Water, hops, barley and yeast. At its core, beer is a natural beverage, a product of our good Mother Earth. Beer is, therefore, a great beverage for toasting Earth Day. For the last six years, to commemorate the week leading up to Earth Day, Seattle’s venerable Latona Pub has taken it one step further. Actually, they’ve taken it many, many steps further.
Each year the folks at Latona Pub celebrate earth week by transporting kegs to the pub without the benefit of motorized vehicles. They call it “kegwalking.” The primary vehicle involved is the simple hand truck, but bicycles are also used in some instances. Even rowboats and sailboats have been involved.
For about a week (April 16-ish through April 24-ish), all of the kegs tapped at the Latona Pub will be delivered by human power. Visit the pub to enjoy a people-powered beer and learn more about environmental issues and organizations that are working to protect the earth.
The pub’s kegwalking week begins on April 16th with a long trek across the city with kegs of beer in tow. They’ll walk from Odin Brewing in South Park to the Latona Pub near Green Lake, with stops at Georgetown Brewing (Georgetown), Two Beers Brewing (SoDo), Pike Brewing (Downtown) and Mollusk Brewery (South Lake Union).
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On the 17th they’ll kegwalk from The Ram (Northgate) and Naked City (Greenwood) to the pub.
Finally, on April 21st they’ll walk kegs from Cloudburst Brewing (downtown), Holy Mountain Brewing (Ballard), Stoup Brewing (Ballard), and Hale’s Ale Brewery (Fremont) to the pub.
Earthday, April 22nd at 8:00 pm is the finale with Feet First, an organization dedicated to making the city safe and accessible for walking. We will have a special barbecue and celebrate the weeklong event.
According to Bob Brenlin, owner of Latona Pub, “We here at the Latona Pub have been celebrating Earth Day with a variety of kegwalking and sponsorship events for the last 6 years. The guiding force in our celebration is to raise awareness of Mother Earth. Remembering how our actions can affect the planet, our goal is to help some fantastic organizations that work on these environmental issues, and to remind ourselves that we can individually do more to protect our cherished resources.”
“The neighborhood pub has long been a gathering place for neighbors to discuss an array of topics from politics, the weather, and sports,” explains Brenlin. “At the Latona we strive to be a place not only to discuss the future of the planet, but also foster a discussion about the steps we can all take to affect change.”
This whole thing is about more than beer. It’s about raising awareness for environmental issues. Brenlin explains, “The core of our celebration is delivering beer to the Latona with non-motorized means. We live in a unique place where world class beer is merely a walk, a sail, or a cycle trip away from a plethora of diverse and innovative breweries.”
Last year Latona Pub had kegs delivered via bicycles from Gig Harbor, Ballard, and Redmond. They walked kegs (pushed on a hand truck) from south Seattle, Fremont, Ballard, Northgate, the U District, and the Elliot Bay Marina. The kegs from the marina were sailed-in from Anacortes and Bellingham.
“This year we are supporting three dedicated and worthy organizations,” says Brenlin. “On Wednesday April 20th at 8pm we will be sponsoring Washington Bikes an organization that is dedicated to increasing the awareness of bicycling and promoting legislation that will help bicycling in our community.”
“On Thusday April 21st at 8pm we will be celebrating Earthweek with our friends at Brewshed Alliance. Proceeds from a portion of keg sales will be donated to the organization that works to protect the environment that is so essential to craft beer. There will be a live auction and of course special beer from the kegwalks.
“Finally, on Friday Earthday the 22nd at 8pm will be our finale with Feet First, an organization dedicated to making the city safe and accessible for walking. We will have a special barbecue and celebrate the weeklong event.”
We always love towing in our keg via bicycle (or via walking last year) to Latona. It’s a great tradition they steward.