Peaks and Pints Mountain Beer Fest: Backwoods Brewing Gifford Pinchot Pilsner
Peaks and Pints we will host an all-day Mountain Beer Festival Saturday, June 3. Craft beers and ciders from mountain community breweries and cideries as well as mountain moniker brews will flow from our Western red cedar tap log and into keepsake Peaks and Pints Mountain Beer Festival glassware, for those who want to donate to Green Tacoma Partnership. At 8 p.m., Tacoma bluegrass band Barleywine Revue will perform their hits live inside our lodge, including “Peaks and Pints,” the song the band wrote specifically for us.
Let’s meet Mountain Beer Fest participant Backwoods Brewing Co. and its Gifford Pinchot Pilsner that will be on tap Saturday, June 3.
The Craft: Backwoods Gifford Pinchot Pilsner
Where in the World: 1162 Wind River Hwy., Carson, Washington
Mountain Cred: In 1880 A. S. Estabrook built the first sawmill in Wind River Valley, a waterpower concern on Carson Creek in Skamania County, Washington. The following year, a company built a good-sized steam sawmill where the town of Carson now stands. The lumber industry has since left Carson, but Backwoods Brewing Co. pours craft beers and serves delicious pizza for flannel-wearing folk. Backwoods’ taproom sits at the gateway to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Old Man’s Pass and Mt. St. Helens. Wind River Highway runs directly through Carson leading to world class fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, berry and mushroom picking, sledding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and beautiful scenery. While only at 469 feet above sea level, Carson looks and feels like a mountain town.
Family Affair: Backwoods Brewing was built on the backs of a wise father, college beers and the big shoulders of two brothers. Jim Waters taught his sons, Kevin and Tom, how to homebrew and carpentry before the young lads made their way to Eastern Washington University. Skipping a few toga parties, the Waters boys brewed batch after batch of homebrew, tweaking recipes instead of twerking in bed sheets. They scribbled out a game plan, logo and brewery concept and followed through to opening day in 2012. Their first brews pouring from their pub’s taps were off a one-barrel system incorporating locally produced hops, grain and yeast. They now operate on a 20-barrel system in their new Stevenson facility, making beer for both draft and package, with their Carson taproom still jam-packed with locals and tourists.
Gifford Pinchot Pilsner: The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is one of the oldest National Forests in the United States. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, this area was set aside as the Columbia National Forest in 1908. It was renamed the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 1949. Backwoods co-owner Kevin has a fondness for the forest as well as pilsners after a visit to Prague, the capital of the Czech republic and home to many a pilsner. Kevin brewed his GP Pilsner the Czech way with Czech Saaz hops for a spicy floral aroma with grassy notes and a clean, crisp finish. It’s the perfect beer after a day hiking in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
PEAKS AND PINTS MOUNTAIN BEER FEST, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 3, Peaks and Pints, 3816 N. 26th St., Basecamp Proctor, Tacoma, no cover
