We have Northern California’s Dr. Elmo to thank — or blame — for the unsinkable Christmas novelty hit “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” Annoying radio programmers love the song this time of year. So do kids in elementary school. But why couldn’t Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis” be the big contemporary Christmas classic, or “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love? Or anything? “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” is now part of our cultural landscape, though, so you must give Elmo props. What the song doesn’t include is the fact that the reindeer each had
Christmas is everyone’s favorite holiday, but true beer fans know that the most wonderful time of the year is made even more wonderful with a pint in your hand. Winter warmers and other dark, comforting brews take over around the holidays to help carolers and Christmas tree shoppers thaw out after a chilly night. These beers dance on the tongue, fill the belly and warm the soul. Many of the traditional winter warmers are malty, high-strength ales with a sweet and/or roasty character. Old ales, strong ales and barleywines fit right in. Some new holiday beers boast Christmas-inspired herbs, fruits,
Today, Peaks & Pints presents our annual toast to barleywine and the holiday spirit, “A Barleywine Carol,” inspired by the classic Charles Dickens holiday tale A Christmas Carol, the festivities held at Mr. Fezziwig’s and Bob Cratchet’s, and a glass of Christmas cheer for the holidays. From open to close, we’ll have eight barleywines on tap. Despite its name, the barleywine is indeed a beer but at wine strength — ranging as low as 7-percent alcohol by volume in British versions and upwards of 15 percent in American interpretations. Despite its name, barleywines aren’t made with tons of specialty grains, as
Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Proctor Art Gallery Let’s pair a Proctor District artistic holiday present with holiday dessert sours! Trinda Love is the featured artist during the holiday season at Proctor Art Gallery. Proctor Art Gallery Sometimes the best galleries are not in big fancy buildings downtown but tucked away into awesome little spaces. This is exactly the case with Proctor Art Gallery in Tacoma’s Proctor District. Founded by Carolyn Burt and her husband Chuck Gourley in January 2009, purchased in 2016 by local jewelry designer and Proctor Art Gallery artist member Pamela Phelps, this
If there is one thing about the holidays everyone can agree on, it’s the fact that the season has several of its own, distinct flavors. These flavors don’t often appear any other time of year and are reserved for when the Thanksgiving bloat dies down and the Yule gluttony fires up. The holiday lover in all of us looks so forward to these special favors that we almost forget to stop and recognize their importance. We just accept them as regular occurrences (much like taxes and death) and go on about our Christmasy business without a second thought. Well, we here
Fancy Pants Sunday: Block 15 Hair of the Peach Hair of the Dog Brewing founder and head brewery Alan Sprints hasn’t fully accepted his retirement and subsequent brewery’s closure. Apparently, if you receive a call from Block 15 Brewing to collaborate and help launch a new series of barrel-aged beers for the Corvallis-based brewery, aptly named Pick of the Litter, then you get a wild hair and search your closet for your brewing boots. It’s what Sprints did; Block 15 even named the barleywine after his brewery. The beer, Hair of the Peach, fits our Sunday fancy, big beer column,
As a brewery famous for its experimental ales, the company’s history is just as wild. Founded in 2008 by Patrick Rue, The Bruery began when Rue, a recent law school graduate and homebrewer, figured out that he loved the hobby so much, he’d start a brewery instead of studying for the Bar. Later, in 2015, Rue launched Bruery Terreux — loosely translated as “Earthy Brewery” — as a dedicated space to provide the freedom (and bacteria) to get weird with wild and sour ales. Indeed, in just a handful of years, the brewery created one of the largest barrel-aging programs
Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Wag Pet Market and Coffee Kitten Mittens Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with a coffee winter ale! Wag Pet Market Wag Pet Market has held a leash for 21 some years in Tacoma’s Proctor District. That’s still a puppy in dog years. The pet store offers a full stock of fun toys and great treats, including a Santa sack full of holiday themed toys. Wag also gives animal birthday shout-outs on Facebook, too. Many of us at Peaks & Pints are pet owners and shop at Wag. We have our eyes on the
From watching Elf to eating Aunt Bethany’s cookies to spraying fake snow on the windows, we all have our seasonal rituals. And it’s impossible to live in the greater Tacoma area and get in the spirit without a spin through ZooLights. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s 800,000 light display depicts everything from a giant Pacific octopus and flame tree to the Narrows Bridge and Sasquatch. This year’s light display also features a magnificent heard of goats and s’mores roasting around a fire. Before or after walking through the twinkling lights from 4:30 to 10 p.m., swing by Peaks and Pints
Structures Brewing founder James Alexander wanted to open a second location since opening in 2015 but kept his head down brewing Belgian farmhouse and mixed fermentation beers and hazy IPAs. During the pandemic Chuckanut and pFriem Family Brewers head brewer Bryan Cardwell and longtime friend of Structures joined the ownership expanding their beer portfolio. In March 2023, Structures finally opened their second location in the former Chuckanut Brewery, which was taken down to the studs. It’s beautiful with two massive glass garage doors in that overlook the water, built a wrap-around patio, beautiful front door and added an entire draft
Peaks & Pints wants you to have a musty, old leather, barnyard, horse blanket, cheesy, fruity, and tart good time today, which should be easy to do since the Grit & Grain Podcast hosts local beer expert Scott Travis and his thoughts on lambics at 4:30 p.m. in our Event Room. Lambics — whether straight lambics, faro, gueuze, or fruit based — are produced only in one area of Belgium, the Senne River Valley, south and west of Brussels in the Pajottenland region. Officially speaking, lambic is an appellation — like “Champagne” and “bourbon” — and the use of the
Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Teaching Toys & Books goo Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with an Ill-Tempered Gnome! Teaching Toys & Books When Peaks & Pints entered Teaching Toys & Books, we reverted to our elementary school self as we wondered, “How come this didn’t exist when we were kids?” and debated whether we needed to stock up on more Schylling NeeDoh goo balls. (The answer, this time, was yes.) The original Teaching Toys store was opened in 1981 in the historic Proctor District in North Tacoma. Their mission is to, “provide quality toys that support the
6-Pack of Things To Do: December 12-17 2023 Remember that time when you were in college and you read 200 pages of Jacques Derrida and your brain turned to mush so you gave up and smoked a bowl and watched Horse Feathers and then got the munchies and tried to make cookies but ended up setting your hoodie on fire and had to stop, drop, and roll and you almost died? The Peaks & Pints 6-Pack of Things To Do is the opposite of that experience. It’s filled with holiday and beer drinking cheers this week in Tacoma. Cheers! ABT
Brouwerij St Bernardus is famous for both their beers and their heritage. The brewery brewed the famous Westvleteren beers before the monastery returned all production back to within the abbey’s walls. Their Abt 12 quadrupel represents what Westvleteren 12 used to be before the abbey changed their yeast strain. Abt 12, one of the world’s most beloved and highly regarded beers takes the spotlight today, 12/ 12, with the return of St. Bernardus Abt 12 Day! Peaks & Pints will celebrate Abt 12 all day Tuesday with Abt 12, St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, and their Wit on tap and in
’Twas the 14th day before Christmas, and all through the city, everyone yearned for a cider and a Pesto Pastrami. The waffles were devoured, with nary a care, and boredom set in at every household lair. “Hey, it’s Monday,” they realized, “let’s head to Peaks & Pints! This is the glorious day that they serve cider flights!” Peaks & Pints Monday Cider Flight: Holiday Cheer is a thing. Five ciders in an in-house flight, all could be called cider bling. As the 11 p.m. closing time neared, folks grabbed their sandwich order, arm full of craft beer and cider were
Christmas is everyone’s favorite holiday, but true beer fans know that the most wonderful time of the year is made even more wonderful with a pint in your hand. Winter warmers and other dark, comforting brews take over around the holidays to help carolers and Christmas tree shoppers thaw out after a chilly night. These beers dance on the tongue, fill the belly and warm the soul. Many of the traditional winter warmers are malty, high-strength ales with a sweet and/or roast character. Imperial stouts, strong ales, and barleywines fit right in. Some new holiday beers boast Christmas-inspired herbs, fruits,
Charme Natural Nails Studio in Tacoma’s Proctor District Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Charme Natural Nails Studio Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with a cinnamon bun stout! Charme Natural Nails Studio Want to gift a cool nail design that won’t leave behind any peeling, discoloration, or dehydrated cuticles? Charme Natural Nails Studio in Tacoma’s Proctor District offers everything one needs to keep their nails looking flawless and Insta-ready — with gift certificates available. The trick? Charme owner Martina Ngo works in natural nails services only, which means Ngo and crew do not offer any
It was beginning to sound a lot like Christmas as U.S. Army Soldiers from 56th Army Band will take the Rialto Theater tonight for a free holiday concert. Affectionately referred to as “America’s First Corps Band,” and assigned to I Corps, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the 56th Army Band is the Army’s only active-duty band supporting the Pacific Northwest. The band was originally assigned to the 9th Infantry Division (Motorized). When the division deactivated in 1993, the band was reconstituted under I Corps, as the 56th Army Band. In addition to musically supporting I Corps and Fort Lewis, the
Chalet Bowl in Tacoma’s Proctor District has gift cards! Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Chalet Bowl Gift Cards Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with a holiday double IPA Chalet Bowl Not all bowling centers are big and garish like airports, malls, and multiplex theatres. Some, called “boutique centers,” are intimate and even tasteful. Chalet Bowl in (where else?) Proctor is a good example. Chalet Bowl, established in 1941, is the oldest operating bowling alley in Washington state, but with the newest in bowling technology. The Frederick family owns the 12-lane bowling alley — by
Like Wise Men and Santa Claus, Old Scrooge is de rigueur for the holiday season. The tale in all its 21st-century Bremerton splendor comes to life courtesy of Silver City Brewery, which has been producing the Old Scrooge beer adaptation of the classic old ale and barleywine since 2009, replete with long boil time, cool fermentation, and extended aging. You know the story by heart, so no need to recap it here. Suffice it to say, it’ll warm your heart and entire body. Encore: In addition to Silver City’s Old Scrooge Christmas Ale 2023, Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Scrooge Christmas
Compass Rose in Tacoma’s Proctor District carries delicious Kelly’s Chocolates. Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Compass Rose chocolates Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with a holiday peppermint stout Proctor is a boutique Tacoma neighborhood centered around North 26th Street and Proctor Street. It’s a small district packed with locally-owned and operated niche stores in which every detail — every window display, bushel of fresh produce, or interior cheer — is carefully curated for customers. Once again, the Proctor Business District dons candy cane stripes and white lights for their monthlong “Meet Me At Proctor’s
In April 2018, after homebrewing and working in professional breweries and hop farms in the Yakima Valley, and two years of raising money and building, Chris Baum, John Cope, Chad Roberts, David Paulson, and Karl Vanevenhoven opened Varietal Beer Co. in the Port of Sunnyside between Yakima and the Tri-Cities in Eastern Washington. The ownership all had a variety of dreams and life goals, but their Venn diagram centered on owning a brewery in the Yakima Valley. After earning the Enterprise Challenge held annually by the Yakima County Development Association and the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, Varietal became a
Peaks and Pints New Beer in Stock 12.5.23 It’s gray and rainy. Thankfully, the Peaks & Pints cooler is stocked with new arrivals. Here are a few to get you started. Cheers! BARREL-AGED ABOMINABLE, Hopworks Brewery: Annual special release of last year’s Abominable Ale winter ale aged in whiskey barrels for 9 months for creamy caramel and candy forward, and boozy on the back, 10%, 16oz BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER CHRISTMAS BEER, Evil Twin Brewing: Hazy, double dry-hopped double IPA with big juicy notes of tropical fruit and orange zest, 8%, 16oz BRU SKI PATROL DARK LAGER, Dru Bru: Munich-style
Flash back to the Roaring Twenties, when America was amid Prohibition: Booze was banned, stealthy speakeasies adorned Tacoma, and the Paramount Theatre sat in Tacoma’s Proctor District, which in 2016 became Peaks & Pints bottle shop, taproom, and eatery. Prohibition, the law that prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol in the United States, was ratified as the 18th Amendment on Jan. 16, 1919, and went into effect on Jan. 16, 1920. Dec. 5, 1933, passage of the 21st Amendment, brought an end to Prohibition. You might think there are already enough reasons to party in December. You might
Blue Mouse Theatre is screening holiday movies this week. Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Blue Mouse Theatre Gift Card Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with a sour beer! Elf Screens Tuesday night at the Blue Mouse Theatre. Blue Mouse Theatre In the early 1900s, John Hamrick opened the Blue Mouse Theatre for vaudeville and movies screenings in several Pacific Northwest cities, including Seattle in 1920, Portland in 1921, Corvallis in 1921, Astoria in 1922, downtown Tacoma on Broadway in 1922, and Proctor District Tacoma in 1923, which is the only
Manny’s Place in Tacoma’s Proctor District makes delicious French Toast. Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Manny’s Place Prefunc Let’s pair a Proctor District stocking stuffer with a holiday barleywine! Manny’s Place Brett and Linda Armstrong, who formerly hosted amazing breakfasts at Alfred’s Cafe in the Dome District, now arise before sunlight to make breakfast from their Proctor District breakfast and lunch spot, Manny’s Place. Named after their pug, Manny, Manny’s is the perfect neighbor. Situated next door to Peaks & Pints, Manny’s and we borrow ingredients, glassware, paper products, and sweep and de-ice each other’s sidewalks.
Goose Island Beer Company first brewed their bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout in 1992 to commemorate the 1,000th batch of beer made at the company’s Clybourn brewpub. Ever since, Bourbon County Stout has grown into a highly anticipated annual release, dropping on Black Friday. When Goose Island concocted its first Bourbon County Brand Stout, the practice of barrel aging beer took an intoxicating turn. After three months inside used bourbon distillery barrels, the brew had a complex oak character from the wood and rich flavors from lingering whiskey — characteristics that made the Bourbon County Brand Stout an instant hit. Here
Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Holiday Gifts, Beer and Cider Proctor is a boutique Tacoma neighborhood centered around North 26th Street and Proctor Street. It’s a small district packed with locally-owned and operated niche stores in which every detail — every window display, bushel of fresh produce or interior cheer — is carefully curated for customers. This year, the Proctor Business District dons candy cane stripes and white lights for their month-long “Meet Me At Proctor’s Peppermint Place” celebration. Peaks and Pints bottle shop, taproom, and restaurant has called Proctor home for more than seven years. We’re proud to be
Olympia Coffee Roasters in Tacoma’s Proctor District has stocking stuffers. Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: Olympia Coffee Prefunc Let’s pair Proctor District stocking stuffers with a Mexican hot chocolate inspired imperial milk stout. Olympia Coffee Roasters Tim Hunter and Terry Ziniewicz hired Sam Schroeder to bag coffee at their Olympia Coffee Roasters in Olympia. Schroeder, the company’s first employee, and Oliver Stormshak became the new owners in 2010 with expansion on the brain, which they did, including Tacoma’s version in the Proctor Business District. The coffee company’s trademark white motif allows for specific items to pop,
Essentially, Christmas beer isn’t a style; it’s a tradition. Unlike pilsners or bocks, which have specific criteria, Christmas beer has no confines. Unless, of course, you refer to the guidelines from the Beer Judge Certification Program, which states its aroma should be “reminiscent of Christmas cookies,” appearance of amber to dark brown, and must taste “rich and malty.” The guidelines state “spices are required.” However, BJCP cites some brands as leading examples of Christmas beers that contain no spices. So now, how do we define Christmas beer? Simple — it’s a beer that was brewed as a gift. It may
Asa Bender shows off a red button-up blouse by Endless Rose available at True Muse in Tacoma’s Proctor District. Peaks and Pints Proctor Presents: True Muse meets Campfire Crowler Proctor is a boutique Tacoma neighborhood centered around North 26th Street and Proctor Street. It’s a small district packed with locally-owned and operated niche stores in which every detail — every window display, bushel of fresh produce or interior cheer — is carefully curated for customers. Every holiday season, the Proctor Business District dons candy cane stripes, and white lights for their monthlong “Meet Me At Proctor’s Peppermint Place” celebration. Peaks
6-Pack of Things To Do: Dec. 1-7 2023 It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with markets and other seasonal activities all over town. Zoolights has opened, and the Winter Flower Show at the W.W. Seymour Conservatory opens Saturday. The Proctor District is all dressed up for the holiday season. The big tree is lit downtown. And Peaks & Pints’ 6-Pack of Things To Do will be wrapped up in a giant red bow throughout December. Cheers! FRIDAY, DEC. 1, CHRISTMAS BEER FLIGHT: You’re lagging in the Christmas spirit this year. Just like last year. And the year before.
You’re lagging in the Christmas spirit this year. Just like last year. And the year before. Scrooging has always been your go-to reaction to the yuletide, but as you grow older, and more sentimental, it’s increasingly unacceptable to be crotchety and contrarian. It’s unsavory. So, Peaks and Pints decide to be proactive. We will elicit Christmas cheer daily through Dec. 24, as we are closed Christmas Day. By which we mean Christmas beer. We will dedicate our daily beer flight to holiday and winter beers. After all, Christmas is about nothing if not overconsumption, and you have a lot of
Peaks and Pints New Beer in Stock 11.30.23 The 12-0 Washington Huskies will take on the Oregon Ducks in the 2023 Pac-12 Football Championship Game at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1 in Las Vegas. Here are a few of the new arrivals in the Peaks & Pints cooler to pair with the game — either at Peaks & Pints or your home. Cheers! B-BOMB, Fremont Brewing: This year’s release of B-Bomb is aged in 8- to 12-year-old American oak bourbon barrels and is a blend of 9-, 12-, and 24-month-old barrel-aged Winter Ale, for distinct bourbon, oak, cacao, leather, toffee, and
Between the 14th and 17th centuries, the Northern German city of Einbeck was a brewing center and popular exporter of beer, but the Thirty Years War and a series of unfortunate brewery fires effectively ended the city’s dominance. The Einbeck style of beer was later recreated by the monks of Munich’s St. Francis of Paula church in the 17th century where Bavarian speakers corrupted the name “Einbeck,” leading to the modern “bock.” The monks fasted during the Lenten season, finding their nourishment from a stronger, heartier bock they referred to as “liquid bread.” The monks called this brew Salvator, Latin
There are many reasons why pizza is best shared with pals. For one, pizza is a social food — it’s meant to be shared and enjoyed with others. Additionally, pizza is a bonding food — whether you are sharing a slice or two over a casual conversation or gathering around a table for a more formal meal. And finally, pizza is just plain delicious — especially if it’s made at Fort George Brewery. Their pizza has a three-day dough preparation before adding truffle cheese, chipotle hanger steak, house-smoked pulled pork toppings, and other creative toppings, and then sliding it into
Hoppy Holiday Food Drive celebration and award presentation takes place at 6 p.m. tonight inside Peaks & Pints in Tacoma’s Proctor District. The Douville Home Group launched the Hoppy Holiday Food Drive in early November asking 10 local breweries and cideries, and Peaks & Pints, to gather collect non-perishable food and hygiene items to support the Emergency Food Network. Indeed, 7 Seas Brewing, Cockrell Hard Cider, E9 Brewing, Fierce County Cider, Incline Cider, Narrows Brewing, North 47 Brewing, Odd Otter Brewing, Sig Brewing, and Wet Coast Brewing collected canned goods and monetary donations through today. Tonight’s celebration will include raffles
In 2016, James Dugan, Andy Miller, and Paul Reiter opened Great Notion Brewing and stunned Portland, Oregon with their New England-style IPAs and boundary-pushing culinary-style beers. The awards followed: World Beer Cup, GABF, Best of Craft Beer Awards, and Oregon Beer Awards, as well as the 2018 #1 IPA in America from Paste Magazine, Ripe IPA. Great Notion was the first Portland brewery to become known for hazies, and the controversial style, and traditionalists hated it. Now the traditionalists are all wearing Great Notion T-shirts. In addition to their hazies, the brewery’s barrel program offers award-winning American sour ales aged
The long-standing rivalry game between the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State University Cougars kicks off for the 115th time at 1 p.m. today. It’s a year of lasts for the two teams, as UW prepares to leave the Pac-12 for a higher profile, although Washington State and Washington agreed in principle to a five-year continuation of the storied Apple Cup football series through at least 2028. Next year’s match-up will take place on September 14, 2024 at Lumen Field in Seattle, with the following four games alternating between the school’s campuses: 2025 (Pullman), 2026 (Seattle), 2027 (Pullman) and
Peaks and Pints New Beer in Stock 11.24.23 Go big for tomorrow’s Apple Cup! 4 CALLING BIRDS, The Bruery: Belgian-style dark strong ale with a festive blend of orange peel, allspice, nutmeg, and star anise, 11.1%, 750ml BLACK TUESDAY, The Bruery: Aged in bourbon barrels for deep, warming notes of vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate, bourbon, dark fruit, and singed oak, 19.4%, 750ml BOURBON COUNTY BRAND ANGEL’S ENVY STOUT, Goose Island: Imperial stout aged freshly emptied barrels that once held Angel’s Envy Kentucky straight bourbon. After aging in those for a year, the beer is transferred to a second set of
Peaks & Pints will throw a Pray For Snow Party at our craft beer and cider lodge at Basecamp Proctor in Tacoma tonight. We need to pray for snow! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its winter weather outlook, favoring classic El Niño conditions for Washington state. El Niño is a climate pattern associated with warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. It generally leads to higher chances of warmer temperatures and drier conditions in the Pacific Northwest. Winter will be warmer and much rainier than normal, with below-normal snowfall. Ugh, we seriously need to pray for
Once again, darkness descends on Peaks & Pints during Thanksgiving week, and it promises to be an eventful week with at scarce and salient selections from the dark side. Starting at 11 a.m. today and running through 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, some of the elusive elixirs that will course their ways through Peaks & Pints draft lines including darkness from AleSmith, Alaskan, Block 15, Breakside, Double Mountain, Fremont, Goose Island, pFriem, Stoup, The Bruery, and others. Peaks and Pints will be really dark Thanksgiving Day as we’ll be closed. In addition to the dark drafts, as well as daily
Peaks and Pints New Beer in Stock: 11.18.23 More delicious liquid in the Peaks & Pints cooler and some new goodies on tap to enjoy while watching the games on our screens. BLENDED WITH LUMBER #1, Timber Ales: Barrel-blended imperial stout featuring a third imperial stout aged for 28 months in Elijah Craig 8-year blended with two-thirds fresh imperial stout, and then conditioned on Ugandan, Mexican and Comoros vanilla beans, 13.4%, 12oz BRAAAAAAAAINS – CITRUAS TWIST, Drekker Brewing: Pastry sour stuffed and then stuffed again with lemon, lime, orange, pear, and apple, plus super-secret smoothie treatment of sea salt, lactose,
When English colonists first arrived in North America, they enthusiastically embraced the wide range of wild fruits they found growing, from grapes to berries. Unlike back in England, however, edible apples were tough to find. The colonists quickly got to work on rectifying this situation, and as early as 1623 they were planting cider apples in New England from imported seeds. Apples flourished in the fertile soil and friendly climate, and soon everybody drank cider until the Industrial Revolution. John Adams began his days with a draft of hard cider. Plus, in the absence of money, hard cider became as
