Greg Norman, the legendary golfer, entrepreneur and broadcaster, sent out a tweet the other day about his arrival in the Pacific Northwest for a media tour of Chambers Bay, the golf course just south of Tacoma hosting this year’s U.S. Open in June. Someone tweeted right back at Norman, asking if he’d sampled any of our local beers yet.
Yep. Local beer will be part of the U.S. Open experience. Of the event’s estimated $200 million impact on the local economy, some of it is sure to trickle down to beer, not just at the Open itself, but also in local restaurants and bars.
The five-day event will be the largest single sporting event in Washington history in terms of attendance. Approximately 30,000 fans per day are expected to attend the 115th U.S. Open at Chambers Bay golf course, many of them visiting from out of state. Hotels as far away as Redmond, 50 miles north of the course, are booked solid. Near the course, reports say that residents are renting their homes to visitors for as much as $45,000 for the week. Golf fans, with all their beautifully disposable income, are also beer fans. The U.S Open provides a great opportunity for many out-of-towners to sink their teeth into our local beers, which rarely get exported beyond Washington’s borders.
At the course, guests and dignitaries will be sipping on beers from Narrows Brewing Company in the U.S. Open’s hospitality tents. I don’t know if they’ll pour any other local beer at the U.S. Open.
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Local Beer at the U.S. Open
Last fall the U.S. Open’s caterers toured Narrows Brewing and selected Great Pacific Octopus IPA and (more recently) Galloping Gertie Gold as the local beers they’ll serve in any of the hospitality tents that elect to serve premium beer. Chambers Bay, which hosts the Open on June 15th through 21st, is just 3.5 miles from Narrows Brewing.
““The US Open is on both the PGA Tour and the European tour,” said Scott Wagner, an owner and the Managing Partner at Narrows Brewing. “We are excited for the opportunity to showcase our beer to an international audience. Chamber Bay shares the same spectacular view of the Olympics and Puget Sound that our brewery does. We’re thrilled to be part of bringing Northwest style beers to such a great venue and world-recognized sporting event.”
But that’s not the only thing happening these days at Narrows Brewing. Here is a press release from the brewery with details about the brewery’s busy spring.
Narrows Brewing Co: New Beer Releases, Whole Foods, New Deck and the US Open
As Narrows Brewing Co. heads into celebrating its 2nd anniversary this July, they continue to hit the mark with more reasons to visit their taproom and experience what the new head brewer, Mike Davis, is introducing to the market. Mike has seamlessly moved into his new position, bringing with him plenty of fresh ideas and fresh beers now available for the quaffing.
First in line was his 6.1% abv ESB, an American interpretation of the English Extra Special Bitter. This copper colored seasonal is currently available in the taproom.
Mike’s next beer was the result of a request from the new Whole Foods Market opening May 7th in University Place. “They wanted us to brew a beer that would be exclusive to them for the month of their opening,” said Mike. He chose to brew them an IPA with an ABV of 5.5%. “We called it Diver Down. If you know what the Diver Down diving flag looks like, you’ll have no trouble finding us on Whole Food’s shelf.” The session IPA will be available in the Narrows Brewing tap room as well beginning May 5th.
In May we will also be introducing the third beer of our “Siren Series”, following Channary, our Imperial Red and Rusalka, our Imperial Stout. Mike will be brewing and bottling Celeste; our Belgian Blond recipe, for the spring and summer season. “This beer was so popular in the tap room, we decided to bottle it so our customers could enjoy it at home,” said Scott Wagner, an owner and the Managing Partner of the brewery. During Seattle Beer Week we’ll also introduce a single hop Lemon Drop IPA and a Blackberry Wheat. Look for a Double IPA around our July Anniversary.
There is more expansion at the brewery besides the beer lineup. “In December we increased our tap lines from 6 to 16, but the expansion every customer has been waiting for is currently under construction; an outdoor deck” said Scott. This new deck will give Narrow’s customers a commanding view of sunsets, the surrounding marina, Puget Sound and both Narrows Bridges. The deck is slated to be open mid May. According to Scott, “It is a project that we have wanted to complete since we opened 2 years ago, and we can’t wait to have our first beer outside.”
One of the most exciting happenings for Narrows Brewing this year will be their inclusion in the U.S. Open, June 15th-21st. The Open is being played at Chambers Bay Golf Course, a short 3 ½ mile drive from the brewery. Last fall, the US Open caterers toured Narrows Brewing and selected their Giant Pacific Octopus to be the IPA for the Open. Just this month they also included the Galloping Gertie Golden Ale in their selection. The beer will be served during the Open in the hospitality tents that choose to include “premier” beverages. Wagner said, “The US Open is on both the PGA Tour and the European tour. We are excited for the opportunity to showcase our beer to an international audience. Chamber Bay shares the same spectacular view of the Olympics and Puget Sound that our brewery does. We’re thrilled to be part of bringing Northwest style beers to such a great venue and world-recognized sporting event.”
