into a racer (kind of similar to your old Cub Scout days, only with beer).
• Sunday, May 13, 11:00 a.m. – Mothers Day Brunch w/ Widmer. Half price beer for all you mothers.
• Monday, May 14, 3:00 p.m. – Can You Handle My Randall? – 11+ different beers poured the way God intended… pushed through a Randall.
• Tuesday, May 15, 7:00 p.m. – Firestone and Frans. The beers of Firestone Walker Brewing paired with chocolates from Frans.
• Thursday, May 17 – Stone Brewing night at the box.
• Friday, May 18, 5:00 – Pallin’ Around with Fall Allen. He’s a legend around here, but now he’s the top dog at California’s Anderson Valley Brewing. Meet the man and drink his beer.

The Pine Box

• Everyday Four Roses Boilermakers – All week long we’re doing specials on Four Roses Bourbon Boilermakers.
• Thursday, May 10, 9:30 p.m. – Seattle Beer Week Kickoff part 4. The fourth and final stop on the opening
• Saturday, May 12, 3:00 p.m. – Pine Box Beer Can Derby – The race is on. Drink a can of beer and then turn it into a racer (kind of similar to your old Cub Scout days, only with beer).
• Sunday, May 13, 11:00 a.m. – Mothers Day Brunch w/ Widmer. Half price beer for all you mothers.
• Monday, May 14, 3:00 p.m. – Can You Handle My Randall? – 11+ different beers poured the way God intended… pushed through a Randall.
• Tuesday, May 15, 7:00 p.m. – Firestone and Frans. The beers of Firestone Walker Brewing paired with chocolates from Frans.
• Thursday, May 17 – Stone Brewing night at the box.
• Friday, May 18, 5:00 – Pallin’ Around with Fall Allen. He’s a legend around here, but now he’s the top dog at California’s Anderson Valley Brewing. Meet the man and drink his beer.

Pyramid Alehouse

Pyramid Brewing is one of the official Seattle Beer Week sponsors. They’ve planned some cool stuff for beer week. We are very happy that Pyramid is actually brewing beer again at its previously mothballed Seattle brewery. We are happy Pyramid is back.

• Every day – Special Beer Release: Red Nile Barleywine on Cask. Pyramid’s brewmaster, Kim Brusco, has created a special release Cask Barleywine for Seattle Beer Week.  Available for a limited time, only at Pyramid Alehouse.
• Monday, May 14 – Beer Bingo – 6:00 p.m. BING-GO! Come on down to Pyramid for beer-themed bingo. It is free to play and, of course, there will be awesome prizes. We’ll also have drink specials keep your pipes primed to shout out your big win.
• Wednesday, May 16 – Pub Trivia with Beer-Themed Rounds – 7:30 p.m. Gather a team of friends and test your memory of useless facts. Now with beer-themed rounds!
• Thursday, May 17 – Red Nile Barleywine Brewer’s Dinner 7:00 p.m. – $45, all-inclusive. Enjoy a four-course, beer-paired dinner celebrating our special Seattle Beer Week brew. Dinner tickets available at: www.PyramidSeattle.eventbrite.com and include a brewery tour and full growler to take home. Space is limited!