When the Latona Pub opened almost 30 years ago, there were not 300 breweries in Washington. In fact, there were only 150 breweries in the entire country (according to the Brewers Association). This whole “microbrew” thing was still brand new and nobody knew if it was a passing fad, a funny little hobby enjoyed by a very tiny subculture of oddball beer geeks, or a trend that would sweep across the nation. Well, we all know how that turned out.
Bob Brenlin, the man who stepped out of the box and opened a real, microbrew-focused pub 30 years ago, was ahead of his time. Apparently he knew where we were going. Or maybe he helped lead us there? I lack the eloquence to adequately thank Bob for his contribution to the local beer scene. There are not enough kind words in the dictionary to express my appreciation of his three Seattle neighborhood pubs (Latona, Fiddler’s, and Hopvine).
Into the 1990s, as the beer thing really began to take shape, the little pub at the corner of 65th and Latona set the standard. It was the definition of “a good beer bar.” In many ways, it still is. The beloved Latona Pub is about to celebrate its 30th Anniversary. They’ve got a lot planned, so below I share the announcement they sent out.
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As August approaches swiftly, we are careening towards our 30th anniversary (!). In that spirit, we’ll be releasing a new Vermont-style IPA with Reuben’s Brews on July 17th called the Latona 30 Year Crush. It’s hazy, juicy, and was brewed with almost 150 lbs. of Galaxy hops—it’ll be the perfect summertime IPA.
Speaking of beer releases, if you think back a few months, you’ll remember that we released Another Effin’ Jeff IPA with our friends over at Three Magnets, honoring Jeffs everywhere—but specifically the brewer and those at the Latona. That beer turned out to be mega popular at the Three Pubs and the brewery, so Three Mags decided to brew a new batch for canned release. That can—which features all three Latona Jeffs and Geoffs—will be available for on-premise consumption at the Latona and to-go at the Hopvine and Fiddler’s Inn starting July 11th.
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sponsorAlso, we’ve partnered up with Tacoma’s very own Engine House No. 9 Brewing (also known as E-9) to throw a Planned Parenthood Benefit/Sour Night on Wednesday July 12th. We’ll have some pretty hard-to-find sours on tap and a portion of proceeds for the evening will go to helping Planned Parenthood.
Then, on July 27th, our very own Jeff Wofford—yup, another effin’ Jeff and owner of Mollusk Clayworks—will be holding a pop-up sale in the loft featuring his pottery. He’s a talented guy with hands of magic, so come support him. I’m willing to bet good money that several of his clay creations are capable of holding large amounts of beer.
sponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorsponsorWe’ll be ending our month with Fort George brewing—because we love those guys and gals—on July 31st. They’ll be shepherding us into August with a day of surf films, surf music, and awesome beers.
And finally, we’ve got the Highball String Band on Sunday, July 30th, from 7pm-9pm and Phil Sparks’ rotating cast of rabble-rousers every Friday for our weekly Jazz Happy Hour from 5pm-7pm.
Cheers to all our sponsors, like…
