Pacific Northwest Beer Chick

Breweries, Beers & Good Times

2012 Gig Harbor Beer Festival May 21, 2012

Filed under: beer,Beer Festivals,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Seasonal beers,Summer Beers,Washington beer,Washington State Micro Breweries — pnwbeerchick @ 9:12 pm

Last weekend the beer Gods truly smiled on me. The sky was blue, the temperature was perfect, and the first annual Gig Harbor Beer Festival was held less than a block from my home! Who could ask for anything more? As usual, for the sake of length I will share my top favorites of the day.

Local Logger Lager (Everybody’s Brewing, White Salmon, WA) – 4.8% ABV The best beer of the event! Clean and crisp with a honey sweetness. Saaz and Golden hops create a light hoppiness that does not overpower the sweetness. Golden Grahams cereal came to mind immediately. A truly delicious beer!

Hulaweizen (7 Seas Brewery, Gig Harbor, WA) – 5.6% ABV A very different beer for this brewery. A lovely wheat beer brewed with coconut water and lemon grass. The pungent sourness of the lemongrass really comes through balancing out the sweetness of the coconut. I really hope 7 Seas makes this beauty one of their permanent beers!

Dog Zebra (Valholl Brewing, Poulsbo, WA) – Wonderfully hoppy beer! This lovely IPA had a lot of great citrus flavors and bite. The aroma was like walking through a grapefruit orchard. Wish I had more!

Agate Pass Amber (Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston, WA) – 5.5% ABV Fruity and hoppy, this well-balanced beer had notes of honey and pears. Not too sweet, not too hoppy. Great beer for a hot summer day.

Autumn Scotch (Der Blokken Brewery, Bremerton, WA) – 7% ABV I love scotch ales, but this one takes the cake! Thick, malty and sweet, Autumn Scotch has an unusual butterscotch aroma and flavor. The body is more on the fuller side and the finish has a “candy-like” sweetness. This is a great beer for kicking back and relaxing.

The festival, for the most part, was very well-organized. Unfortunately, the organizers seem to have made the same mistake most first time festival organizers make and misjudged the expected attendance. Most of the brewers were out of beer by 4:00 and the festival still had three hours to go! The use of available space for the festival goers was another issue. The festival surrounded a huge gazebo that had tons of shade. This area was blocked off and not assessable to the festival goers and instead used to store boxes of t-shirts and the token booth (1 guy, 1 table). We were forced to squeeze into what little shade we could find and had to stand as there we no chairs or tables anywhere. I also feel this would have been a great opportunity for the surrounding restaurants to have a small food cart or something in the area. Instead festival goers had to leave the festival, walk to the restaurants, and wait for over an hour for food.

I had a great time and, of course, the beer was the best part. With a few tweaks, Gig Harbor should have a heck of a festival next year!

Cheers!

Liz

www.7seasbrewing.com

www.everybodysbrewing.com

www.hoodcanalbrewery.com

www.valhollbrewing.com

www.derblokken.com

 

 

 

Coming Soon: Wingman Brewing’s new tasting room, Gig Harbor Beer Festival, and some new summer beer releases! May 16, 2012

Filed under: beer,Beer Festivals,breweries,Craft Beer Trade,Micro brew,Oregon Brewers,Oregon Micro Breweries,Pacific Northwest Beer,Seasonal beers,Seattle Beer,Summer Beers,Tacoma Breweries,Washington beer,Washington State Micro Breweries — pnwbeerchick @ 10:42 am
 

Upcoming event… April 25, 2012

Filed under: beer,Beer Festivals,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Seasonal beers,Washington beer,Washington State Micro Breweries — pnwbeerchick @ 10:44 pm

 

WHEN: Saturday, May 12th, 2012.

TIME:  Noon-7:00pm

WHERE: Uptown Gig Harbor Pavilion (4701 Pt. Fosdick Dr.)

ATTENDING BREWERIES:

  • 7 Seas Brewery
  • American Brewing Company
  • Der Blokken Brewery
  • Dicks Brewing Company
  • Everybody’s Brewing
  • Harmon  Brewing Co.
  • Hood Canal Brewery
  • Port Townsend Brewing Co.
  • Silver City  Brewery
  • Sound Brewery
  • Valholl Brewing Company

Pre-sale tickets are $20 or $25 the day of the event. Admission includes a 2012 commemorative taster cup and eight taster tokens. 21+ up only. You can purchase tickets through the festival website, www.gigharborbeerfestival.com or from www.brownpapertickets.com.

I will definitely be there!

Cheers!

Liz

 

Upcoming event: Hand Truckin’ @ Latona April 16, 2012

Filed under: beer,Beer Festivals,breweries,Earth Day,Pacific Northwest Beer,Seattle Beer,Washington beer,Washington State Micro Breweries — pnwbeerchick @ 7:08 pm

Local Brewery and Pub Toast Earth Day with Ten Mile Hand Truckin’ Event

Two Dozen Volunteers Trek Beer From SODO to Green Lake to Promote Neighborhood Walkability

Event Name: Hand Truckin’ @ Latona

Venue: Latona Pub; 6423 Latona Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98115

Description: A unique Earth Day celebration for beer lovers and supporting a more walkable community. Enjoy a beer and socialize with walking enthusiasts, pedestrian advocates and craft brew lovers. This event benefits Feet First, the only organization in Washington working to ensure there are walkable communities across the state. Your ticket gets you a Feet First pint glass and a big frothy mug of Two Beer’s limited edition Hand Truckin’ Wheat Ale. Prior to the event, volunteers will transport the ale 10 miles on foot from SODO to Greenlake in order to make this a zero-carbon event (call to be part of the great beer hike). Hand Truckin’ Wheat Ale is a bright-colored draft with a soft, slightly fruity aroma that is both brisk and refreshing. This beer is a tribute to people powered beer transportation, Mother Earth, and Feet First’s continued efforts to save lives, improve health, and expand economic growth in Washington.

 

When: April 22, 2012 (Earth Day). 2pm- 4:30 pm (there will be a press event with speakers and photo op at 2:20pm)

Price: $20

Tickets Website: http://feet-first.ticketleap.com/two-beers-a-pub-and-a-nonprofit/

Contact Name: Lee Warnecke

Contact Email: lee@feetfirst.org

Contact Phone: 206.652.2310 ext 4

Visuals: (Image: http://feetfirst.info/KegsAlongBGTrail.jpg ) The unveiling of the Feet First Chicken, the organization’s new mascot designed by staff at Seattle Central Community College’s Apparel Design program. Dozens of volunteers hand trucking kegs on foot from SODO to Green Lake. Friends and neighbors celebrating Earth Day by enjoying a glass of hand trucked ale at Latona Pub.

 

This event is sponsored by Feet First, Latona Pub, Two Beers Brewing Company and Immersus Tours. For the past ten years, Feet First has worked to ensure that all communities in Washington State are walkable. Walking is a vital transportation mode that connects communities, reduces pollution, improves health and physical fitness, and allows people to explore their natural environment.
 

My Beer Vacation – Part 3 April 12, 2012

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Port Townsend,Seattle Beer,Washington beer,Washington State Micro Breweries — pnwbeerchick @ 7:45 pm

A lovely drive north on the Olympic Peninsula will take you to the gorgeous seaside town of Port Townsend, WA. Port Townsend is the perfect getaway for lovers of Victorian architecture and all things nautical. It’s also a fantastic spot for some tasty beer.  But first, a short history lesson.

Port Townsend is a step back into time. Founded in 1851, the town’s physical appearance has changed very little over the last 120 years. Gorgeous Victorian buildings line the

Manresa Castle

Manresa Castle

downtown area and amazing Victorian homes (AKA “painted ladies”) peer down from the cliffs just behind the main street. You can stay in one of the historic hotels located on the main street or you can do what hubby and I did and stay just a few blocks away at Manresa Castle. Yes, there is a castle in Port Townsend! Built in 1892, it was the hill-top home of Port Townsend’s first mayor and his wife: Charles and Kate Eisenbeis.  Jesuit priests bought the home in 1927 and used it as a training college. Today it is a hotel lovingly restored and   gorgeously decorated in period antiques and photos of Port Townsend’s past. One can’t help but want to explore every nook and cranny of the grand old house. As with most old structures, Manresa Castle is rumored to be haunted. I was so looking forward to encountering a spirit. Alas, not this time.

Just down the hill in the ship yard sits Port Townsend Brewing Company. Opened in 1997, the brewery has become the pride of the town. And it’s no wonder why! The tasting room is very large and quite elegant. And boy do they have a lot of beer. I enjoyed the taster tray but was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of beer served; twelve tasters on the tray! Instead of describing every one of them I will pick out my favorites.

Port Townsend Brewing

Chet’s Gold (4.3% ABV) – the lightest beer in the joint. Very crisp, light hops, slightly sweet and finishes clean. Great for a hot day.

Bitter End IPA (6% ABV) – Gold color. Hoppy aroma and full body hop character. Grapefruit notes all the way through. Very tasty.

Hop Diggity IPA (6% ABV) – For an IPA this popular beer has a malty body. Hoppy but easy for the beginning  IPA drinker to enjoy. Lovely grapefruit finish.

Planet Zythos Pale (6.8% ABV) – Unfiltered, hoppy, and well-balanced. Another great beer for the beginner to give a try, but the enthusiast will enjoy as well.

Straight Stout (6% ABV) – For the chocolate fans, this one’s for you! Ink black color and light tan head. Chocolate aroma with smooth, chocolate, malty body and finish.

It was very hard to choose just a few of Port Townsend Brewing’s beers to talk about because they were all great. The tasting room is open Tuesday through Saturday. During warmer weather they open the grassy beer garden and feature live music.

Sirens

Making a right onto Hwy 20 will take you to the middle of the town’s main drag. Located on the second floor of one of the Victorian buildings is Sirens: A Pub of Distinction. I would

describe Sirens as a mix of gypsy den and antique store. There is outside seating and a gorgeous view of the Puget Sound. Sirens has a great beer selection (11 brews on tap and various bottled beers) and the food in incredible. The staff is very friendly and there is live music on occasion so be sure and check their schedule.

Port Townsend is a town full of maritime and Victorian history. Great for an overnight stay or a romantic weekend getaway, I would suggest anyone to stop through at least once. There aren’t too many towns like this left!

Cheers!

Liz

www.porttownsendbrewing.com

www.manresacastle.com

www.sirenspub.com