Seattle Beer Week is almost here. This is part two of our Seattle Beer Week Survival Guide. (See our previous post.)

In part one of our Survival Guide we talked about the events that pique our interest. Today we approach it from a different angle: what’s happening at particular locations for Seattle Beer Week. There is so much stuff happening at so many places, making these choices is a daunting task.

This list is partial at best and is not at all intended to be comprehensive. Perhaps the greatest value of this list is that it serves as a testament to the sheer volume and diversity of events happening around the city. I encourage you to use the comments section below to share any thoughts you have about which locations around the city really plan to ramp it up for Seattle Beer Week.

Click here to see the complete list of Seattle Beer Week events.

Beveridge Place Pub

• Thursday, May 10 and Friday May 11 – Seattle Cask-o-Rama. Seattle-brewed beers served the way God intended – from firkins lined up on the bar.
• Sunday, May 13 – Iron Brewers Showdown. Six breweries compete in 3 different head-to-head matchups.
• Monday, May 14 – This is Washington, Damn it! All of the taps turned over to Washington beers. Because those out-of-state breweries get plenty of love during Beer Week. It’s good to show WA some love.
• Wednesday, May 16 – Beer Trivia night. A lot of the regular pub trivia geeks stay away from this one. Serious beer questions for serious beer minds.
• Friday, May 18 – Bodacious Beverages: the biggest and bawdiest brews. You never know what kind of scary monsters haunt the Beveridge Place Pub’s cellar. Come prepared for some big, badass brews.

Big Time Brewery

A short but meaningful list of events for Big Time Brewery.

• Monday, May 14, 2:00 p.m. – Big Time Brewery will release its first-ever bourbon-barrel-aged Stout. Heavenly Bourbon is a 9% Stout aged for eight months in a Heaven Hills bourbon barrel.
• Wednesday, May 16 11:30 a.m. until they’re gone. The Big Time will tap five cask-conditioned quarter barrels of five different India Pale Ales: Scarlet Fire, Bhagwan’s Best, Homegrown, Solo and Icculus. The casks will be tapped when they open at 11:30 and will pour until they are gone.

Burgundian

The Washington Beer Blog’s North Seattle Bureau Chief, North Seattle Sarah, posted a listing of Burgundian events. Click here. Among the events at Burgundian, the Washington Beer Blog teamed up with SIP Northwest and Laurelwood Brewing to put together a very special beer dinner. Click here for details about the dinner on Saturday, May 12. Limited seating. It will sell out. Do not delay.

Brave Horse Tavern

• Thursday, May 10 – Kill the Line Up! – Kill the Line Up. If it’s on tap, it’s gotta go. They need to make room for all the beer week hoopla so special prices to help empty the kegs.
• Saturday & Sunday, May 12 & 13, 10:00 a.m. – Kegs n’ Eggs with Elysian Brewing.
• Sunday, May 13, 6:00 p.m. – Newbies Night. Introducing some of Washington’s newest breweries. In the house: Twelve Bar Brews, North Sound Brewing, Slippery Pig Brewing, Dirty Bucket Brewing and Brick Yard Brewing.
• Monday, May 14, 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. – Lagunitas Brewing will be there.
• Tuesday, May 15, 4:00 p.m. – Battle of Eugene. Ninkasi Brewing and Oakshire Brewing bringing some special treats.
• Wednesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m. – West Coast Brewers Dinner. Beers from some of the best west coast breweries paired with delicious courses.
• Thursday, May 17, 4:00 p.m. – Alpha Acid Overload. Hops, as featured in the beers of Double Mountain Brewing, Everybody’s Brewing, and Schooner Exact Brewing.
• Friday, May 18, 3:00 p.m. – Whiskey n’ Boilermakers. Local distilleries and local breweries combine to create local boilermakers.
• Saturday & Sunday, May 19 & 20, 10:00 a.m. – Kegs and Eggs with Pike Brewing.
• Saturday, May 19, 11:00 a.m. – Sudsy Shuffle w/ Beer West Magazine. A shuffleboard tournament is a great excuse to drink beer during the daytime.

Cooper’s Alehouse

• Thursday, May 10, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. -“A Day at the Races” with Sierra Nevada. Watch and “wager” on real horse races for a chance to win some great prizes. We’ll be pouring some great Sierra beers including Hoptimum, Life & Limb 2, Ovila Dubbel, and more!
• Friday, May 11, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. -We are participating in the first Maple Leaf Art Walk. We’ll have photography from Karla Thomas and artwork from Christel Weixelman on display and for sale.
• Monday, May 14, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. -“Beer Bingo” with Hale’s Ales. Just like regular bingo but with BEER! And prizes! $3 pints of Hale’s all night long!
• Tuesday, May 15, 8:45 p.m. -“Tuesday Trivia” with Snoqualmie Brewing. We’ll have some great pints and prices on Snoqualmie’s beers plus prizes for the teams that “Beat the Brain” of Snoqualmie’s team. $3 pints of Snoqualmie all night long!
• Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (May 17, 18, 19) – IPA Fest Championships! A blind tasting featuring the three highest rated Double IPA’s from this years’ IPA Fest pitted against last years’ winner.

Malt & Vine

• Friday May 11, 5:30-7:30. Firestone Kick Off Party. Start Seattle Beer Week off with the newly released Wooky Jack, a rare Firkin of Dry Hopped Double Jack, Anniversary 14, Anniversary 15, and Parabola all on draft. A brewery representative will be there to answer questions.
• Monday May 14, 5:30-7:30. Crispin Cidery’s “Marvin.” Super rare keg of the “Marvin” (cider brewed with molasses and stout yeast, then aged on Pinot Noir barrels) will be pouring alongside a nice selection of other Crispin and Fox Barrel Ciders.
• Tuesday May 15, 5:30-7:30. Stone’s Darkness of the Draft. Beers from Stone will include Vanilla Oak’d Porter, Belgian Imperial Stout, and a two year old Oak Aged Imperial Stout. Also, a cask-conditioned firkin of Stone IPA that they dry hopped especially for the occasion.
• Saturday May 19, All Day Long Malt and Vine 5th Anniversary. Black Raven has brewed a Double IPA using five different new hop varieties. This will be the fourth year Black Raven has brewed the birthday beer for the Malt and Vine: all four vintages will be on tap. There may be a surprise or two.
• Sunday May 20, 1:00 p.m. Eastside Brewer’s Hangover Brunch. This event features all of the eastside brewers; Black Raven, Snoqualmie, Foggy Noggin, Redhook, Mac & Jack’s, Issaquah, Dirty Bucket, and 12 Bars Brews. It’s a potluck style event with a laid back demeanor.

Maritime Pacific, Jolly Roger Tap Room

• Friday, May 11 – Decompression Strong Ale Release Party (5pm to Close.) Celebrate the release of Maritime Pacific’s latest seasonal offering, Decompression Strong Ale. Compare firkins of 2011 and 2012 Decompression as well as 2011 bourbon-barrel-aged Decompression.
• Tuesday, May 15 – Jolly Roger Vertical Tasting (5:00 p.m. til their gone.) The 1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2011 vintages of Jolly Roger will be available for sampling. Be sure to pick your favorite. Sample trays will be available along with special Jolly Roger appetizers.
• Friday, May 18 – Firkin Friday! (5:00 p.m. to close.) Can one turn down 6 cask conditioned Real Ales? The line up for this event includes: the Devils Islander (Islander aged with Fresno Chiles and Lime Zest,) Coconut-Rum aged Bosun’s Black, Bourbon Barrel Aged Salmon Bay Bitter, Empirical Imperial (a mammoth-ly dry hopped Imperial,) and XPA Harvest Ale as well as a special cask treat.

• Saturday, May 19 – Jolly Roger Taproom Parking Lot Party (1:00 – 5:00 p.m.) Because of the popularity of last year’s Official Kick-Off Party, the parking lot of the Jolly Roger Taproom will again be blocked off for a special summertime party. Food will be available as well as beers and live music.

Naked City Taphouse and Brewery

Our North Seattle Bureau Chief, North Seattle Sarah, posted a listing of Naked City’s Beer Week events. Click here.

Noble Fir

• Friday, May 11, 4:00 p.m. – Double Mountain vs. Terminal Gravity Tap Takeover. Exact beers TBD.
• Saturday, May 12, 4:00 p.m. – Dogfish Head vs. Cascade – Beer/wine hybrid night. They’ll be putting up The Vine and Sang Royal from Cascade head to head against Noble Rot and Red and White from Dogfish Head
• Sunday, May 13, 1:00 p.m. Mother’s Day featuring Winesap Estate Cider. Give the Moms a break from the kids.
• Wednesday, May 16, 4:00 p.m. – Snipes Mountain Sour Night. Pouring five sour offerings:
  Sour Coyote (Dark English Mild), Darkstrong (Port barrel aged version), Twangzister #3 (Bourbon barrel), Dali’s Garage (Spontaneously fermented unhopped heather and mugwort blonde, Bordeaux barrel aged), Quinceanera, the blended culmination of the above 4 barrels.
• Friday, May 18, 4:00 p.m. – Boulevard Brewing Night. They will be pouring Rye on Rye, Chocolate Ale, and TBD third beer.
• Saturday, May 19, 4:00 p.m. – Hawaiian Night Featuring Maui Brewing Co.
• Sunday, May 20, 1:00 p.m. Ellen’s 40th Birthday!! – It’s Ellen’s 40th Birthday, and she’s getting a tattoo of the Chicago Cubs Walking Bear logo. Two Beers Brewing will releasing a one-off batch of Walking Bear Imperial IPA to help celebrate the occasion.
• Everyday Four Roses Boilermakers – All week long we’re doing specials on Four Roses Bourbon Boilermakers.
• Thursday, May 10, 9:30 p.m. – Seattle Beer Week Kickoff part 4. The fourth and final stop on the opening
• Saturday, May 12, 3:00 p.m. – Pine Box Beer Can Derby – The race is on. Drink a can of beer and then turn it into a racer (kind of similar to your old Cub Scout days, only with beer).
• Sunday, May 13, 11:00 a.m. – Mothers Day Brunch w/ Widmer. Half price beer for all you mothers.
• Monday, May 14, 3:00 p.m. – Can You Handle My Randall? – 11+ different beers poured the way God intended… pushed through a Randall.
• Tuesday, May 15, 7:00 p.m. – Firestone and Frans. The beers of Firestone Walker Brewing paired with chocolates from Frans.
• Thursday, May 17 – Stone Brewing night at the box.
• Friday, May 18, 5:00 – Pallin’ Around with Fall Allen. He’s a legend around here, but now he’s the top dog at California’s Anderson Valley Brewing. Meet the man and drink his beer.

The Pine Box

• Everyday Four Roses Boilermakers – All week long we’re doing specials on Four Roses Bourbon Boilermakers.
• Thursday, May 10, 9:30 p.m. – Seattle Beer Week Kickoff part 4. The fourth and final stop on the opening
• Saturday, May 12, 3:00 p.m. – Pine Box Beer Can Derby – The race is on. Drink a can of beer and then turn it into a racer (kind of similar to your old Cub Scout days, only with beer).
• Sunday, May 13, 11:00 a.m. – Mothers Day Brunch w/ Widmer. Half price beer for all you mothers.
• Monday, May 14, 3:00 p.m. – Can You Handle My Randall? – 11+ different beers poured the way God intended… pushed through a Randall.
• Tuesday, May 15, 7:00 p.m. – Firestone and Frans. The beers of Firestone Walker Brewing paired with chocolates from Frans.
• Thursday, May 17 – Stone Brewing night at the box.
• Friday, May 18, 5:00 – Pallin’ Around with Fall Allen. He’s a legend around here, but now he’s the top dog at California’s Anderson Valley Brewing. Meet the man and drink his beer.

Pyramid Alehouse

Pyramid Brewing is one of the official Seattle Beer Week sponsors. They’ve planned some cool stuff for beer week. We are very happy that Pyramid is actually brewing beer again at its previously mothballed Seattle brewery. We are happy Pyramid is back.

• Every day – Special Beer Release: Red Nile Barleywine on Cask. Pyramid’s brewmaster, Kim Brusco, has created a special release Cask Barleywine for Seattle Beer Week. Available for a limited time, only at Pyramid Alehouse.
• Monday, May 14 – Beer Bingo – 6:00 p.m. BING-GO! Come on down to Pyramid for beer-themed bingo. It is free to play and, of course, there will be awesome prizes. We’ll also have drink specials keep your pipes primed to shout out your big win.
• Wednesday, May 16 – Pub Trivia with Beer-Themed Rounds – 7:30 p.m. Gather a team of friends and test your memory of useless facts. Now with beer-themed rounds!
• Thursday, May 17 – Red Nile Barleywine Brewer’s Dinner 7:00 p.m. – $45, all-inclusive. Enjoy a four-course, beer-paired dinner celebrating our special Seattle Beer Week brew. Dinner tickets available at: www.PyramidSeattle.eventbrite.com and include a brewery tour and full growler to take home. Space is limited!

Seattle Beer Week 2012 is now fully upon us. The citywide carnival of beer runs from Thursday, May 10 through Sunday, May 20. Each year Beer Week challenges the stamina of Seattle’s heartiest beer drinkers with a ten-day barrage of beer events–a relentless onslaught of beer dinners, special tastings, brewers nights, and other beer-related hoopla. To survive you must choose your battles carefully.

Below I provide a list of the events that I find most interesting and most noteworthy. (I should mention that I’ll be updating the list as more information comes in and new, interesting events are added to the Beer Week calendar.) It is just my opinion. It is very likely that your opinion is different. This year Beer Week includes well over 100 events. I do not intend for my list to be comprehensive. Leave comments. What events interest you? What are my most glaring oversights?

In the coming days I will also publish a list telling you what some of my favorite Seattle beer places (pubs, etc.) are up to for Beer Week: a different, albeit worthy, tactic for conquering Seattle Beer Week.

I strongly advise that you spend some time browsing the Seattle Beer Week Calendar.

Intentionally and Unintentionally Excluded

You should also know that some of the coolest events are already sold out. If I know it is already sold out, I don’t bother mentioning it here. For example, the Trappist Dinner at Quinn’s. Sorry. There are countless brewers night celebrations at countless pubs around town. I did not bother mentioning them. Sorry if that seems lazy of me. Not every event is listed on the official Seattle Beer Week events calendar. At least not yet. Plans are still being drawn.

Free Advice

Here is some advice, for what it’s worth. If there is a ticketed event that you want to attend, do not delay. Many of the best events sell out. Don’t over extend yourself. This is about beer and it is supposed to be fun. Don’t feel obligated to go out and do the coolest thing every night. Pick a few “must do” events and make your plans. The rest of the time, just go with the flow. Or don’t go at all. There is no trophy awarded to the person who attends the most Seattle Beer Week events. Don’t stress. Drink beer. Have fun. Be safe.

Kendall’s Picks for Seattle Beer Week 2012

Thursday, May 10

SBW Kickoff Party. Starting at 5:00 and moving from place to place across the city. It starts at Elysian Brewing on Capitol Hill, then moves on to Pyramid Alehouse in SoDo, Naked City in Greenwood, and ends at the Pine Box on Capitol Hill.

Seattle Cask-o-Rama, 6:00 p.m. – midnight at the Beveridge Place Pub (blog sponsor). Twelve casks on the bar. All of them from Seattle breweries. Including: Georgetown Lisa’s Chocolate Stout, Pike Space Needle Anniversary Ale, Schooner Exact Manhefe, Big Time Iccubus IPA, Elysian Split Shot Espresso, Maritime Double Dry-Hopped Imperial IPA, Odin Dry-Hopped Pale, Two Beers Heart of Darkness CDA infused with plum and habanero, Elliott Bay Riot Ale, Hale’s Pikop Andropov, Big Al Hi-Yu Bru, Naked City/Oakshire Collaboration, and others.

Friday, May 11

All day – Back in Black at Brouwer’s Café. Only the biggest of the big, and the blackest of the black Stouts. Love big, black beers?

Seattle Cask-o-Rama cont., 6:00 p.m. – midnight at the Beveridge Place Pub. See above.

Saturday, May 12

Quinn’s Pig Roast and Homebrew Competition, 11:00 a.m. Quinn’s Pub is teaming up with Fremont Brewing for its 3rd Annual Pig Roast. This time they’re stepping up the game a bit: live music, special casks from Fremont Brewing and a homebrew competition. The beers will be judged by Fremont Brewing’s expert staff and the winner will get to spend a day inside the brewery. Your ticket gets you beer and all the pig you can eat. $30 plus tax presale. $35+ at the door. For details, reservations or to sign up for the homebrew contest, contact the restaurant at (206) 325-7711. Homebrew entries and space are limited.

Laurelwood Brewers Dinner at Burgundian. Time TBD. Purchase your tickets now for $65. Only 30 spots available at the dinner, where five courses will be paired with Laurelwood beers. Call 206-420-8943 to reserve your spot.

Sunday, May 13

Iron Brewers Triple Header, 5:00 p.m. at the Beveridge Place Pub. Six breweries in head to head battle. The Bev selects the not-so-secret ingredients then each brewery creates a beer. They brew the beer, you pick the winner. This year’s matchups: Black Raven versus Odin, brewing with blackberry and lavender; 7 Seas versus Port Townsend, brewing with coconut and lemongrass; Silver City versus Airways, brewing with apricot and almond.

Mothers Day Brewers Dinner, 5:00 p.m. at Naked City. A very special brewers table on Mother’s Day with Head Brewer Don Webb, featuring the beer-soaked cuisine of Naked City’s Head Chef, Tessa Roberts. Ticketed event, 30 seats available. Features seven paired courses of beer and food. Get tickets by stopping by Naked City or calling them during business hours.

Monday, May 14

All day – This is Washington, Damn it! Beveridge Place Pub. Enjoy 24 different beers from 24 different breweries, all of them from right here in Washington. During Seattle Beer Week a lot of attention gets paid to out-of-state breweries. On this day, the Beveridge Place Pub reminds us that we make really good beer right here in Washington, damn it!

Anniversary Night at the Latona Pub (blog sponsor), 8:00 p.m. with Anacortes Brewing. The 25th Anniversary celebration continues at the Latona Pub. They’ll be pouring a special anniversary brew concocted especially for the Latona along with a number of other delicious Anacortes brews.

Tuesday, May 15

New Brewers Night, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Park Pub. Celebrate some of Washington’s newest breweries. The Park Pub will be hosting Churchkey Can Company, Hilliard’s Beer, NW Peaks Brewery, and Twelve Bar Brews for a night of beer, giveaways, and hanging with the brewers.

Northwest Women in Beer, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Pike Brewery Pub. This event will feature multiple beers brewed by women. Enjoy a celebration of role women play in the craft beer industry. Women-owned food businesses will be on site serving up bites. This event is not just for the ladies; guys are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Wednesday, May 16

Big Time IPA Cask Fest, 11:30 a.m. at Big Time Brewery. Featuring five cask conditioned quarter barrels of five different India Pale Ales. Including Scarlet Fire IPA, Bhagwan’s Best IPA, Homegrown IPA, Solo IPA and Icculus IPA. The casks will be tapped when they open at 11:30 a.m. and will pour until the beer is gone.

New Belgium Sour Beer Symposium, 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Stumbling Monk. Join New Belgium’s Eric Salazar as he explains their process of creating and blending New Belgium’s sour barrel-aged beers. After Eric’s presentation and slide show, you’ll learn about and taste from four different firkin kegs which were filled directly from New Belgium’s barrels. Create your own blend that you can take home in a growler. Growlers will be provided at the event.

Firkin-Firkin Throwdown, 3:00 – 10:00 p.m. Elysian Capitol Hill. Eight casks from Seattle breweries in head-to-head battle against eight casks from San Diego breweries. You be the judge. Who has the most kickass casks.

West Coast Beer Dinner, 6:30 p.m. at Brave Horse Tavern. Three Breweries. Nine Beers. Four Courses. Cause there ain’t no dinner like a West Coast Beer Dinner with Anderson Valley, Chuckanut and Hopworks

Sean Paxton’s Firestone Dinner, 8:00 p.m. Brouwer’s Cafe. This is the big one everyone raves about. If you can stomach this much food (and the ticket price) do not miss this event. Get tickets now. A closed door beer dinner with the beers of Firestone Walker. Eight courses and a dozen beers. Food and pairings designed by the renowned “Homebrew Chef” Sean Paxton and Brouwer’s own chef. Think English Pub food meets Brouwer’s Cafe meets Firestone Walker Beer. Tickets are $125 each. Tax and gratuity included.

Thursday, May 17

Sour Fest at Brouwer’s, All Day. No explanation needed. If you like sour beers, this is the best event of the year. Period.

Friday, May 18

Barrel Tasting at Fremont Brewing, 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. A special night of tastings from Fremont Brewing’s Barrel Room. Including, B-Bomb, Kentucky Dark Star, The Lamb (Brett Saison), Flanders Red and Lambic. Try these beers before they are ready for commercial release and learn how they mature and change over time.

Saturday, May 19

Elysian/New Belgium Collaboration BBQ, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Fiddler’s Inn. It’s no secret that Elysian and New Belgium have teamed up to make some amazing collaboration beers. Come enjoy a selection of some of the best collabeerations along with some BBQ food and live music

Sunday, May 20

No Regrets BBQ at Fremont Brewing, noon until 3:00 p.m. The 2nd Annual “Oh My Gawd, What Have I Done to My Liver!” free BBQ. Come to Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden between noon and 3:00 p.m. for free BBQ and tasty beverages (not free). Celebrate surviving Seattle Beer Week 2012.

Amongst the sea of Seattle Beer Week happenings, an event at the Pike Brewery Pub celebrates the role that women play in the Northwest beer industry. The event will feature a number of beers brewed by women. Thirstysisters at Pike Brewing provides an opportunity to meet and mingle with some of the most influential women in the Northwest beer business.

The event, on the Seattle Beer Week schedule as “Northwest Women in Beer,” takes place on Tuesday, May 15 from 5:00 – 8:00 at the Pike Brewery Pub in the Museum Room. Advance tickets are available online or you can pay at the door. Cost is $20 and proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood.

Among the many different women-brewed beers featured at the Thirstysisters event, Beer Broads Red Ale was conceived via a survey, recipe drawn up with help from Janelle Pritchard, then brewed by a group of beer-minded women, the Beer Broads, with a heavy assist from Alex Dittmar of Airways Brewing. Mrs. Beer Blog (a.k.a. my wife Kim) got in on the brewing action for that one.

This post is about the Thirstysisters event next week at Pike Brewing and I don’t want to confuse the message, but you can to try Beer Broads Red Ale at both Airways locations on Thursday, May 10th. It will be on tap starting at noon at the Airways Bistro, and on cask at 3:00 p.m. in the Airways Tap Room. Otherwise you can try it at the Thirstysisters event next week.

Here is the official press release:

thirstysisters at PIKE BREWING

NW women in beer, Seattle Beer Week

May 15, 2012 – 5 to 8 p.m.

Seattle Beer Week, May 10 – May 20, is a 10-day long celebration of local craft beer at venues throughout the Seattle area.

Thirstysisters

On May 15, Pike is proud to host the first annual thirstysisters Seattle Beer Week event: Northwest Women in Craft Beer. We hope you will join us for a taste of locally brewed beers and the chance to meet some of the most influential ladies affecting the local craft beer industry today. thirstysisters is an extraordinary event focused on women involved in the craft beer industry in the Pacific Northwest.

Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Where: Museum Room, Pike Brewing Company

Time: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Cost: $20 includes 5 tasting tickets (additional tickets 6 for $10)

RSVP: Tara 206-812-6604

Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets, and at the door.

Proceeds from this event will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Representatives will attend with information.

We encourage you to reserve/purchase tickets early; they will go fast and space is limited. There will be a raffle featuring some wonderful gift items throughout the evening. Raffle tickets are available at $5 for 6, or $10 for 11 (must be present to win).

thirsty brew crew

Pike brewsters: Jan Balcom, Meg Bragg, Tiffany Herrington, along with Linda Stratton-Peterson (Pike Sales,) Rose Ann Finkel (owner,) and Erika Tedin (Full Throttle Bottles) brew beer for the event.

The event features women making beer at local breweries, and women making a difference by educating consumers at women-owned bottle shops. Participating are: Airways Brewery, Black Raven Brewery, Chuckanut Brewery, Diamond Knot Brewing, Elysian Brewery, Fremont Brewing, Hales Ales, Der Blokken Brewery, Naked City, Schooner Exact, Pike Brewing Company, Red Hook Brewery, Silver City Brewery; Full Throttle Bottles, Gravity Beer Market, and 99 Bottles; along with tasty treats from local women-owned cheese producers, food purveyors, and confectioners. And as if that weren’t enough, the thirstysisters themselves will be presenting and serving special brews that the ladies have brewed themselves. Revealed only at this event, it will be the only opportunity you will have to taste these one-of-a-kind beers!

about thirstysisters

The thirstysisters evolved out of a growing desire for women involved in the craft beer industry in the greater Seattle area to come together and pool their resources. With the ever expanding involvement of women in the brewing business, the thirsty sisters recognized a need to not only celebrate their love of craft beer, but also to educate other women on the historical significance of females in the craft beer industry. Through events such as this one planned for Seattle Beer Week, the thirsty sisters hope to bring more women into the fold and foster a vibrant, diverse craft brew community.

participating sisters: Anastasia Logan, Black Raven; Sara Nelson, Fremont Brewing; Kathy Hale, Hales Ales Brewery; Jessica Husted, Der Blokken Brewery; Erika Tedin, Full Throttle Bottles; Tiffany Adamowski, 99 Bottles; Roma Bert, Gravity Beer Market; Janelle Pritchard, an Independent Special Beer produced at Naked City; Mari Kemper, Chuckanut Brewery; Sharon Campbell, Tieton Cider Works; Sarah Williams, Wandering Aengus Ciderworks; Dione Dittmar, Airways Brewing; Crystie Kisler, Finnriver Farm & Cidery; Corinne McNielly and Whitney Burnside, Elysian Brewing; and Jan Balcom, Meg Bragg, Tiffany Herrington, Rose Ann Finkel, Laura Stoudt, and Linda Stratton-Peterson, from our own Pike Brewing Co.

Participating sisters (and brothers) in food: Catherine Brooke-Barrows, Tabbey Cat Pickling Co.; Rebecca Staffel, Deluxe Jams, Julie Obrien, Firefly Kitchens; Gina Batali, Salumi Artisan Cured Meats; Matt Day, Mt. Townsend Creamery; Nicki Kerbs and Laura Glass, Cupcake Royale; Kevin Bartlett, Taylor Shellfish, Diana Puterbaugh, Hops Direct; Rebecca Early, Macrina Bakery; Julie Farrell, Tease Chocolates; Marci, Macio’s Italian Specialty Foods; Pamela Hinckley, Tom Douglas Restaurants; and Gary Marx, Pike Brewing Company.

thirstysisters educational tables: Teri Fahrendorf, Country Malt Group; and Planned Parenthood – Great Northwest.

Today I am sad to report that the Washington State Liquor Control Board discontinued Hazel Dell Brewpub’s microbrewery license. The brewpub, located in Vancouver, WA, closed its doors at the end of 2011. Now it is official. It is always sad to see a brewery close. On a positive note, I am happy to report that there are currently 15 new breweries awaiting approval by the state.

Even if these 15 breweries actually gain approval, there are no guarantees. Some breweries approved by the state never actually come to fruition. Starting a brewery is more complicated than many people imagine and most wannabe breweries learn some tough lessons along the way. Getting approval from the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is perhaps the most significant and time-consuming hurdle. Municipal permitting issues also seem to be a big deal-breaker for many would-be breweries. When it’s all said and done, getting the state license might be the easiest part of the process.

Someone should write a book. Actually, someone did write a book: the Brewers Association’s Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery. As I understand it, Elysian Brewing Company’s Dick Cantwell is currently working on a revised, updated version.

Check out the list below of microbrewery licenses pending approval by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. By the way, without getting too deeply into the semantics of the whole thing, in Washington all of our breweries are licensed as “microbreweries.” Redhook in Woodinville is a microbrewery and so is Slippery Pig in Poulsbo.

Liquor Control Board Actions with Regard to Microbrewery Licenses

New Microbrewery Applications (Pending)

• Machine House Brewery, Seattle
• Bad Chemist Brewing, Seattle
• Dungeness Brewing, Port Angeles
• Flood Valley Homebrew, Chehalis
• Beer Falls Brewing, Richland
• Rainy City Ales, Seattle
• Rainy Daze Brewing, Silverdale
• Lake Stevens Brewing Company, Lake Stevens
• Ashtown Brewing, Longview
• Black Dog Spirits, Seattle
• Shrub Steppe Smokehouse Brewery, Richland
• Bale Breaker Brewing, Yakima
• Island Hoppin’ Brewery, Eastsound
• Sayulita Brewing, Seattle
• St. Helens Brewing, Toledo

Recently Approved Microbrewery Applications

• Herbert Benjamin Friendly Brewing, Renton

Other Actions

• Northern Lights Brewing in Spokane is now No-Li Brewhouse (name change).
• Hazel Dell Brewpub in Vancouver. According to the state, the microbrewery license is now discontinued.

Washington breweries brought home a total of 11 medals from the prestigious World Beer Cup. The 2012 edition of the biannual competition featured 3,921 beers in 95 beer style categories submitted by 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states.

Awards were presented at the World Beer Cup Gala Awards Dinner on May 5, 2012, during the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego, California. California collected the most hardware, taking home 55 medals. Colorado brought home 27 medals, Oregon brought home 12 medals, and Washington brought home 11 medals.

Below I provide

• A list of Washington’s winners
• The big list of all winners in all 95 style categories
• The official press release from the Brewers Association

Observations

No doubt California has a number of truly great breweries. California is a big, populous state and has a lot more breweries than any other state. According to the California Craft Brewers Association there are 270 craft breweries in California. That is about 100 more breweries than Washington and about 150 more breweries than Oregon. By all rights, California should win more medals than anyone else.

The World Beer Cup is a proper beer competition, judged by an expert panel of beer judges, but if you want to win the game you have to buy a ticket. In other words, I am assuming California breweries submitted a lot of beer to the World Beer Cup this year.

What I find most impressive about the list of winners is the number of states represented. States like Texas and Indiana brought home multiple medals. Good craft beer continues to spring up across the country, even in some of the places that we Northwesterners consider to be barren wastelands of beerless despair.

Washington Medals

Gold Medals:

• Silver City Brewery, Imperial Stout – American-Style Imperial Stout.

Silver Medals:

• Chuckanut Brewery, Chuckanut Kolsch – German-Style Kolsch.
• Pike Brewing, XXXXX Extra Stout – American-Style Stout.
• Black Raven Brewing, Great Grandfather – Wood- & Barrel-Aged Strong Stout.
• Sound Brewery, Poundage Porter – Brown Porter.
• Nut Brown Ale, Redhook Brewery – English-Style Brown Ale.
• Silver City, Winter Bock – Traditional German-Style Bock.

Bronze Medals:

• Fish Brewing, Leavenworth Dunkelweizen – American-Style Wheat w/yeast.
• Elysian Brewing, The Great Pumpkin – Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer.
• Fremont Brewing, Bourbon Abominable – Wood-Aged & Barrel-Aged Strong Ale.
• Silver City Brewery, Old Scrooge – Old Ale or Strong Ale.

The Big List of Winners

Here is the complete list of winners in all 95 style categories:

Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer, 23 Entries

Gold: Wagon Box Wheat, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY

Silver: 1919 choc beer, choc Beer Co., Krebs, OK

Bronze: DD Blonde, Hop Valley Brewing Co., Springfield, OR

Category 2: American-Style Wheat Beer With Yeast, 28 Entries

Gold: Whitetail Wheat, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT

Silver: Miners Gold, Lewis & Clark Brewing Co., Helena, MT

Bronze: Leavenworth Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen, Fish Brewing Co., Olympia, WA

Category 3: Fruit Beer, 41 Entries

Gold: Eat A Peach, Rocky Mountain Brewery, Colorado Springs, CO

Silver: Da Yoopers, Rocky Mountain Brewery, Colorado Springs, CO

Bronze: Blushing Monk, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI

Category 4: Fruit Wheat Beer, 28 Entries

Gold: Minoh Beer YUZU-WHITE-ALE, A•J•I Beer, Minoh City, Japan

Silver: Blue Moon Vintage Blonde Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Bronze: Amsterdam Framboise, Amsterdam Brewing Co., Toronto, Canada

Category 5: Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer, 19 Entries

Gold: Turnip the Beets, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Silver: Saint Arnold Pumpkinator, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Bronze: The Great Pumpkin, Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA

Category 6: Herb and Spice Beer, 80 Entries

Gold: Sgt. Pepper, Cambridge Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA

Silver: Ring Of Fire, Dragonmead Microbrewery, Warren, MI

Bronze: Hardywood Gingerbread Stout, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond, VA

Category 7: Chocolate Beer, 34 Entries

Gold: Házmela Rusa, La Chingonería, Mexico City, Mexico

Silver: X-1 Chocolate Imperial Rye Porter, DuClaw Brewing Co., Bel Air, MD

Bronze: Odin’s Raven, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA

Category 8: Coffee Beer, 56 Entries

Gold: Bacon and Eggs Breakfast Coffee Imperial Porter, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

Silver: Drunken Elf Stout, Columbia River Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Bronze: Coffee Stout, Rock Bottom Arlington, Arlington, VA

Category 9: Specialty Beer, 38 Entries

Gold: Hangar 24 Winter Warmer, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery, Redlands, CA

Silver: Maple Tripple, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Warren, VT

Bronze: Donner Party Porter, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA

Category 10: Rye Beer, 29 Entries

Gold: Ruthless Rye IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Silver: 3 Flowers IPA, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA

Bronze: Jopen Jacobus RPA, Jopenkerk Bierbrouwerij, Haarlem, Netherlands

Category 11: Specialty Honey Beer, 23 Entries

Gold: Boréale Dorée, Les Brasseurs du Nord, Blainville, Canada

Silver: Ménage a Trois Braggot, Crabtree Brewing Co., Greeley, CO

Bronze: Killer Bee, Dragonmead Microbrewery, Warren, MI

Category 12: Session Beer, 33 Entries

Gold: Vienna Lager, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Silver: Kellerweis, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Bronze: Revelations Stout, The Public House Brewing Co., Rolla, MO

Category 13: Other Strong Beer, 35 Entries

Gold: Star Brew, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA

Silver: Imperial Cream Ale, Nexus Brewery, Albuquerque, NM

Bronze: Double Pilsner, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO

Category 14: Experimental Beer, 42 Entries

Gold: Petit Obscura, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA

Silver: Noble Rot, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Bronze: Where There’s Smoke…, Manzanita Brewing Co., Santee, CA

Category 15: Indigenous Beer, 26 Entries

Gold: Got Beer, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Tacoma, Huntington Beach, CA

Silver: Hqt, 21st-Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Bronze: Oyster Stout, Upright Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category 16: Gluten-Free Beer, 15 Entries

Gold: Glutenberg Rousse, Brasseurs Sans Gluten, Montreal, Canada

Silver: Glutenberg Pale Ale, Brasseurs Sans Gluten, Montreal, Canada

Bronze: Glutenberg Blonde, Brasseurs Sans Gluten, Montreal, Canada

Category 17: American-Belgo-Style Ale, 48 Entries

Gold: Last Chance, The Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Chicago, IL

Silver: Blue Reserve, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA

Bronze: Le Freak, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 18: American-Style Sour Ale, 14 Entries

Gold: Ching Ching, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Silver: Mattina Rossa, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME

Bronze: Supplication, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA

Category 19: American-Style Brett Ale, 28 Entries

Gold: Peche ‘n Brett, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, Hood River, OR

Silver: Peche, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Bronze: Wild Wild Brett Rouge, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Fort Collins, CO

Category 20: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 34 Entries

Gold: Sarah’s Two Headed Buffalo, Rock Bottom Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

Silver: Brandy Barrel Abbey Normal, Fox River Brewing Co., Oshkosh, WI

Bronze: Central City Oaked Porter, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada

Category 21: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 91 Entries

Gold: Samuel Adams Utopias 2011, The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Silver: King Henry, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Bronze: Bourbon Abominable Winter Ale, Fremont Brewing Co., Seattle, WA

Category 22: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout, 58 Entries

Gold: Barrel Aged BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH

Silver: Great Grandfather Raven, Black Raven Brewing Co., Redmond, WA

Bronze: The Event Horizon, Olde Hickory Brewery, Hickory, NC

Category 23: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 42 Entries

Gold: Lovibonds Sour Grapes, Lovibonds Brewery, Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom

Silver: Le Serpent Cerise, Snake River Brewing Co., Jackson, WY

Bronze: Melange #1, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA

Category 24: Aged Beer, 20 Entries

Gold: Samichlaus “2004”, Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg, Vorchdorf, Austria

Silver: Vintage Horn Dog, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Bronze: Release the Hounds Barley Wine Vintage 1999, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Category 25: Kellerbier/Zwickelbier, 45 Entries

Gold: Ketterer Zwickel Pils, Familienbrauerei M. Ketterer, Hornberg, Germany

Silver: VIÆMILIA, Birrificio del Ducato, Roncole Verdi, Italy

Bronze: 5 O’Clock Shadow, Grand Teton Brewing Co., Victor, ID

Category 26: Smoke Beer, 48 Entries

Gold: Fujizakura Kogen Beer Rauch, Fujizakura Kogen Beer, Minamitsuru, Japan

Silver: BraufactuM Roog, Die Internationale Brau-Manufacturen, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Bronze: Grodzinski, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Newark, Newark, DE

Category 27: Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-Style Light, 12 Entries

Gold: Quilmes Cristal, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Silver: Anchor Ice, Hainan Asia Pacific Brewery Co., Haikou, China

Bronze: Norte Blanca, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Category 28: International-Style Lager, 63 Entries

Gold: Paceña Pico de Oro, Cervecería Boliviana Nacional, La Paz, Bolivia

Silver: Cisk Export Premium Lager, Simonds Farsons Cisk, Mriehl, Malta

Bronze: Birra Moretti, Heineken Italia, Milan, Italy

Category 29: Baltic-Style Porter, 28 Entries

Gold: Baltic Gnome Porter, Rock Bottom Denver, Denver, CO

Silver: Battle Axe Baltic Porter, Fat Heads Brewery, North Olmsted, OH

Bronze: Dan – My Turn Series, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

Category 30: European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style, 18 Entries

Silver: Beck’s Premier Light, Brauerei Beck & Co., Bremen, Germany

Bronze: Hochdorfer Hopfen-Leicht, Hochdorfer Kronenbrauerei Otto Haizmann, Nagold-Hochdorf, Germany

Category 31: German-Style Pilsener, 74 Entries

Gold: Brio, Olgerdin Egill Skallagrimsson, Reykjavik, Iceland

Silver: Schönramer Pils, Private Landbrauerei Schönram, Schönram, Germany

Bronze: Baumgartner Pils, Brauerei Jos. Baumgartner, Schaerding, Austria

Category 32: Bohemian-Style Pilsener, 62 Entries

Gold: Starobrno Ležák, Heineken Czech Republic, Krušovice, Czech Republic

Silver: Krušovice Imperial, Heineken, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Bronze: Gambrinus Premium, Plzeňský Prazdroj, Pilsen, Czech Republic

Category 33: Münchner-Style Helles, 68 Entries

Gold: Urtyp Hell, Löwenbrauerei Passau, Passau, Germany

Silver: Löwenbräu, Löwenbräu, München, Germany

Bronze: Helles, Kitzmann Bräu, Erlangen, Germany

Category 34: Dortmunder/Export or German-Style Oktoberfest, 39 Entries

Gold: Švyturys Ekstra, JSC Švyturys-Utenos Alus, Vilnius, Lithuania

Silver: Tauras Tradicinis, Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupe, Panevezys, Lithuania

Bronze: Schlappeseppel Export, Brauerei Schlappeseppel, Grossostheim, Germany

Category 35: Vienna-Style Lager, 41 Entries

Gold: Vienna Lager, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

Silver: Heavy Seas Marzen Vienna Lager, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

Bronze: Belle Gueule Originale, Brasseurs RJ, Montreal, Canada

Category 36: German-Style Märzen, 39 Entries

Gold: Florhosen, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Silver: Rocktoberfest, Rock Bottom Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

Bronze: Ur-Saalfelder, Bürgerliches Brauhaus Saalfeld, Saalfeld, Germany

Category 37: European-Style Dark/Münchner Dunkel, 34 Entries

Gold: Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel, Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg, Kelheim, Germany

Silver: King Dark Lager, King Brewery, Nobleton, Canada

Bronze: Riegele Aechtes Dunkel, Brauerei S. Riegele, Augsburg, Germany

Category 38: German-Style Schwarzbier, 40 Entries

Gold: Art of Science Schwarzbier, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO

Silver: Point 2012 Black Ale, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI

Bronze: Cameron’s Dark 266, Cameron’s Brewing Co., Oakville, Canada

Category 39: Traditional German-Style Bock, 30 Entries

Gold: Doppel-Hirsch, Der Hirschbräu, Immenstadt, Germany

Silver: Winter Bock, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA

Bronze: Troegenator, Tröegs Brewing Co., Hershey, PA

Category 40: German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock, 38 Entries

Gold: Maibock, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS

Silver: Der Ulmer Maibock, Familienbrauerei Bauhöfer, Renchen, Germany

Bronze: Blonde Doppelbock, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI

Category 41: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock, 44 Entries

Gold: Holzfassgelagerter Eisbock, Brauhaus Faust, Miltenberg, Germany

Silver: Hochdorfer Barbara Bock, Hochdorfer Kronenbrauerei Otto Haizmann, Nagold-Hochdorf, Germany

Bronze: Dominator Dopplebock, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category 42: American-Style Cream Ale or Lager, 23 Entries

Gold: Prestige, Brasserie Nationale d’Haiti, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Silver: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Allentown, PA

Bronze: Milwaukee’s Best, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category 43: American-Style Lager or Light Lager, 39 Entries

Gold: Coors Light, Coors Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Silver: Michelob Ultra, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, MO

Bronze: Michelob Light, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, MO

Category 44: American-Style Premium Lager or Specialty Lager, 37 Entries

Gold: Steel Reserve, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Silver: Evans Original, Cervecería Mexicana, Corona, CA

Bronze: Icehouse, Miller Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category 45: American-Style Amber Lager, 40 Entries

Gold: Winter Skal, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI

Silver: Colorado Native, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Bronze: Cali Common, Lucky Hand Beer, Novato, CA

Category 46: American-Style Dark Lager, 18 Entries

Gold: Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI

Silver: Shiner Bock, The Spoetzl Brewery, San Antonio, TX

Bronze: Santo, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Category 47: Australasian-Style Pale Ale or International-Style Pale Ale, 22 Entries

Gold: 805 IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Silver: Endeavour True Vintage 2011 Reserve Pale Ale, Endeavour True Vintage Beer,

Macquarie Centre, Australia

Bronze: Benny’s Pale Ale, Shoreline Brewery, Michigan City, IN

Category 48: German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch, 46 Entries

Gold: Sunbru, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ

Silver: Chuckanut Kolsch, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA

Bronze: Point Three Kings, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI

Category 49: German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf-Style Altbier, 29 Entries

Gold: Alt-eration, Hops & Grain Brewing, Austin, TX

Silver: Rhine Heights, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI

Bronze: Real McCoy Amber, Mammoth Brewing Co., Mammoth Lakes, CA

Category 50: German-Style Sour Ale, 11 Entries

Gold: Berliner Weisse, Steamworks Brewing Co., Durango, CO

Silver: Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA

Bronze: Vitis Reductus Weisse, Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills, NC

Category 51: South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier, 85 Entries

Gold: HEF, Burleigh Brewing Co., West Burleigh, Australia

Silver: Baltika N°8 Wheat, Baltika Breweries, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Bronze: Edelweiss Hefetrüb, Brau Union Österreich, Linz, Austria

Category 52: German-Style Pale Wheat Ale, 22 Entries

Gold: Boscos Hefeweizen, Boscos Brewing Co., Memphis, TN

Silver: Gold Ochsen Kristallweizen, Brauerei Gold Ochsen, Ulm, Germany

Bronze: Ketterer Ur-Weisse kristall, Familienbrauerei M. Ketterer, Hornberg, Germany

Category 53: German-Style Dark Wheat Ale, 29 Entries

Gold: Brauerei Michael Plank Original Hefeweizen, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany

Silver: Schneider Weisse Original, Weisses Bräeuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn, Kelheim, Germany

Bronze: Unertl Gourmet Weisse, Weißbräu Unertl, Mühldorf, Germany

Category 54: South German-Style Weizenbock/Weissbock, 20 Entries

Gold: Brauerei Michael Plank Heller Weizenbock, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany

Silver: Live Oak Primus, Live Oak Brewing Co., Austin, TX

Bronze: Rhaner Lilly Bock, Rhanerbräu, Schönthal, Germany

Category 55: Belgian-Style Witbier, 50 Entries

Gold: Allagash White, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME

Silver: Hoegaarden, Hoegaarden Brewery, New York, NY

Bronze: La Perouse White, Maui Brewing Co., Lahaina, HI

Category 56: French- & Belgian-Style Saison, 44 Entries

Gold: Carnevale, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Silver: Saison Station 55, Hopfenstark Brewery, L’Assomption, Canada

Bronze: Urban Farmhouse Ale, The Commons Brewery, Portland, OR

Winners ListThe World Beer Cup

is presented by the Brewers Association

www.BrewersAssociation.org

Category 57: Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 22 Entries

Gold: FSB Spring Brew, Front Street Brewery, Wilmington, NC

Silver: Saison Noir, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Bronze: Gift of the Magi, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category 58: Belgian-Style Blonde Ale or Pale Ale, 32 Entries

Gold: Ommegang Rare Vos, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY

Silver: Leffe Blonde, AB InBev, New York, NY

Bronze: Troubadour Blond, Brouwerij The Musketeers, Ursel, Belgium

Category 59: Belgian-Style Sour Ale, 27 Entries

Gold: Oude Geuze Boon, Brouwerij Frank Boon, Lembeek, Belgium

Silver: Oude Kriek Oud Beersel, Oud Beersel, Beersel, Belgium

Bronze: Fifth Element Vintage 2011, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category 60: Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale, 16 Entries

Gold: Oude Tart, The Bruery, Anaheim, CA

Silver: Monomoy Kriek, Cisco Brewers, Nantucket, MA

Bronze: Oud Jeremiah, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Brea, Huntington Beach, CA

Category 61: Belgian-Style Dubbel, 39 Entries

Gold: Leffe Brown, AB InBev, New York, NY

Silver: Belgian Dubbel, Bier Brewery, Indianapolis, IN

Bronze: Ovila Dubbel, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Category 62: Belgian-Style Tripel, 57 Entries

Gold: Westmalle Trappist Tripel, Westmalle Trappist Brewery, Westmalle, Belgium

Silver: Nectar des Dieux, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Bronze: Steenbrugge Tripel, Palm Breweries, Steenhuffel, Belgium

Category 63: Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale, 33 Entries

Gold: Piraat, Van Steenberge, Ertvelde, Belgium

Silver: Thor’s Hammer, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Bronze: Prisoner of Hell, Dock Street Brewery, Philadelphia, PA

Category 64: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale, 41 Entries

Gold: Batch 333: The Velvet Fog, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Silver: Two Tortugas Belgian Quad, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Bronze: Grand Prestige, Hertog Jan Brouwerij, Arcen, Netherlands

Category 65: Other Belgian-Style Ale, 41 Entries

Gold: Seef, Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, Hove, Belgium

Silver: Gauloise Amber, Brasserie du Bocq, Purnode, Belgium

Bronze: Rhinoceros, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA

Category 66: English-Style Summer Ale, 32 Entries

Gold: Cross of Gold: Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL

Silver: Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, Stone & Wood Brewing Co., Byron Bay, Australia

Bronze: Mother Lode Golden Ale, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category 67: Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 33 Entries

Gold: Annadel Pale Ale, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA

Silver: Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Brewing Co., St. Paul, MN

Bronze: Caldera Ashland Amber, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR

Category 68: English-Style India Pale Ale, 48 Entries

Gold: Man Beer, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Silver: IP’Eh!, Russell Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada

Bronze: Intercontinental Pale Ale, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL

Category 69: Ordinary or Special Bitter, 32 Entries

Gold: Redoak Bitter, Redoak, Sydney, Australia

Silver: Happy Hour Hero Ale, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT

Bronze: 8th Street Ale, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ

Category 70: Extra Special Bitter, 49 Entries

Gold: Red Racer ESB, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada

Silver: GAR Pale Ale, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA

Bronze: The Tower E.S.B., Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Category 71: Scottish-Style Ale, 26 Entries

Gold: MacPelican’s Scottish Style Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR

Silver: Redhawk Ale, Rockyard Brewing Co., Castle Rock, CO

Bronze: Beltaine Scottish Ale, Shoreline Brewery, Michigan City, IN

Category 72: English-Style Mild Ale, 27 Entries

Gold: Crown Brown, Crown Brewing, Crown Point, IN

Silver: Alyssa’s Attitude, Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA

Bronze: Nerf Herder, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Category 73: English-Style Brown Ale, 30 Entries

Gold: Longboard Brown Ale, Rock Bottom La Jolla, La Jolla, CA

Silver: Nut Brown Ale, Redhook Ale Brewery, Woodinville, WA

Bronze: Sweet George’s Brown, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO

Category 74: Brown Porter, 42 Entries

Gold: Double Nut Brown, Mammoth Brewing Co., Mammoth Lakes, CA

Silver: Poundage Porter, Sound Brewery, Poulsbo, WA

Bronze: Chocolate Porter, Bayhawk Ales, Irvine, CA

Category 75: Robust Porter, 68 Entries

Gold: Pier Rat Porter, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Silver: Pro-Am Porter, Wormtown Brewery, Worcester, MA

Bronze: Chocolate Porter, Kumazawa Brewing Co., Chigasaki, Japan

Category 76: Sweet Stout, 25 Entries

Gold: Steel Toe Stout, Ska Brewing Co., Durango, CO

Silver: Outlaw Oatmeal Stout, Great Basin Brewing Co., Sparks, NV

Bronze: Blackjack Stout, Feather Falls Casino Brewing Co., Oroville, CA

Category 77: Oatmeal Stout, 49 Entries

Gold: Naked Oat Stout, Rock Bottom College Park, Indianapolis, IN

Silver: Stumblers Stout, Columbia River Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Bronze: Alaskan Oatmeal Stout, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK

Category 78: Scotch Ale, 51 Entries

Gold: Wee Heavy, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO

Silver: Way Heavy, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Bronze: Cold Smoke Scotch Ale, Kettlehouse Brewing Co., Missoula, MT

Category 79: British-Style Imperial Stout, 40 Entries

Gold: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Media, PA

Silver: Luscious, The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT

Bronze: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, The Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

Category 80: Old Ale or Strong Ale, 51 Entries

Gold: Old Ale, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media, Media, PA

Silver: AleSmith Decadence 2010 Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Bronze: Old Scrooge, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA

Category 81: Barley Wine-Style Ale, 62 Entries

Gold: Stormwatcher’s Winterfest, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR

Silver: Barley’s Wine, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Bronze: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 82: Irish-Style Red Ale, 31 Entries

Gold: Red Trolley Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Silver: Alaskan Amber, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK

Bronze: McLovin, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI

Category 83: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 30 Entries

Gold: Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA

Silver: Ring of Dingle, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Bronze: Breakside Dry Stout, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR

Category 84: Foreign-Style Stout, 37 Entries

Gold: Starry Night Stout, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA

Silver: Malpais Stout, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Bronze: Voo Doo, Left Coast Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA

Category 85: Golden or Blonde Ale, 46 Entries

Gold: Foam Top, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

Silver: Labatt 50, Labatt Brewing Co., LaSalle, Canada

Bronze: Steelhead Extra Pale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA

Category 86: American-Style Pale Ale, 84 Entries

Gold: Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Silver: Mission Street Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Bronze: BrickStone APA, BrickStone Restaurant & Brewery, Bourbonnais, IL

Category 87: American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 82 Entries

Gold: Hop Knot, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ

Silver: Odell IPA, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO

Bronze: Alaskan IPA, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK

Category 88: American-Style India Pale Ale, 150 Entries

Gold: DRIPA, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, MI

Silver: Head Hunter IPA, Fat Heads Brewery, North Olmsted, OH

Bronze: Elevated IPA, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category 89: Imperial India Pale Ale, 93 Entries

Gold: Poor Man’s IPA, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Silver: Saint Arnold Endeavour, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Bronze: Palate Wrecker, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 90: American-Style Amber/Red Ale, 68 Entries

Gold: Big Cottonwood, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT

Silver: Swan Lake Beer Amber Swan Ale, Hyokoyashikinomori Brewery Tenchokaku Co., Agano, Japan

Bronze: Mavericks Amber Ale, Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., Princeton-by-the-Sea, CA

Category 91: Imperial Red Ale, 38 Entries

Gold: G’Knight Imperial Red Ale, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO

Silver: Bigfoot, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Bronze: Pursuit of Hopiness, Grand Teton Brewing Co., Victor, ID

Category 92: American-Style Brown Ale, 47 Entries

Gold: Face Down Brown, Telluride Brewing Co., Telluride, CO

Silver: Uptown Brown, Galena Brewing Co., Galena, IL

Bronze: Great American Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA

Category 93: American-Style Black Ale, 49 Entries

Gold: Black Racer, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Cloverdale, CA

Silver: Tarantulas 2.0, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

Bronze: Raven, Thornbridge, Bakewell, United Kingdom

Category 94: American-Style Stout, 34 Entries

Gold: Rise American Stout, Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL

Silver: Pike XXXXX Extra Stout, Pike Brewing Co., Seattle, WA

Bronze: Achievement Beyond Life’s Experiences American Stout Brit Antrim Benefit Beer,

Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

Category 95: American-Style Imperial Stout, 36 Entries

Gold: Imperial Stout, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA

Silver: The Fundamental Blackhorn, Hornbeer, Kirke Hyllinge, Denmark

Bronze: Imperial Stout, Olde Hickory Brewery, Hickory, NC

Here is the official press release:

Exceptional beers and brewers recognized in the largest global competition

BOULDER, CO • May 5, 2012—Brewers from around the world received awards from an elite international panel of judges in the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup. The ninth bi-annual competition boasted the strongest field of entrants on record, with 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states entering 3,921 beers in 95 beer style categories. A 17.7 percent increase over 2010, the entries were eligible for gold, silver and bronze awards in their respective categories. Judges presented a total of 284 awards.

A detailed analysis of the entries and awards can be found in the 2012 World Beer Cup Fact Sheet (PDF).

“It’s called ‘The Olympics of Beer Competition’ for good reason,” said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, the U.S.-based trade association that has put on the competition every two years since 1996. “The event brings together great brewers from all corners of the globe. Plus, the awards are highly regarded. A brewer who wins a World Beer Cup gold award knows that their winning beer represents the best of that beer style in the world. Congratulations to all the winners of the 2012 World Beer Cup. The Brewers Association and the proud sponsors of our event thank all participating brewers for their involvement.”
Judges

The 2012 judging panel was the largest and most international in the history of the World Beer Cup. Judges from 27 countries conducted blind tasting evaluations of the beers to determine the winners. Drawn from the ranks of professional brewers and brewing industry experts, these 211 judges came mostly from international breweries, with some 67 percent from outside the U.S. In addition to the judging panel, over 250 volunteers helped sort beer entries and steward the competition.

The judging criteria are exacting—some categories are not given the full slate of awards if the panel decides that the entries do not merit recognition.
Award Highlights and Trends
Highlights from the competition:

The average number of beers entered per category was 41.
The category with the most entries was American-Style India Pale Ale, with 150 entries. The second most-entered category was Imperial India Pale Ale, with 93 entries. The German-Style Sour Ale category had the fewest number of entries at 11.
The 2012 World Beer Cup saw substantial growth of entries in the American-Style India Pale Ale category. Category entries grew 41.5 percent over 2010 to make it the largest category of the 2012 competition.
Additionally, Champion Brewery and Champion Brewmaster awards are given in each of five brewery categories based on the awards won by each brewery in the given size category.

The five Champion Brewery/Brewmaster award winners are:

Small Brewing Company Category
Brauerei Michael Plank, Michael Plank

Mid-Size Brewing Company Category
Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Matthew Brynildson

Large Brewing Company Category
AB InBev, Claudio Ferro

Small Brewpub Category
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant-Media, Iron Hill Brewery Team

Large Brewpub Category
Pelican Pub & Brewery, Darron R S Welch

At last it is here. The Washington Beer Commission announced today the release of its free Washington Beer application for both Android and iOS mobile devices. Droid and iPhone users now have a very handy Washington beer resource at their fingertips. Since we’re the only state in the USA with a state-authorized commodity commission dedicated to beer, I going to assume we’re the only state with such an official beer app.

The Washington Beer mobile app will help you find the nearest Washington breweries from your current location, get you quickly to brewery contact numbers and websites, provide information for the Washington Beer Commission tasting festivals, and more. Use the Social option to stay informed about local beer news, including links to stories on the Washington Beer Blog.

If you’re a beer geek, you simply must have this app. You can get the Washington Beer application in the App Store. Simply search for “Washington beer.”

Viewing this on your phone?

iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users click here

Android users click here

Silver City Brewery announced yesterday the opening of the new tasting room at its Bremerton brewery. On Wednesday, May 16 at 3:00 p.m. the Silver City Brewery Taproom opens to the public. Many beer drinkers have visited the Silver City Brewpub near the Silverdale Mall but few have actually been to the brewery. Yes, there was a time when the brewpub and the brewery were the same place. Two years ago Silver City decided to move production to a larger, offsite brewery.

The Silver City Brewery Taproom will offer all of the brewery’s regular lineup of beers plus seasonal, specialty and small-batch beers. All will be available by the glass and most will be available in growlers and 22 ounce bottles to go. They will also sell kegs.

Silver City Brewery & Taproom
206 Katy Penman Ave.
Bremerton, WA 98310
map

Taproom Hours:

Wednesday thru Friday: 3:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: Noon – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m.

Kegs sales throughout the week between 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The Taproom is also available on Monday and Tuesday evenings for private events.

Le Fat 2012

To celebrate the opening of the new Taproom, Silver City is releasing Le Fat 2012 – Oak-Barrel-Aged Belgian Sour Scotch Ale, available in cork-finished bottles.

Le Fat 2012 production began immediately following the move to Bremerton, 2 years prior to it’s release. The beer is based on one of Silver City’s Fat Scotch Ale. The beer was fermented with Belgian yeast, inoculated with non-traditional micro-organisms and aged in used Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet barrels.

Le Fat will go on sale Friday May 25^th at 5:00 p.m., available exclusively at the Silver City Brewery Taproom. The quantities are limited so please arrive early if you would like to purchase a bottle. The 750ml cork finished bottle sells for $19.99.

It is not too often that I report the closing of a brewery in Washington. Frank-n-Stein Whatcom Brewing is now history. This is not as sad as it sounds. The location in downtown Ferndale has been transformed into Maggie’s Pub. This is a welcome addition in a town noticeably lacking a good beer bar. The pub is still called Frank-n-Stein but an official name change is in progress. Most importantly, it is open and serving a rotating selection of good beer.

It was one of the most enigmatic breweries in Washington: Frank-n- Stein, Whatcom Brewing. We must have driven by the storefront in downtown Ferndale a dozen times or more and never once saw it open. In fact, we have friends who live in Ferndale and they reported rarely seeing Frank-n-Stein open for business. We know this, the previous owner was Lloyd Zimmerman, who currently serves on the Ferndale City Council and even campaigned unsuccessfully for mayor last year. Apparently he’s a busy man.

Rotating taps at Maggie's Pub. Photo from the Maggie's Pub Facebook page.

Here is the message we received from the new owner:

You should come and check out my pub. I love craft beer and bought a tiny brewery and turned it into a beer bar last month. It’s very small, but I have ten rotating taps with beer all local to the Northwest (WA, OR and sometimes CA). I fill growlers, sell wine and cider, and have a small food menu that rotates. I sell samplers too. You should stop by if you’re in the area. It’s called Frank-n-Stein right now but a name change to Maggie’s Pub is in the works. There’s currently a facebook page for both names if you want to check one of them out. I’m trying to find more ways to get the word out that there’s another great beer place in Whatcom County.

And this from Facebook:

We are an all ages pub serving great Northwest craft beer. We have 10 rotating taps of delicious beer. We sell 2 pint cartons and 1/2 gallon growlers to go. Of course you can enjoy beer by the pint in our pub as well. If you can’t decide between all the awesome beers we have a sampler of 6 beers in 4oz glasses. I believe we’re the only place in the area to offer a sampler of 6 beers from 6 different breweries.

We have a small rotating menu including grilled sandwiches and bratwurst. We have specials including nachos, quesadillas, and various soups & salads in rotation. We carry a nice selection of wine as well as hard cider, soda, coffee and tea. We support local whenever possible. It’s a very casual atmosphere with live music on select nights.

Find Maggie’s Pub on Facebook.

It is located at
2030 Main Street
Ferndale, WA 98248
Map

Everybody’s Brewing in White Salmon, WA opened as a pub in 2008. The owners always intended it to be a brewery as well. In July 2009 everything finally came together and they began brewing beer. The brewpub is in the center of historic downtown White Salmon. This charming little town is just north of Hood River, OR on the Washington side of the Columbia River. Perched on a hillside a few hundred feet above the river, Everybody’s Brewing affords visitors an amazing view of the Columbia River gorge and Mount Hood. They have a large deck with plenty of seating to take advantage of the amazing view.

In its previous lives the building has been a sporting goods store, an Odd Fellows hall, and who knows what else. The space offers tons of natural light and a lot of wood – beautiful old wooden posts and beams surround you. There is even a full-sized shuffleboard for your gaming pleasure.

Doug Ellenburger, the brewmaster, began his career as a brewer at the Lafayette Brewing Company in Lafayette, Indiana. He later moved west where he worked for Full Sail Brewing in Hood River, OR. Most recently, Doug worked for Point Blank Distributors in Portland—a company focused on distributing local beers. Christine McAleer, Doug’s partner in life and business, has always worked in the service industry as a server and a manager. She manages the front-of-house, Doug manages the brew house.

The food menu consists of salads, sandwiches, burgers, burritos, and seasonal entrees. This is not typical pub grub. For example, how does pumpkin lamb curry or wild mushroom stroganoff sound? Or perhaps some pulled pork nachos.

Everybody’s Brewing frequently has live music on the weekends. It’s a fun place. I cannot adequately describe the view from the deck. You must see it. Like the Columbia River Gorge in general, it is breathtaking.

Keep an eye out for Country Boy IPA, Daily Bread Common Ale, Howdown Brown, and others. On occasion Everybody’s Brewing beers make it to the Seattle market; however, the best place to enjoy this beer in on the brewpub’s deck overlooking the majestic Columbia River.

Everybody’s Brewing
151 E Jewitt Blvd.
White Salmon, WA
509-637-2774
map
www.everybodysbrewing.com

The owners of the Salmon Creek Brewpub, Larry and Ana Pratt, are retiring and have sold the business. Since 1994 the Salmon Creek Brewpub has been dutifully serving the residents of Vancouver, WA a selection of Larry’s handcrafted beers accompanied with great food. All the while, Ana was waiting to greet you as you came through the front door. It was recently announced that the brewpub has been sold to David and Arlene Nunez, the owners of By the Bottle – the bottleshop right next door.

It’s hard not to be sad. Larry and Ana Pratt are wonderfully warm people and exemplify all that is best about the Northwest craft beer scene. Then again, it is good to know that Salmon Creek is being turned over to friends and the tradition will continue. David and Arlene Nunez have been friends with the Pratt’s for more than a decade.

In a report in the Columbian David Nunez said, “There were other people interested. Some wanted to turn it into a wine bar or a sports bar or close the kitchen. But it’s our last real downtown brewpub. I thought, ‘You know what? I’m not going to let this die.’”

Cheers to that.

The keys to the brewhouse are being turned over to Tom Munoz. A veteran of the local beer scene, Tom has worked for the likes of Pyramid, Redhook, Silver City Brewery and a couple of now-defunct breweries around the Seattle area.

The Washington Beer Blog wants to thank Larry and Ana Pratt. We wish you a very happy retirement. You deserve it. Cheers!

Larry and Ana Pratt from Salmon Creek Brewpub.