FRIDAY, DEC. 30 2016: South Sound events + craft beer …
Pierce College + Peaks and Pints = stars and apples
The Grand Cinema + Engine House No. 9 = Firestone Walker and White Elephant
CONSIDER SPACE
Not all stars are created equal. Some are massive. Others are tiny; almost insignificant. The specific characteristics of a star will determine what type of life it will lead, how long it might live and even the type of death it will die. The Pierce College Science Dome screens The Secret Lives of Stars, a program diving into the secret life of stars, narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart of the Star Trek and X-Men films. See stars beginning at 7 p.m.
PREFUNK: As the cider market flourishes, the flavorful and gluten-free beverage is being taken in increasingly interesting directions — cider made with beer-friendly hops, bourbon-barrel-aged and oaked, and, of course, infused with a wide variety of berries. Heirloom apples, of course, remain at the core, and Whitewood Cider Co. has 100 percent heirloom variety blend cider fermented from Washington grown Jonathan, McIntosh, Gravenstein and Winesap apples. According to Whitewood hype, Old Fangled is, “clean, crisp, and fresh with juicy navel orange to clementine flavors. Ample amounts of heirloom apple acidity are balanced with a light sweetness and a bit of champagne-like tannic character finishing with a hint of black pepper spice.” It’s amazing and pouring from Peaks and Pints’ Western red cedar tap log.
LIKE, REALLY SCARY
Here’s a recurring nightmare we’ve had since seeing Nicolas Pesce’s The Eyes of My Mother: We’re in an abandoned brewery. Trench-coated gangsters have got us bound in chains from head to toe. We’re hoisted upside down over a cold vat of Corona Extra. The men laugh maniacally as we’re slowly lowered into the beer. No one comes to our rescue. We’ve been watching horror films since The Exorcist. They’ve never given us nightmares. Until now. In his directing and writing debut, Nicolas Pesce strikes a grim balance between disgust and sympathy and takes his premise to its inexorable conclusion. Come get creeped out at the end of the year with squirm-inducing modern masterpiece The Eyes of My Mother at 9:09 p.m. in The Grand Cinema. The film is part of the Tacoma movie house’s monthly White Elephant series, which means craft beer by Wingman Brewers, trivia and prizes.
PREFUNK: Peaks and Pints Pals should be well aware by now that great beer is just as complex as wine. However, in the off chance that you have yet to ascend to the craft beer plane of being, we’ve found you a shortcut to Nirvana: Firestone Walker Anniversary Ale Vertical at Engine House No. 9. The Paso Robles brewery is known for the quality of their barrel aged beers, including the imperial stout Parabola and the barleywine Sucaba, and its anniversary releases bolster that reputation even more. The blends of barrel-aged beers are powerful and intense, with layer after layer of rich flavors. Engine House has the 16th through 20th Anniversary Ales available for purchase.
