Here is a press release announcing the upcoming release of GateCity IPA from Hellbent Brewing. The beer represents a collaboration between Hellbent Brewing, Watershed Pub and Kitchen, and North Helpline. HELLBENT BREWING COMPANY PRESENTS: GateCity IPA Release May 19th, 2020 Beer will be available for pickup or delivery (limited delivery area, see website for information) starting at noon on release day! As our partners at Watershed Pub & Kitchen would say, “Gate City IPA must go on!” This is the third time we’ve made this beer to raise money for the charity […]

I recently conducted a survey to see what Washington’s beer-loving public thinks about the upcoming reopening of businesses. Specifically, what people think about the “phase 2” reopening of brewery taprooms and brewpubs, which has now begun in less-populated counties and could go statewide on June 1st. Basically, I wanted to know how you feel about your favorite taprooms reopening. This endeavor is Washington-specific, focusing on Washington’s plans and targeting local consumers. This report is based on the first 1,100 responses. The survey ran on the Washington Beer Blog. We drove people to the survey […]

Ever since you-know-what turned our world on its head, we’ve lived in a sort of virtual reality. Happy hour with friends via Zoom is the best example. Well, Reuben’s Brews is inviting you to participate in the brewing of the next beer in the uber-popular Crush series, virtually. It all goes down tomorrow (Tues. April 28) when you will have an opportunity to help formulate the recipe. Visit Reuben’s Brews on Instagram tomorrow morning to find out about the six different hops available for the dry-hopping portion of the recipe. In this kind of beer, […]

The first time I heard about this idea was a couple weeks ago when Chainline Brewing in Kirkland announced that it was offering free beer to local healthcare workers with the help of an anonymous donor. Then we heard about a similar thing happening at Narrows Brewing in Tacoma a few days ago. In Everett, Lazy Boy Brewing is offering free beer to Snohomish County healthcare workers this week, with the help of an anonymous donor. This whole “pay it forward with beer” thing is really gaining momentum. I like it. At Crucible Brewing, more of the […]

Kiwis are the size of a large hen’s eggs, brownish-green, and fuzzy. They grow in places like New Zealand and California. That’s a kiwi, right? Think again. Kiwi fruit is a different animal. It possesses some of the same flavor characteristics but is the size of a grape, not fuzzy, and thrives in environments like the one we have here in Western Washington. Fair Isle Brewing in Seattle wants you to know about kiwi fruit (aka kiwi grape or kiwi berry). In particular, Ananasnaya Kiwi, which is what they used to create Ana, a […]

Best of Hands Brewery and Barrelhouse in West Seattle recently released three new beers, available in 16-ounce aluminum cans, to go at the brewery’s taproom. Depending on how sales go, some of it may make it into wider distribution. Depending on crowler shipments go, some of it may be available on draft (crowlers to go) at the brewery. Two of them are IPAs: a West Coast IPA and NE IPA. The third beer is a gose: Goza Butler, with a name that is an homage to Geezer Butler, the bass player […]

Fair Isle Brewing of Seattle just introduced the first beer in a series of oak-aged, fruited farmhouse ales. This one is called Tove and it was fermented on blackberries. It is available to go at the brewery’s taproom in Ballard. Order it in advance online here for pick up at the taproom (walk-ins welcome too). Here is the release announcement from Fair Isle Brewing: Tovean oak-aged ale refermented on blackberries 6.7% ABV || 375mL bottlesBATCH: ONE || PACKAGED: DECEMBER 2019 Tove is the first beer to be released in our series of fruited […]

Yesterday Fremont Brewing announced that it was releasing its Brew 4000. The company made the announcement first via a live Instagram video. Given the current restrictions, precautions, and challenges, the company decided to do something they’d never done before. Customers could order the beer and pay for it online, then pick the beer up via a drive-thru operation. Despite imposing a per-person bottle limit, it seems the beer sold out in a flash. A limited amount will make its way to the retail marketplace. Of course, some people were disappointed to discover that Brew […]

While so many restaurants and bars around Seattle face uncertain futures due to the COVID-19 shutdown, one of Seattle’s very best beer spots is absolutely certain about what happens next. Toronado Seattle is closed forever. Apparently, the COVID shutdown was the straw that broke the camel’s back. This hugely sad announcement was made this afternoon on Facebook. In 2014, Matt Bonney, a local icon in the Seattle beer industry, opened his own beer institution, Toronado Seattle, in Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood. Last March, Matt unexpectedly and suddenly passed away. The family picked up the reigns and […]