Taking Over Tacoma (in a Truly Tasty Way):
The beauty of the Washington beer scene: Collaboration comes before competition. Different regions here cheer one another on—giving everyone a turn in the spotlight. This month we focus on the delectable beers found predominantly in the South Sound, offering beer lovers a great reason to plug “Tacoma” into the GPS on August 29.
The second annual South Sound Craft Beer Festival takes over the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall from noon to 6 p.m. the last Saturday of the month, featuring 30-plus Washington breweries that will pour more than 100 types of craft beers, with an emphasis on a PNW favorite—the mighty IPA. The indoor-outdoor, 21-and-over event not only brightens the day with tasty brews, but also with flavorful eats and tunes to complement the already-rockin’ scene. (For example, you’ll hear the lively beats of Rain City Time Machine, a 70s and 80s cover band.)
We recently caught up with a couple key players—from brand-newbies to old pros—who will make the day an especially delicious affair to remember.
Tickets include a tasting cup and six five-ounce tasting tokens. Additional tokens can be purchased on-site for $2 each or three for $5. Designated drivers can purchase a $5 admission ticket on the day-of show at the door. (The DD ticket includes free water/soda.)
Backwoods Brewing Company opened just over three years in Carson, Washington, in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge and mere minutes from the Oregon border. At the fest, friendly staff members will pour their Double Cutt IIPA (an Imperial IPA that’s dry-hopped twice, giving it a “huge floral nose…Hints of citrus and pine balanced by a lightly sweet malt finish”), the Copperline Amber (malt-forward with spices and subtle orange notes, plus just enough hops to provide a mildly bitter finish) and the Clear Cut Pale (a pale made with a blend of hops from the Northwest, Germany and Australia). Jordan Tanasse of the Sales & Marketing team says, “We are most excited to have people try our Double Cutt Imperial IPA. It just won the silver medal for the 2015 WA Beer Awards in the Imperial IPA category, and it is just an awesome beer!”
Thanks to Backwoods’ strong market presence in Tacoma and the South Sound area, it seemed a no-brainer to participate in the upcoming beer bonanza. “We hope to meet local business owners and beer consumers alike at this festival,” says Tanasse. Belonging to the Washington beer scene is not something the burgeoning brewery takes lightly. “We know we are lucky and blessed to have not only a knowledgeable beer community in our backyard, but also one that is accepting of up-and-coming breweries. We are three years old now, but there are many people, especially in the South Sound, that embraced Backwoods when we first distributed beer two years ago,” Tanasse comments.
Tanasse adds that such staunch local support has truly enabled them to grow and improve their craft. “Having so many breweries around forces each of us to be the best we can be and make the best beer we can. The end result is that we have a huge selection of quality craft beer to choose from, and that is something we can’t take for granted.”
Newer to the scene, Lumberjack Brewing Company opened for business four months ago on a rural farm property in Maple Valley, Washington. “We have been looking forward to being a part of the South Sound Beer Fest since first opening our doors,” says CEO-owner Melissa Earl. “Both customers and other breweries have shared compelling stories about the unique focus on South Sound Breweries.”
These talented entrepreneurs look forward to sharing their unique brews and receiving feedback from local craft beer enthusiasts. Fest goers will try their Timber Pale Ale, a version of a Northwest pale ale, brewed with Marris Otter Malt and Cascade Hops. (Their alluring description: “It has a light body, subtle hop undertones with a clean finish. This beer is sure to quench your thirst on a warm day.”) Attendees will also sample their Treespike IPA, an American IPA brewed with three different hop varieties and dry-hopped, leading to citrusy flavors accompanied by a “medium to light malt balance.”
Once again, this brewery expresses immense gratitude for belonging to this special “club.” “Being a part of the thriving Washington beer scene means everything to us,” says Earl. “We appreciate the opportunity to be a part of such an inspiring movement and can’t wait to see where we can contribute.”
Pike Brewing Company has been open for 25 years, making it an institution around these parts. Located in the heart of downtown near the famed market, Pike Brewing has been a pioneer on the scene in more ways than one. Communications and Events Director Zan McColloch-Lussier expresses excitement about playing a part in this fest, referring to Tacoma as a great beer town with a growing craft beer scene. He adds, “As one of our state’s oldest, independent craft brewers, we are always interested in talking with beer drinkers, from novices to connoisseurs.”
They will be pouring their Pike Space Needle Golden IPA, a West Coast-style IPA that’s generously brewed with five varieties of Yakima Valley aroma and flavoring hops. McColloch-Lussier elaborates, “We then dry hop it with whole-cone Columbus, Summit and Centennial hops, which impart a floral aroma that has catapulted this beer to one of Pike Brewing customer’s favorite IPA’s.”
“We love being a part of one of our country’s most established and respected craft beer scenes,” he adds. “There is such a diversity of excellent beer in Washington state, and we appreciate how that is introducing more people all the time to craft beer. In our 25-plus years we have seen many changes to our state’s craft beer community and are proud to be an active part of its growth.”
Two Beers Brewing Company has been in operation since 2007, and their current brewery and tasting room—The Woods—can be found in Seattle’s trendy SoDo zone. They will be toting along their Off Trail Pale Ale, Pilchuck Pilsner and Blood Sweat and Beer IPA—gems they describe as “effervescent, hoppy and delicious!”
Caity Rock and her colleagues are thrilled to participate. “We are super excited that the commission is putting on an event to help promote craft beer,” she says, “Lots of goodness happens with beer in the great state of Washington. We use exclusively Washington-grown hops and buy as much grain as possible from Washington…so to be part of a growing community that helps give back to the greater community is a privilege.”
Top Rung Brewing in Lacey opened in April 2014 as a 10bbl production brewery with an on-site taproom (open Thursday through Sunday). At the upcoming “awesome state beer festival,” they will pour choices that are “refreshing, crisp, clean and well-balanced”—the Prying Irons IPA, Three-Sixty Red and Lacey Lager.
They happily support the ever-increasing craft brewery presence in the South Sound region. “We are both humbled and honored to be part of a great and growing craft beer segment in Washington,” says Co-Founder and Brewery Operations Manager Casey Sobol. “There are so many great craft breweries [here] that have paved the way for the newbies to work together making Washington beer some of the finest in the country. There are a lot of expectations to be met and maintained at creating high-quality craft beer that meets the demands of our customer. At Top Rung… it is our desire to be a part of …getting the word out about just how great our state’s craft beer scene is. We are excited for what the future holds.”
Oh, we are too, Casey. We’ll certainly raise a glass to that. To the future!
