I know I’m not breaking any news here, but summer is such a great time to saddle up to a bar or sit outside in a beer garden and just order up a few beers and enjoy the company of a few friends.
Or maybe one.
Thursday was my wedding anniversary and I’m lucky that my wife, even though she’s gluten free, loves to encourage my love for beer. We celebrated by going to a few fine establishments up north and I imbibed on a number of amazing beers. It’s so nice to stumble upon a small restaurant and unexpectedly get smacked upside the head with an amazing tap list. It’s one of life’s greatest joys. I’ll be writing something about the beers I tried for a post next week, so look for that.
On another note, August is upon us and it’s time to start looking ahead at some great brewfest’s around the Sound. This first weekend is a little light, but it ramps up in a hurry next weekend. The 4-Corners Brewfest in Shoreline and the Porterhouse Brewfest are both next weekend, along with the Brew-Five-Three in Tacoma and Summer Cider Day in Port Townsend.
Here are some notes from around the wide world web concerning brews and spirits:
- It’s International Beer Day, so drink a beer. Maybe even an international one.
- Diamond Knot, based in Mukilteo, announced that they are brewing a new beer to honor the brewery’s namesake. Fog Bank Fall Ale commemorates the sinking of the MV Diamond Knot, which collided with the Fenn Victory in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Aug. 13, 1947. The beer was recently released and will run through the end of October. Read more here.
- Bothell’s Foggy Noggin Brewing is expanding its tasting room schedule. The FN tasting room will be open every Friday (4-8 p.m.) and Saturday (noon-4 p.m.) in the month of August. Get there early Saturday and receive $1 off pints from noon-1 p.m.
- The Fremont Brewing Company will soon be neighbors with Hale’s Ales and Maritime Pacific Brewing. Fremont is opening a new production facility in Ballard. For now continue to grab some good beer at their Fremont pub at 3409 Woodland Park Ave. N. Here’s some pics.
- InBev and Miller Coors continue to battle the tidal wave of craft breweries that are destroying their marketshare. One tactic has been to buy up craft labels like Goose Island and Leinenkugel. Unfortunately that is backfiring as it seems the purchasers of those beers are not shunning craft beer but macro beer. “In other words,” writes Tom Philpott in Mother Jones, “consumers aren’t dropping Sierra Nevada or Dogfish Head and reaching for the Shocktop. Rather, ShockTop sales are being propped up by refugees from Bud Light and the like.” Read more here.
- Apparently that lovely craft rye whiskey you’re sipping is not handcrafted from some small artisan distillery, but rather likely from a large factory in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
What’s happening this week:
- Hilliards Beers takes over the taps at American Brewing and will be pouring some of their favorite beers, including a sour beer on Sunday.
Follow Hops and Sips on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hopsandsips. Have a comment, an upcoming event that we can’t miss or an idea of a drink we must try? Email Aaron Swaney at aswaney@heraldnet.com or Jessi Loerch at jloerch@heraldnet.com.
In other words, consumers aren’t dropping Sierra Nevada or Dogfish Head and reaching for the Shocktop. Rather, ShockTop sales are being propped up by refugees from Bud Light and the like
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