The Hoppy Holiday Food Drive is back with 10 Pierce County breweries and cideries for a friendly competition to collect non-perishable food and hygiene items for Emergency Food Network, or EFN. Through Dec. 3, items can be donated in-person or monetary donations can be made online using the QR codes on all the marketing materials. Again, all donations benefit EFN, whose mission is, “… to provide Pierce County with a consistent, diverse and nutritious food supply so that no person goes hungry.” More than 10,000 pounds of that food came from last year’s Hoppy Holiday Food Drive. The event officially ends in a celebration with the breweries and ciders at Peaks & Pints Tuesday, Dec. 3. This event will include raffles for swag, guest taps from each brewery and cidery, a last chance to give donations, and finally, the awarding of the Hoppy Holiday Food Drive 2024 Tap Handle Trophy to whichever brewery/cidery raises the most. Peaks & Pints checks in on the Hoppy Holiday Food Drive with another Tuesday flight of five participating breweries and cideries — Cockrell Cider, Incline Cider, 7 Seas Brewing, Wet Coast Brewing, and E9 Brewing — a flight we’re calling Peaks and Pints Hoppy Holiday Food Drive Flight 2024.
Peaks and Pints Hoppy Holiday Food Drive Flight 2024
Cockrell Valley Red Raspberry
6.7% ABV
Brothers Richard and John Cockrell have been making cider and beer in their Puyallup homes for more than 25 years, sharing their craft with family and friends, as well as grabbing many local, state and national awards and accolades. As the brothers began planning for their retirement their fans begged them to go pro. Their hobby became Cockrell Hard Cider. Valley Red Raspberry is made with fresh Puyallup Valley raspberries direct from their farm. This second place at the National Home Brewers Association competition cider pours a clear pinkish ruby red with a small pink head. The nose is sweet, with candied raspberries and syrup. Flavor follows, with candied raspberries and syrup, but not overly sweet.
Incline Cider Basecamp Proctor
6.9% ABV
Introducing Basecamp Proctor — the new Peaks & Pints house cider crafted by local cidery, Incline Cider. We tapped Basecamp Proctor at our 8th Anniversary Party Nov. 1, and it will remain on Tap #7 for a full year. Made with an iconic blend of their favorite Pacific Northwest-grown apples — Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, and Braeburn — Basecamp Proctor packs layers of bold, juicy apple flavor into every pint. It’s dry, bright, and refreshing.
7 Seas Black IPA
7% ABV
One of the best black IPAs in the market, 7 Seas Brewing’s version is brewed with a malt bill of NW Pale, C-30, Aromatic, and De-husked Black malt, plus, Nugget, Centennial, Simcoe hops, for a surprisingly light and velvety smooth, black IPA generously layered with piney hops, and a hint of roasted malts for a lingering, flavorful finish.
Wet Coast Fixed the Newel Post
8.5% ABV
The imperial red ale style (sometimes called a double red ale) is medium- to full-bodied and known for strong hop bitterness, aroma, and flavor. While the hoppiness can be intense, the bitterness and underlying malty tones blend with the alcoholic strength of the beer to lend a spicy complexity to the flavor profile. Wet Coast Brewing brews this imperial red ale with Caramel and Crystal Rye malts for sticky-red-sweetness with enough hops for resinous pine and juicy citrus flavors and aromas.
E9 Brewing Choco Bliss
12.5% ABV
Matt Rhodes brewed delicious stouts before Fort George Brewery grabbed him away from Narrows Brewing in Tacoma. Fort George knows stouts well — and talent. Rhodes left his brewery in Astoria and traveled back to Tacoma to brew a dark, rich and decadent stout at E9 Brewing in Tacoma’s Historic Brewery District. The result is Choco Bliss, an imperial stout aged in Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Bourbon barrels and then lightly kissed with cacao nibs and vanilla for the icing on top.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
