Seattle Warriors Hockey is a disabled veteran hockey program dedicated to building community, fostering connection, and supporting the physical and mental well-being of disabled veterans. Helles Yeah Brother is a beer brewed by Dirty Couch Brewing to support the program.

Dirty Couch Brewing says you can definitely get the beer, a Helles-style lager, at the brewery’s taproom in Ballard. Also, look for it now or soon at locations around town, like Kangaroo and Kiwi, El Chupacabra Greenwood, Angry Beaver, Madrona Arms, Beer Star, Tapped Mukilteo, and beyond.

“We’re all players with service connected disabilities that are rated by the VA,” said Nate Gallery of Seattle Warriors Hockey. “We buy ice time locally, support players without financial means to participate, and currently attend the US Hockey National Disabled Veterans National tournament.”

“Beyond hockey we volunteer at a variety of community events around youth access to sports and veterans and PTSD causes. We’re using hockey to support physical and mental health but beyond that building an everyday life support system and helping members find meaning outside their military service.” 

As the flagship program of the PNW Veterans Hockey Foundation, Seattle Warriors Hockey helps veterans rediscover camaraderie, rebuild a sense of belonging, and find purpose through shared experiences on and off the ice.

From recreational hockey and competitive tournaments to community events and volunteer opportunities, your support helps Disabled Veterans and their families find community through the game. 

To learn about other recent beer releases, visit our New Beer Releases page. To let us know about your brewery’s new releases, here’s how to reach out to us.

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Pourhouse Taproom and Bottleshop is located a block east of Propolis Brewing on Port Townsend’s working waterfront. The entire place is lovely but its beer garden is probably one of the best in the state. I don’t say that lightly. Sprawling out the back of the building, the large, south-facing beer garden sits on the shore of Port Townsend Bay and even offers a peek-a-boo view of Mount Rainier in the distance. Endless, relaxation-inducing entertainment is provided by the near-constant stream of marine traffic, much of it wind-powered or people-powered. The beer garden has also been known to host live music. (My band played there, for instance.) 

Here is what the real estate listing had to say about it. 

“The Olympic Peninsula’s most beloved craft beer taproom and bottle shop is looking for its next stewards! Located right on the beach at the mouth of Port Townsend Bay, Pourhouse has happily served locals and visitors alike since 2012. Known for having the area’s best selection of craft beers, Pourhouse offers 14 thoughtfully curated taps and over 200 cans and bottles from regionally and nationally acclaimed producers.” 

“Take in spectacular waterfront views from the beer garden complete with abundant seating, music stage, ping pong table, and a covered porch for year-round enjoyment. Inside, you’ll find a welcoming bar and cozy spaces to gather for sporting events, board games, celebrations, and more. Remarkably consistent sales, a loyal clientele, well established operations, unparalleled location, long-term lease, and room to grow make this thriving Port Townsend institution a rare gem! Please view with discretion and do not disturb staff or business operations.”

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If you want to attend, or if you have questions, or if you would like to contribute in another way, you can email
seattleturkeybowl@gmail.com. Precious few lanes still available. Do not delay.

What is Turkey Bowl? For more than two decades, Kim and I have operated the Beer Church Turkey Bowl, an annual fundraiser for West Seattle Food Bank. But this isn’t about us. It’s about supporting your local food bank and similar organizations. Whether you bowl or not, you are welcome to join us for an evening fun, beer, comradery, and a target raffle (think, silent auction only better).

Working in collaboration with Stoup Brewing, we are releasing Beer Church West Coast Lager at the event, but this isn’t about the beer. It’s about supporting your local food bank. The vast majority of you will not attend our event or drink the beer, so this is a request that you support your local food bank however you can. 

West Seattle Bowl
4505 39th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116
Saturday, November 14th, 5 – 8 pm.

We learned the news yesterday when one of George’s friends posted it on Facebook. George Hancock, who with his wife, Jane, founded Maritime Pacific Brewing in Ballard, has died. Hancock was a pioneer of Seattle craft brewing. He and Jane were living on a sailboat in Shilshole Bay when they opened Maritime Pacific in 1990 on Leary Way in Ballard. It was only the 13th brewery license issued by Washington State. Today the state is home to more than 400 breweries.

Join Rooftop Brewing at the Jolly Roger this Friday Nov 6 for the 2026 release of Jolly Roger! The event will feature:

– Jolly Roger Bierstacheln (Hot Poke) from 5-7:30. 
– Jolly Vintage Flight with 2011, 2016, 2019, 2025, 2026 and barrel-aged vintages.
– Special “Jolly” food pairings, with a specials menu inspired (and made with) Jolly Roger.
– Maybe a Pirate or two!!

Famously, he said,  “I wanted to make beers I wanted to drink and didn’t care about anyone else.” Sorry George, but everyone else wanted to drink your beer, too. My first encounter, which I still remember fondly, was a pint of Maritime Flagship Red Alt at the Crocodile Cafe. That was sometime back in the early grunge years.

George named most, if not all, of his beers after maritime terms, and Flagship Red Alt was the first ship in his fleet. Jolly Roger Christmas Ale soon became the brewery’s best-loved beer and it is still a holiday tradition around Seattle. That’s also the name they put on the Maritime Pacific Taproom. Last year, Rooftop Brewing took over operations of the brewery and taproom, but it is still called, and always will be called, The Jolly Roger. 

Don’t be confused. Two George Hancocks are legends of the local beer industry. The other George Hancock, of Pyramid Brewing, passed a decade ago.

Maritime Pacific outlasted many breweries that popped up in that early era. After 20 years in its original Ballard location, it moved to 1111 NW Ballard Ave in 2010. Today, Ballard has more breweries than any other neighborhood in Seattle. Maybe the highest density of breweries of any place on the planet. It’s the crest of a wave the George and Jane launched. 

George liked to call himself a “curmudgeon of beer.” I think we all know what he meant by that. It was a self-effacing way of acknowledging that the craft beer industry, which he helped pioneer in Seattle, swelled into a tidal wave none of us could have imagined back in 1990. And then, to a certain degree, the modern craft beer industry lost sight of the people and businesses who built the foundation upon which it was built. Kids these days! 

George and Jane Hancock retired in 2025 after 35 years and turned the keys over to Rooftop Brewing. At the retirement party, patrons packed the brewery to toast their legacy, and George closed the evening by leading the crowd in a rousing “Arrrghh!” 

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Some news you read twice because it surprises you. Then, it sinks in, and it doesn’t. Full Sail Brewing, one of Oregon’s oldest craft breweries, has been sold to Sazerac Company, one of the largest and fastest growing spirits companies in the world. By all appearances, the beer isn’t coming along for the ride.

Here’s what we know for sure. The Louisville-based Sazerac family of brands has acquired the Hood River brewery, and the company confirmed it on Tuesday. In an email to the Portland Business Journal, Sazerac said it was “pleased to confirm the acquisition of Full Sail Brewing” and described the deal as a way to add capacity and capabilities to its network, as reported by KGW TV. Terms weren’t disclosed. 

What it is

As for what’s been reported, I’ll note the differences because they matter. New School Beer + Cider, which is embedded closest to the situation, broke the story, reporting that the Hood River brew pub shut its doors Monday, with the first word coming from social media posts by employees. One pub employee wrote that the staff had no idea their last shift was their last shift. 

New School let comments on Reddit tell the story. One of Full Sail’s brewers said that Sazerac held a meeting with production staff that day, and even the brewmaster learned the news there. Word is, the pub staff were let go with a week of severance, and the brewery will keep making beer only for existing contract customers. The same brewer put it bluntly, saying: “the Full Sail and Session brands officially died.” 

I haven’t seen or heard confirmation of any of that from Sazerac or Full Sail. But I do have full faith in New School’s reporting of what people are saying. Until we see a statement from the companies involved, I have to treat the closure and the news of the brand’s demise as reported, not confirmed. But honestly, the reality seems clear. 

I say that it seems clear because…

The trade press tells a consistent version of the story. BevNET reports that Sazerac bought Full Sail to expand production capacity for its growing portfolio of ready-to-drink offerings. Dealroom’s summary says the facility will primarily make BuzzBallz, noting that Sazerac bought Full Sail mainly for its production facility, adding that Sazerac has been on an RTD shopping spree, picking up BuzzBallz in 2024, Dirty Shirley in March 2026 and Au Vodka in September. 

You don’t need to stretch your imagination or read between the lines on that one. It bought a bunch of RTD brands. Then the company went shopping for a big, well-equipped production facility. Full Sail is certainly that.  

Full Sail was born in 1987 in a former cannery in Hood River as Hood River Brewing Company. It was among the first to take advantage of Oregon’s brewpub law, and the first to successfully put its beer in 12-ounce bottles for wider distribution. (Drank more than a couple of those, back in the day.) The brewery went employee-owned in 1999, then sold to private equity firm Encore Consumer Capital in 2015, after which founder Irene Firmat retired. It was the 11th-largest craft brewery in Oregon on the Business Journal’s list, with 12,800 barrels produced in 2025. 

So what’s really happening?

The timing is what caught me off guard. Full Sail recently celebrated Session Lager’s 21st birthday by introducing some retro packaging and some new versions of Session. In June it won some honors at the New York International Beer Competition. Next year the brewery will celebrate its 40th anniversary, or would have. So, although Full Sail may not be top of mind for many beer lovers in the PNW these days, it did in fact have some stuff going on. 

So what is the lesson, or message, here? Craft beer has been worrying about slumping sales and increasingly crowded shelves. But this represents a different threat. A brewery with a good reputation and good beer is worth more to a buyer as a random collection of steel tanks and packaging lines than it is a beer brand. RTDs are growing fast, and the companies that are working to keep up with that growth need places to make the stuff. Forty years of craft beer history and heritage doesn’t have a place on the spreadsheet. While it makes some beer lovers sad, especially those with a decades-old connection to a historic brewery, to some owners of legacy breweries perhaps its sounds like an exit strategy.

I’ll keep an eye out for confirmation from Full Sail and Sazerac, and for word on how many people lost their jobs. That’s the worst part, of course. We can all learn to live without that one beer brand, but learning to live without a paycheck? That sucks. 

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Judging 1,048 beers over two days sounds like a dream job until you do the math. Then it sounds like a marathon with really good hydration stations along the route. TL;DR Jump straight to the list of winners.

That’s the formidable task the judges tackled in September at Elliott Bay Public House & Brewery in Lake City. They worked through entries from 153 breweries and cideries across 142 styles from the Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines, judging for both technical and stylistic excellence. On Monday, the results of the twelfth annual Washington Beer Awards were announced at the Washington Craft Beer Summit at the Sea-Tac Doubletree.

The headline number: 92 Washington breweries and cideries took home gold, silver, or bronze medals across 67 category groupings. Do the math on that one, too. Nearly two out of three of the breweries that entered the competition went home with some shiny hardware around their necks. 

Then there are the Brewery of the Year awards, which go to the folks who piled up medals in multiple categories. This year’s winners:

• Very Small Brewery of the Year: Haas Innovations Brewing
• Small Brewery of the Year: Ilk Beer, with a gold and two silvers
• Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year: Fortside Brewing Company, which had what can only be described as a dominating year with four golds and a silver
• Large Brewery of the Year: Icicle Brewing Company, with five golds and a silver

Some things that caught my eye at the awards ceremony last night:

• Georgetown Brewing Company won gold in the Pro-Am category for a session IPA developed by Washington homebrewer Ryan Hopkins, then scaled up for commercial production. (Every homebrewer’s fantasy, right? Your recipe, on a real brewery’s tap list, with a medal on top.) 
• Formula Brewing and Sun River Brewing teamed up on an Australian Pale Ale called Chase Down, which took gold in the Collaboration Beer category. Two breweries, one beer, one gold. Not really surprising considering the strength and medal-winning history of the two breweries involved.
• I recently visited Larrabee Lager Company in Bellingham and ordered a Vienna Lager. I thought it was an exceptional beer and a great representation of the style. So when it won the gold medal last night, it stroked my ego. I suffer from imposter syndrome and often wonder if I really do know what I’m talking about. Yay for Larrabee and yay for me. 
• Dang, Icicle, now you just showin’ off! Five golds and a silver. That’s a big night.
• Haas Innovations: The experimental brewery at Yakimia’s John I. Haas Co. (think, Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory) won Very Small Brewery of the Year “by strength of victory over three other breweries.” In other words, there was a four-way tie that had to be broken. FYI, John I. Haas is an international organization with a large-scale outpost in Yakima. Haas is the largest hop supplier in the world.

The competition has the endorsement of the Washington Beer Commission and the Washington Brewers Guild, and it follows a format similar to the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. It exists to celebrate what makes Washington’s brewing scene worth celebrating. And with the industry facing such tough sledding right now, I’ll take every excuse to raise a glass to the people out there making great beer.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Here’s the full list.

Complete Results

Munich-Style Helles

• Gold: Formula Brewing – Chasing Space
• Silver: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Helles Lager
• Bronze: Larrabee Lager Company – Original

German-Style Pilsners

• Gold: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Production – Flowers Of Alsace
• Silver: Holy Mountain Brewing – Moonchild
• Bronze: Longmire Springs Brewing – Pilsner

German-Style Oktoberfest/Festbiers

• Gold: Uprise Brewing – Festbier
• Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Fest Bier
• Bronze: Scuttlebutt Brewing Company – Oktoberfest 2026

Czech-Style Pale Lagers

• Gold: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Pilsner
• Silver: Obec Brewing – Czech Pils
• Bronze: Stemma Brewing Company – Stemma Pils

Other Czech Lagers

• Gold: Sound2Summit Brewery – Czech Mates
• Silver: Larrabee Lager Company – Double L
• Bronze: Mighty Pine Brewing – Camber

Italian-Style Pilseners

• Gold: Heathen Brewing – Pagani
• Silver: Single Hill Brewing – Howdy!
• Bronze: Lumberbeard Brewing – Postcards

International-Style Pilseners

• Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Premium Pilsner
• Silver: Recluse Brew Works, LLC – Grendel’s Lament Danish-Stlye Pils
• Bronze: Metier Brewing Co. – We Got Y’all

Other European Lagers

• Gold: Varietal Beer – Truth Prevails
• Silver: Victor 23 Brewing – Coconspirator
• Bronze: Beach Cat Brewing – Southpaw – Bagheera

Mexican-Style Light Lagers

• Gold: Kulshan Brewing – K2 – Especial
• Silver: Uprise Brewing – Mexican Lager
• Bronze: Larrabee Lager Company – Larraveza

Mexican-Style Pale Lagers

• Gold: Bellevue Brewing Co. – Uno Mas
• Silver: Redd Dog Brewing Company – Porch Buddy
• Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing – Lucha Libre

Vienna-Style Lagers

• Gold: Larrabee Lager Company – Palace Stroll
• Silver: White Bluffs Brewing – Selecta
• Bronze: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Vienna Lager

German-Style Maerzens

• Gold: Gruff Brewing Company – King Of Mars
• Silver: Sound2Summit Brewery – Snohotoberfest
• Bronze: Metier Brewing Co. – Steelfest

Rice Lagers

• Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Akoya Rice Lager
• Silver: Haas Innovations Brewing LLC. – Rice Lager
• Bronze: Fast Fashion Brewing – Omakase Rice Lager

Other International Lagers

• Gold: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Yinz Jawn Pennsylvania Lager
• Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Japanese Style Lager
• Bronze: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Karakuchi Japanese Lager

American-Style Light Lagers

• Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Alpine Light
• Silver: Wander Brewing – Wander Litely
• Bronze: Sound2Summit Brewery – Boat Beer

Contemporary American-Style Lagers

• Gold: Fortside Brewing Company – Say Less
• Silver: Georgetown Brewing Company – Tavern Beer
• Bronze: Sig Brewing Co – Sig Pilsner

American Pilsners

• Gold: Halcyon Brewing – Urban Hike
• Silver: Uprise Brewing – Pilsner
• Bronze: Everybody’s Brewing – Co-Pilot

Hoppy American Lagers

• Gold: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Production – Mash’n Jazz
• Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut West Coast Pils
• Bronze: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Rancho Cowabunga

Other American-Style Lagers

• Gold: Kulshan Brewing – K2 – Premium Lager
• Silver: Longmire Springs Brewing – Hide And Seek Champion
• Bronze: Wander Brewing – Golden Lager

German-Style Kölsches

• Gold: Larrabee Lager Company – Coast City
• Silver: Fortside Brewing Company – Post Cologne
• Bronze: Uprise Brewing – Kolsch

German-Style Altbiers and Kellerbiers

• Gold: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Alt
• Silver: Gruff Brewing Company – Altered Course
• Bronze: Bainbridge Brewing – Arrow Point Amber

German-Style Wheat Beers

• Gold: Stoup Brewing-Capitol Hill – Stoup Dunkelweizen
• Silver: Larrabee Lager Company – White Duck
• Bronze: Holy Mountain Brewing – Pilgrimage

Rye and American Wheat Beers

• Gold: Barrel Mountain Brewing – Be Happy
• Silver: White Bluffs Brewing – Rock N Brown
• Bronze: Beach Cat Brewing – Southpaw – Catastrophe

Golden, Blonde and Cream Ales

• Gold: Beach Cat Brewing – Southpaw – Cats Blue Ribbon
• Silver: Old Stove Brewing – Mira Aqui
• Bronze: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Gulf Of Mexico (But Actually Done As A Cream Ale)

Bitters

• Gold: Bizarre Brewing – Cemetery Polka
• Silver: Rainy Daze Brewing – Test Drive Amber
• Bronze: Cardinal Craft Brewing – Skoolz Out

English Ales

• Gold: Fortside Brewing Company – Couve A’licious
• Silver: Lowlander Brewing – Six Wickets
• Bronze: Loowit Brewing Company – Shadow Shinobi

Scottish and Irish Ales

• Gold: Bellevue Brewing Co. – Muckle Flugga Scotch Ale
• Silver: Postdoc Brewing – Kilty MacSporran
• Bronze: Heathen Brewing – Arson

International & Australasian Ales

• Gold: Formula Brewing – Chase Down
• Silver: Longmire Springs Brewing – Pale Ale
• Bronze: WHISTLE PUNK BREWING – NZ Pale Ale

New Zealand-Style India Pale Ales

• Gold: Formula Brewing – Loyal To The Soil
• Silver: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Wastelandia
• Bronze: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Production – Ripsaw

Brown Porters

• Gold: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Big Valley Brown
• Silver: Obec Brewing – Porter #3
• Bronze: San Juan Island Brewing Co – Black Boar Porter

Robust Porters

• Gold: Holy Mountain Brewing – Black Beer
• Silver: Resonate Brewery – Spirit In The Dark
• Bronze: Stoup Brewing – Robust Porter

British Stouts

• Gold: Fortside Brewing Company – Night King
• Silver: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Moocifer Cream Stout
• Bronze: U-Neek Brewing Company – Putin Out

Irish Stouts

• Gold: Hellbent Brewing Company – Moon Tower Stout
• Silver: Rainy Daze Brewing – Haulin Oats Stout
• Bronze: Lotic LLC – Existential Vacuum

American-Style Imperial Porters and Stouts

• Gold: No-Li Brewhouse – Wrecking Ball
• Silver: White Bluffs Brewing – Mighty Knight
• Bronze: ANACORTES BREWING COMPANY,LLC – Empress

American-Style Pale Ales

• Gold: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Papermaker
• Silver: Stoup Brewing – Mosaic Pale
• Bronze: Bale Breaker Brewing Company – Daybreak Pale Ale

Juicy or Hazy Pale Ales

• Gold: Bainbridge Brewing – Shore Power Hazy Pale
• Silver: Odd Otter Brewing Co. – Otter Fuzz
• Bronze: Elliott Bay Brewing – Ride The Cylone

American-Style Strong Pale Ales

• Gold: Loowit Brewing Company – Alley Cat
• Silver: Trap Door Brewing – Trap Door IPA
• Bronze: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Easy Runaway

Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ales

• Gold: Chainline Brewing Company – Tune Up
• Silver: Bale Breaker Brewing Company – Duskbound
• Bronze: Logan Brewing Company – Green Hill Zone

American-Style Amber/Red Ales

• Gold: Stoup Brewing – NW Red
• Silver: Ilk Beer – The Long Pour American Amber Lager
• Bronze: Sound2Summit Brewery – Night Sky Red

American-Style Dark Ales and Stouts

• Gold: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Hooligan Stout
• Silver: Wet Coast Brewing Co. – Scofflaw CDA
• Bronze: Peace Of Mind Brewing – Xenowort

American-Style India Pale Ales

• Gold: Hellbent Brewing Company – Dog Party IPA
• Silver: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Built For Speed
• Bronze: Elliott Bay Brewing – Elliott Bay IPA

West Coast-Style India Pale Ales

• Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Peak Series Beta 1.0 IPA
• Silver: Formula Brewing – Formula 34
• Bronze: Heathen Brewing – Northbank Trail

Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ales

• Gold: Project 9 Brewing – King Lupu’s Happy Juice
• Silver: Icicle Brewing Company – Cloud Piercer Hazy IPA
• Bronze: Echoes Brewing – Galactic Haze

Imperial or Double India Pale Ales

• Gold: Bale Breaker Brewing Company – Bottomcutter IIPA
• Silver: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Ruud Awakening
• Bronze: Grains Of Wrath Brewing – Punchface Champion

Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double India Pale Ales

• Gold: Skookum Brewery – Skook-Nukem
• Silver: Trap Door Brewing – Juiced Up
• Bronze: No-Li Brewhouse – Juicy Squatch

Other American-Style Strong Ales

• Gold: Big Time Brewery – Scarlet Fire
• Silver: San Juan Island Brewing Co – Kingtide Barleywine
• Bronze: White Bluffs Brewing – Scrooge McBluffs

Belgian & Belgian Inspired Ales

• Gold: Figurehead Brewing Company – Beer So Brown
• Silver: Outer Planet Brewing – Brown Dwarf
• Bronze: Irrelevant Beer – Sundressed

Other Belgian Strong & Abbey Ales

• Gold: Echoes Brewing – The Golden Blonde
• Silver: San Juan Island Brewing Co – Lime Kiln Belgian Tripel
• Bronze: U-Neek Brewing Company – Clumsily Ass Up

Belgian & French Farmhouse Ales

• Gold: Ilk Beer – Gris Matter
• Silver: Ilk Beer – Helsing Junction Farmhouse Ale
• Bronze: Propolis Brewing – Montem

Brett and Mixed-Culture Beers

• Gold: Bizarre Brewing – Ghosts Of Goslar Bing & Chelan Cherry
• Silver: Bizarre Brewing – We Become The Prairie
• Bronze: Ladd & Lass Brewing – Westchester – Arctic White Nectarine

German Style Sour Beers

• Gold: Kulshan Brewing – Sunnyland – Gose
• Silver: Terramar Brewing – Octopus Garden Gose
• Bronze: Terramar Brewing – Raspberry Tart

American-Style Sour Ales

• Gold: Varietal Beer – Prey Item
• Silver: Stoup Brewing-Capitol Hill – Sour Pop Mixed Berry
• Bronze: Single Hill Brewing – Island Time

Belgian Sour and Wild Ales

• Gold: Elliott Bay Brewing – Ambrosia Kreik
• Silver: Elliott Bay Brewing – Lake City – De Rode Duivels
• Bronze: North Fork Brewery – Velouria

Fruit Beers

• Gold: Fortside Brewing Company – Neon Squeeze
• Silver: Varietal Beer – Sunflight
• Bronze: Snow Eater Brewing Company – Conseulos Cerveza

Chili Pepper Beers

• Gold: FrinGe Brewing – Call Me Cuddles
• Silver: Steam Donkey Brewing Co. – Salsa & Friends
• Bronze: Barley POP! Brewing – Sweet & Sassy

Spiced, Field & Herb Beers

• Gold: Lucky Envelope Brewing – HospitaliTEA White Tea Lager
• Silver: Postdoc Brewing – Kilty MacPumpkin
• Bronze: North Fork Brewery – Torta De Platano

Coffee Beers

• Gold: Kulshan Brewing – Sunnyland – Cuppa Joe
• Silver: Postdoc Brewing – Cram Session
• Bronze: Georgetown Brewing Company – Gusto Creme

Session Beers

• Gold: The Good Society Brewery – First To Fall
• Silver: Uprise Brewing – Half Tone
• Bronze: Georgetown Brewing Company – Little Baby Bodhi

Smoked Beers

• Gold: Beach Cat Brewing – Northpaw – Lil Smokey
• Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Grodziskie
• Bronze: Old Stove Brewing – Smoked Porter

Chocolate or Pastry Beers

• Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Darker Persuasion – Caramel Macchiato
• Silver: Postdoc Brewing – Mjolnir
• Bronze: Snow Eater Brewing Company – Moose Trot

Specialty, Experimental & Historical Beers

• Gold: Old Stove Brewing – Grodziskie
• Silver: Fremont Brewing – NA Dark
• Bronze: Elysian Brewing – Gator Pie

Wood & Barrel Aged Strong Stouts

• Gold: Uprise Brewing – Phases Of The Moon
• Silver: Old Stove Brewing – Gardens – Quiet Eon 2022
• Bronze: Skookum Brewery – Chronocask

Wood & Barrel Aged Strong Beers

• Gold: Ladd & Lass Brewing – Barrel Aged Year Three
• Silver: Lumberbeard Brewing – Anniversary Year 6
• Bronze: Old Stove Brewing – Gardens – Castaway 2023

Other Wood & Barrel Aged Beers

• Gold: Bainbridge Brewing – 13th Anniversary Vanilla Bean BA Stout
• Silver: Dru Bru – Margarita Sour
• Bronze: Odd Otter Brewing Co. – Velvet Orchard

Seltzers

• Gold: Ram Restaurant And Brewery – Blackberry Seltzer
• Silver: Triceratops Brewing Company – Blood Orange Cream Hard Soda
• Bronze: Triceratops Brewing Company – Lemon Lime Hard Soda

Pro-Am

• Gold: Georgetown Brewing Company & Homebrewer Ryan Hopkins – Hopkin’s
• Silver: North 47 Brewing Co Homebrewer Brad Shellito – Dead Reckoning
• Bronze: Beach Cat Brewing – Northpaw & Homebrewer Rob Rogers – Cold Cocked IPA

Collaboration Beers

• Gold: Formula Brewing & Sun River Brewing – Chase Down
• Silver: San Juan Island Brewing Co & Kulshan Brewing – Pub Ale
• Bronze: Vice Beer & Ladd and Lass Brewing – Brewing Bridges

Brewery of the Year

• Very Small Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Crosby Hops): Haas Innovations Brewing LLC.
• Small Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Country Malt Group): Ilk Beer
• Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Yakima Chief Hops): Fortside Brewing Company
• Large Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Briess Malt and Ingredients): Icicle Brewing Company

Want us to share your news here on the Washington Beer Blog? Click here to learn how to reach us.

Plenty of breweries put together a holiday box. Seasonal beers. Festive packaging. That’s the easy part. Filling one with 24 different beers? That takes a deep, diverse lineup, and most breweries just don’t have the dedication to diversity, the production muscle, or the nerve to pull it off. Year over year, for the past six years at least, Reuben’s Brews looked at that challenge and said, “Bring it on.”

It is now time for you to order your 2026 Reuben’s Brews Advent Box. Pre orders are now live, giving you the chance to secure the ultimate craft beer holiday countdown.

“Behind 24 daily tear-away doors, you’ll discover a hand-selected lineup of 24 individual beers ranging from core taproom icons and cozy winter seasonals to exclusive small-batch creations you won’t find anywhere else… Give the ultimate gift to the craft beer fan in your life (or treat yourself!) to 24 days of craft beer magic. Lock in your pre-order now before the last box is gone!”

The brewery warns that quantities are extremely limited so you should now procrastinate the way you do with all of your other Christmas shopping. “Because our team hand-packs every box with fresh beer, we have a strictly limited supply available for 2026. These boxes sell out every single year, and with this year’s reduced inventory, they are guaranteed to sell out fast.”

HOW TO GET YOURS:

1. Order Online: Click here to reserve your box immediately.
2. Choose Pickup Location: Select either our Ballard or Downtown Seattle taproom for easy pickup starting Wednesday, November 25th.
3. Unwrap 24 Days of Craft: Enjoy 24 days of fresh, varied, and exclusive Reuben’s Brews releases all December long!

To learn about other recent beer releases, visit our New Beer Releases page. To let us know about your brewery’s new releases, here’s how to reach out to us.

Want us to share your news here on the Washington Beer Blog? Click here to learn how to reach us.

Blewett, Timberline, Milepost: Same Crew, Three Names, One More Brewery

There’s no sugarcoating it. Things are tough out there in the beer world right now. Talk to anyone in the industry and you’ll hear the same thing: the struggle is real. Which is exactly why I like sharing news like this. While some breweries are bracing for impact, Blewett Brewing (aka Timberline Brewing) is expanding. Again.

The names sound confusing, but they’re not. Stay with me.

Blewett Brewing has operated in Leavenworth for a decade. Last year, the company opened a second facility 25 minutes down the road in Wenatchee, in the space Badger Mountain Brewing left behind when it closed in 2024. They named it Timberline Brewing. Same people, different name. The beer for both locations is now brewed in Wenatchee, then sold as Timberline in Wenatchee and as Blewett in Leavenworth.

Got it? Good, because were aren’t done yet. There’s a third one.

The folks behind Timberline/Blewett just announced a new location in Cashmere, conveniently parked on Highway 2 between Wenatchee and Leavenworth. On social media, they’re calling it “Timberline’s third location.” Its name will be Milepost Brewing. (Yes, that’s a third name for the same outfit.) They say it will open next year.

Is Milepost taking over the space once occupied by Milepost 111 Brewing, which very recently closed? That’s a fair guess. I’ll leave the speculating to you. All will be revealed.

In a year when too many brewery doors are swinging shut, somebody’s out there opening new ones. That’s news I’m happy to hear and happy to share.

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“Oh how time flies! Our first Seattle location, the Fremont Taproom, opened up in 2019,” said an announcement from Aslan Brewing. “With two additional locations in Tangletown and Seward Park, we have a lot to celebrate!”

The company now operates a total of five locations: two in Bellingham and three in Seattle. Following the opening of the taproom in Fremont, in 2025, the brewery opened an all-ages taproom and kitchen near Green Lake in Seattle’s Tangletown neighborhood. The Seattle expansion wasn’t done yet. Earlier this year, Aslan Brewing opened its pizza-focused taproom and eatery near Seward Park.  

But Fremont remains the original Seattle outpost. “Join us on Saturday, November 7th at the Fremont location for oysters (in honor of Tangletown), late-night slices (in honor of Seward Park), drink specials, and a limited edition anniversary Italian Pilsner, Ciao Birra, brewed just for the event. Remember the occasion with a polaroid pop-up!” 

About the Anniversary Brew

Ciao Birra — a play on the Italiano greeting, Ciao Bella. The brewery says the beer was brewed especially for this occasion. “Our Aslan Seattle team members came to our Bellingham brewery for a special brew day to celebrate all the amazing work they do at each Seattle location! Ciao Birra is an Italian Style Pilsner with aromas of lemongrass and garden herbs, with a citrus peel bitterness and clean finish. Available at all locations for a limited time.”

Aslan Brewing Locations

Aslan Brewpub (Bellingham)
1330 N. Forest St.
Bellingham, WA 98225

Aslan Depot (Bellingham)
1322 N. State St.
Bellingham, WA 98225

Aslan Fremont (Seattle)
401 N. 36th St., Ste. 102
Seattle, WA 98103

Aslan Tangletown (Seattle)
2253 N. 56th St., Unit B
Seattle, WA 98103

Aslan Seward Park (Seattle)
4920 S. Genesee St.
Seattle, WA 98118

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The Brews to Barns Act (H.R.10877) was recently introduced in the House of Representatives. It would give breweries a federal excise tax credit of 8 cents for every pound of spent grain donated for agricultural use, up to $35,000 a year. The Brewers Association (BA) estimates the credit could return up to $38 million annually to small and independent craft brewers, a welcome break at a time when rising costs and a tough market are squeezing margins.

How it works

The credit is a direct reduction in the federal excise taxes a brewery owes, not a deduction from taxable income. It’s also capped at a brewery’s excise tax liability, so it can bring what you owe down to zero but won’t send you a check beyond that. A credit, not a rebate.

The BA offers a few examples, even if they are perfect -world scenarios. At the reduced federal excise tax rate of $3.50 per barrel, a brewery making 2,500 barrels a year would owe $8,750. If it donates all of its spent grain for qualifying agricultural use, it could generate enough credits to wipe out that bill entirely. A 5,000-barrel brewery could save as much as $17,500 a year, and larger breweries could save up to the $35,000 cap.

Why it matters

Nobody is asking breweries  to change how they operate. The BA estimates that about 90% of the spent grain produced by American breweries is already reused, mostly as livestock feed. The biggest brewers often have the volume and infrastructure to sell their grain commercially, but smaller breweries usually don’t. They give it away and absorb the costs. The bill would put a little something back in their pockets and strengthen the brewer-farmer partnerships that already exist in so many communities, including here in Washington.

What you can do

The BA says it is gearing up for a grassroots push to get members of Congress to cosponsor the bill. In a notice to members, the association said breweries “should anticipate imminent launch of a grassroots write-in campaign.” It also said that sharing “firsthand examples of spent grain partnerships and explaining how the proposed tax savings could benefit their businesses will be particularly valuable” as the BA works to move the legislation forward.

Brewers can use the BA’s online calculator to estimate their own annual savings. The BA says it will keep working with the bill’s bipartisan sponsors to build support in Congress.

The Washington Beer Blog will follow this story and provide more information and direction when available. Watch this space.

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