We also appreciate the canned craft beer apocalypse that was started some years ago by Oskar Blues, a craft brewery in Lyons, CO.  Remember the first time you saw Dale’s Pale Ale in a can? Kind of freaked you out, didn’t it? Oskar Blues Brewery proved to craft beer drinkers that canned beer was good for more than cooking chickens.

It was just announced that Oskar Blues won the Colorado Brewers Guild 2010 President’s Award. Congratulations to Oskar Blues! Perhaps the Washington Brewers Guild needs to have a similar award?

Here’s the official press release.

Lyons, Colo. – Oskar Blues efforts supporting the Colorado Craft Beer movement were recognized with the 2010 President’s Award at the Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) Annual Meeting prior to the Colorado Brewers Rendezvous in Salida on July 10, 2010. In the past year Oskar Blues has increased capacity and quality of brewing, gotten as much national and local press as most companies can hope for in a lifetime, driven demand beyond supply, continued to evolve into a major player in the craft beer industry and raised money and awareness for the great craft beer culture Colorado has spawned. “The Guild is fortunate to have Oskar Blues as a member”, said John Carlson, CBG Executive Director. “Oskar Blues is a creative force on the Colorado beer scene.”

The CBG, founded in 1995, is a non-profit trade association advocating on behalf of Colorado Craft Brewers. It represents more than 95 percent of craft beer production in Colorado. The Guild hosts its biggest event of the year, the Colorado Brewers Rendezvous (CBR), every year in July in Salida, Colo., an idyllic, relaxed, casual setting along the Arkansas River. Each year CBR provides Colorado Beer Lovers a pure Colorado Craft Beer experience in a family-friendly environment. The event benefits CBG and the Town of Salida Chamber of Commerce.

Oskar Blues demonstrated outstanding support of CBG operations including:
•    Fundraiser for CBG: Oskar Blues raised revenue for the CBG, with its Burning Can event, illustrating to other brewers how to raise funds for the guild and have fun at the same time.
•    CBG Events: Oskar Blues sales representatives and event crews support CBG events like the Colorado Brewers Rendezvous.
•    Legislative Support: Oskar Blues Owner Dale Katechis and President John Bryant testified against the grocery bill, a bill that would have negatively affected the craft beer culture of Colorado.
•    Chad Melis, Oskar Blues marketing director is the CBG marketing chair, leading marketing functions to develop additional brewery and Colorado Beer Lover membership, funding and exposure for the Guild and Colorado’s craft brewers.

Oskar Blues, the leader in the canned craft beer industry and culture, continues to keep an eye on legislation that will negatively impact the craft beer industry and continues efforts to support the CBG and craft beer brewers throughout Colorado. Oskar Blues is committed to breaking the mold and changing what beer lovers believe about canned craft beer. Oskar Blues’ next events to support the CBG and other craft brewers will take place during the Great American Beer Festival.

###

ABOUT OSKAR BLUES
Three-dimensional brewing since 1999, Oskar Blues began the “Canned Beer Apocalypse” in 2002 when Dale’s Pale Ale became America’s 1st CANNED craft beer. For additional info, interviews, images or samples please contact Chad Melis at chad@oskarblues.com, 720.273.8888 or visit www.oskarblues.com.

ABOUT COLORADO BREWERS GUILD
The Colorado Brewers Guild, a trade association dedicated to the Colorado craft brewing industry, facilitates educational beer activities in Colorado. The CBG sponsors a variety of beer events throughout the state each year designed to increase awareness and appreciation of Colorado brewed beer. For information about the Colorado Brewers Guild and its member breweries: www.coloradobeer.org.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Tour de Fat is that it gives me an opportunity to use the word jalopy.

Note - Stylish woman not included.

Got an old junker of a car that you’re looking to get rid of? Got a jalopy you want to offload? This is your chance to trade that car in for a stylish new bicycle. See the details below. We’re talking about a serious bike. This is a handmade, hardcore piece of machinery. You can see all specs details online. It’s a pretty intense bike. Trading in that old jalopy for this bike is a bargain.

Here’s the latest press release from New Belgium.

New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat
Rolls into Seattle on July 31

Car-for-Bike Swapper Still Needed! Send in Your Essay or Video Today!

Ft. Collins, CO, July 27, 2010 – Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, will stop in Gas Works Park on July 31 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Get your costumes and bike ready, and join us to honor mankind’s greatest invention.

For the fourth year in a row, Tour de Fat is looking for volunteers to accept the swapper challenge. One volunteer in each city will give up their car and receive a hand-built Black Sheep (http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/) commuter bike. The volunteer is chosen after submitting a video or essay describing their desire to live sans-car for a year.  To submit an application, log on to http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat. A swapper is still needed in Seattle!

Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds from the Seattle stop will go to The Bicycle Alliance of Washington (www.bicyclealliance.org) and Bike Works (http://www.bikeworks.org/).  Since its inception, the philanthropic cycling circus has raised more than $1 million on behalf of non-profit organizations.

What: New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat
When: Saturday, July 31, 2010
Where: Gas Works Park

Tentative Schedule:
10:00 a.m.      Bike Parade Registration
11:00 a.m.      Bike Parade Launch
12:00 p.m.      Performances Begin
12:20 p.m.      The SLOW RIDE
1:30 p.m.        The Great Bike Story Contest for New Belgium Cruiser Bike
2:35 p.m.        Car-for-Bike Trade Celebration
4:50 p.m.        Faux Finale
4:55 p.m.        Faux-Real finale
5:00 p.m.        Curtain Closes

Acts:
Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt (http://theterrorpigeondancerevolt.com/hi.html)
The Dovekins (http://www.myspace.com/dovekins)
A Honeymoon Cabaret (http://www.daredevilchicken.com/honeymoon.html)
Jonathan Burns (http://www.comedystunts.com/)
Americaine: Stupide

Makes me wish I could shrug off the responsibilities of life and make a trip to Stevenson this Friday. Hmmm.

Elliott Bay Brewing recently announced the launch of their new website, which includes blog-like, frequently updated content. Now it’s all wrapped up into one nice package.  No more bouncing back and forth between the Web site, which held the static content and the blog which featured dynamic content about what’s happening at the pubs and the brewhouses.

One thing that many people don’t know about the Washington Beer Blog (First Draft Production) is that we also design, build and manage affordable, easily updated websites for small businesses. We didn’t do the website for Elliott Bay, but we know a nice website when we see it.

The new Elliott Bay website might be fancy, but not as fancy as the Elliott Bay Brewing van we saw rolling through Seattle recently. We actually got to go for a spin in it. Oh momma! That’s a fancy van!

When we first met Schooner Exact, it was an ultra-small brewery operating a nano-sized brewhouse out of an Active Space location in West Seattle. Eventually they moved into a shared space with Trade Route Brewing (back then, Laughing Buddha Brewing) in South Park. That’s when Schooner Exact started to look like an adolescent brewery, installing a real brewhouse and everything. More recently, they moved to a new, larger location in Seattle’s SODO district and continued the expansion.

We intend to wish Schooner Exact a happy third-and-a-half birthday this Thursday night when they visit the Beveridge Place Pub for a brewers night celebration. Coincidentally, the Beveridge Place is where Schooner Exact made their world debut nearly four years ago. I guess you could call it their home field.

The most recent round of expansion at Schooner Exact included the addition of equipment and employees. Not too long ago, Schooner Exact opened a tasting room at the brewery in SODO. They recently announced that they’ve expanded their hours for the summer. We encourage you to stop by and check it out.

Who are they?

It’s been nearly four years since we first met Schooner Exact. They’ve come a long way, starting out small and growing steadily. Two recently liberated school teachers, co-owners Matt and Heather McClung, have now officially quit their day jobs and are doing the beer thing full time. Like the children they have taught all these years, they’ve grown up and moved along with their lives.

Mat McClung on Kong TV News last September.

Matt McClung taught high school chemistry. Last month at the Washington Brewers Festival one of his former students actually stepped up to his booth to order a beer. Heather was a kindergarten teacher, so it will be many years before she gets to experience the joy of serving beer to one of her students. She is currently the President of the Washington Brewers Guild, a job for which she is uniquely qualified given her past professional experience.

Where is it?

The brewery and tasting room is located on First Avenue South, just south of the Spokane Street Viaduct (A.K.A the West Seattle Bridge). We admit that First Avenue South is a bit of a mess these days, but a visit to Schooner Exact is worth your time and effort. Right now we recommend approaching the brewery from the south, but the ongoing construction on First Avenue makes it a bit of a moving target.

First Avenue South features an overpass that goes over the train tracks. Perhaps you’ve never noticed it before, but you’ll notice it now that I’ve mentioned it. If you are driving northbound on First Avenue, you will find Schooner Exact on the left just past the overpass. If you are driving southbound, you will find Schooner Exact on the right just before you go over the overpass. It may sound confusing, but if you see it on the map I think you’ll understand. Map below.

The tasting room is open Monday and Thursday 3:00 – 7:00; Friday 2:30 – 7:00; Saturday 12:00 – 7:00. (Note -  Monday AND Thursday, not Monday thru Thursday.) They serve tasters, pints and growlers to go.

Schooner Exact Brewing
3901 1st Avenue South
Seattle, WA‎
(206) 432-9734‎

Mike and his partner Travis Guterson are a couple of guys who like to get outside and enjoy the environment, so their vision of a beer garden is a bit different than most. It’s more like a campground or a wilderness picnic spot, really.  In Seattle, Fremont Brewing Company has an urban beer garden (read about our visit) which has its own kind of charm for sure, but what they have planned at 7 Seas is quite the opposite.

If you’ve visited the 7 Seas brewery, you might recall that it borders a wooded area. Their next door neighbors are robins, squirrels, raccoons and the trees those woodland critters call home. Into this forest, 7 Seas has inserted a beer garden. While many beer gardens offer you an asphalt floor, you’ll have a  blanket of pine needles beneath your feet in this one.

“This is going to be a real northwest beer garden,” Mike told us. “It’ll be like having a beer at your campsite in the woods.”

That might be true, but this beer garden is going to be a lot larger than most campsites. “About 1,200 square feet. Maybe closer to 1,500,” Mike says. “It’s big. It dwarfs our taproom.”

As far as the party goes, Mike assured us that it’s going to be a big bash. It sounds like they’re not holding anything back for this one. You can get all the details on their website. I’ll mention just a couple of things here:

Mike tells us that he’s expecting over 1,000 people. Yep, it’s going to be a bash. Live music, food, great beer. Sounds like a great time to me.

Parking – Since the brewery’s parking lot will be hosting the party, all parking will be off site. There’s a parking lot nearby that will have plenty of room and shuttle buses will be running constantly. Truth is, the parking lot is within walking distance anyway. DO NOT make the mistake of parking in the lot next door at the Inn at Gig Harbor. Big, big mistake.

Pirates -  Argh! When ye sails the 7 Seas, ye should expect to see pirates. This is, after all, Gig Harbor—a town with an unmistakable maritime heritage. Without going into too much detail, Mike tells us that there will be pirates. “Serious pirates,” were his exact words. If you show up dressed as a pirate, they’ll buy you a beer.

Here’s the official press release:

Iron Horse Micropub opens its doors in downtown Ellensburg

Ellensburg, WA – Iron Horse Brewery announces the opening of its second location during the last week of July 2010. The Micropub, located at 416 N. Main St, offers an intimate indoor environment with 5 beers on tap, as well as an outdoor beer garden. The interior features concrete countertops by local artist Austin Smith and craftsman Toby Williams and natural Marmoleum flooring. In addition to lawn chair seating, the beer garden offers Cornhole, a tossing game gaining in popularity around the country. Patrons can order food from surrounding restaurants and eat at the Micropub. In addition to stopping in to enjoy a locally brewed ale, customers can fill growlers, glass containers for transporting fresh beer.

Iron Horse’s decision to add a downtown location originated in part from the citizens of Ellensburg. The initial tasting room, located at 1000 Prospect St, Ste 4, became such a popular hang out, that seats fill quickly. Some customers want another location simply to spread out the crowd, while others are eager to see Iron Horse contribute to the revitalization of Ellensburg’s downtown.

Iron Horse Brewery opened in Ellensburg in January of 2005. Since then, Iron Horse has grown substantially. People know Iron Horse for its irreverent beers, which are created from an authentic quest for goodness, rather than to fit strict style guidelines. Washington state offers up Iron Horse brews in many locations, with distribution from Spokane to Seattle, and the Tri-Cities to Chelan. As capacity increases, Iron Horse plans to extend their reach into surrounding states. For more information about Iron Horse Brewery, go to www. ironhorsebrewery.com.

Don’t rush to judgment. Although the Mens Room radio show might not be your cup of tea, the Mens Room Original Red is not some silly, gimmicky beer. It’s damn good. What’s more, having listened to the Mens Room show on KISW more than once, I can tell you that the radio personalities involved are truly stoked. It’s fun to hear them talk about how awesome it is that they have their own beer. Not surprising, really. I mean, how excited would you be if Dick Cantwell and his crew at Elysian made a beer with your name on it?

The Mens Room Original Red is a medium-bodied ale, hopped with Chinook and Cascade hops, weighing in at 5.6 ABV. As you might expect from Elysian, the beer is delicious–a well-balanced amber ale with a slighly hoppy nose and smooth malty finish.

In June, sales of Mens Room Original Red raised $3,000 for Fischer House. That number will continue to grow as the beer’s popularity increases. Cheers to that!

From Elysian:

A big Thank You to all you Mens Room Red guzzlers out there–demand for this beer has been out of control and we are very pleased to be able to hand this donation over to the VA Puget Sound Fisher House. For those that aren’t familiar–Fisher House provides temporary housing for families of military Veterans receiving medical care in area facilities.

Speaking of MENS ROOM ORIGINAL RED…
22 oz. bottles will soon be available in stores! Mens Room Red 22 oz. bottles should be hitting shelves of area Puget Sound retailers after August 25.

If you can’t wait until then, they are currently available at Elysian Capitol Hill and Tangletown. It’s always a good idea to call ahead to check stock.

Cap Hill 206.860.1920
Tangletown 206.547.5929

Can you spot the Washington Beer Blog in the video? Or yourself?

Need to catch up? Read our introduction to 7 Seas Brewing here.

In just one year, 7 Seas Brewing has accomplished a lot. They have the proud distinction of being the first Washington craft brewery to package its product in aluminum cans, they are brewing beer furiously to keep up with orders, and they are currently in the process of expanding their brewing capacity.

Mike Runion and Travis Guterson

It’s been quite a ride for Travis and Mike since that fire tore through their fledgling brewery 16 months ago. We hope you’ll all join us in wishing them a happy first birthday. And many more!

Here are some details about the party. Visit the 7 Seas website for more information.

7 Seas Brewing 1 Year Anniversary Bash

Time flies when you’re having fun and drinking great beer! 7 Seas Brewing will be celebrating this occasion with a Beer Bash of epic proportions. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, 7 Seas has rebuilt better than ever and introduced Washington to Craft Beer in a Can! Come celebrate with us and enjoy the local live music of China Davis, Perry Acker, and Black Market Revue.

Grillmaster Buck Buchanan will be holding down the grill serving Brats, Burgers, Ribs, and world-famous Buck’s Beans, while Courtney and Trish of Provisions Catering will be serving Fish Tacos, Stout Ice Cream, Taco Salad, and Hop Lemonade. I know…… a little something for everyone, we’re in for a treat!

Beers? Oh Yeah! All of the 7 Seas Proper Pints will be pouring! A full spectrum of refreshing brews to satisfy all.

Parking will be @ the old Gig Harbor Ford Dealership (a mere 2 blocks away) and there will be a continuously running shuttle to and from. Please NO parking at the Inn at Gig Harbor Hotel.

The cost of such an amazing day? $3 per person which goes to support our local entertainment. Credit/debit cards will only be accepted for merchandise purchases, so cover, beer, and food will be on a cash basis.

We are extremely fortunate to have had all of the amazing support from the local community here in Gig Harbor and throughout Washington. We truly appreciate all of you and would like to thank you by throwing one hell of a bash. Please plan ahead and designate a driver or other accommodations.

PLEASE DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.

When: Saturday, July 31st: 12noon-8pm
Where: @ 7 Seas Brewing (see below for parking info)
3207 57th St CT NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Details: $3 cash cover (+21 and over only)