One thing any visitor or new resident to the South Sound should know: People still love to bitch about the summers here. So not only are you coping with the heat (underwear sticking to you, wrestling with those windshield sun shades, the electric bill in general), you’re coping with people complaining endlessly about the heat. If you’re a native, you know this summer, like last summer, is extraordinarily hot. Cars smell like suntan lotion even with no one inside. Priests are asked to put in a good word for air conditioners. Trips to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium are a carnival of sticky children and dead-eyed parents mouthing “help me” at the sea lions. But what’s the one thing that helps most everyone deals with just about anything? Craft beer. This summer, you eventually will realize that you must lean into the heat. This summer, the South Sound is a tropical paradise, a sunny destination, a place to don big sun hats and shorts and tank tops. And what’s that in your hand? A cold, refreshing craft beer of some kind. Today’s Peaks and Pints to-go beer flight offers relief from the summer heat in what we call Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Heat Relief Beer Flight.
Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Heat Relief Beer Flight
Zoiglhaus Tart Cherry Berliner
4.2% ABV
Hot summer weather makes people do crazy things. The heat is a personality amplifier. It causes stress on the body and can bring out certain emotions or character traits that one would not typically display in a less intense environment. For instance, the heat made Zoiglhaus take a short hiatus from Reinheitsgebot to brew their Tart Cherry Berliner. Inspired by the amazing wheat beers of Berlin, Germany, Zoiglhaus begins with malts and hops from the Pacific Northwest and then blends tart and sweet cherry purees from Oregon Fruit Products into this crisp and refreshing brew.
Trap Door Cruise the Couve
5% ABV
You’ll never forget the first time you rolled in a lowrider up and down Main Street in Vancouver, Washington. You were in the G-mobile embellished with gold crosses in the leather seats. It was hot, and you giggled like a schoolgirl. It was fun as hell bouncing down the street. Trap Door Brewing salutes you with their Cruise the Couve Session IPA, a drinkable IPA that does not compromise on the hop profile. This easy drinking IPA is light, crisp, and refreshing with notes of citrus and tropical fruits.
Western Red Little Tugger Lager
5.3% ABV
The Loral hop aroma profile offers floral, peppery, and even herbal notes, reminiscent of German noble hops. However, it doesn’t stop there. The citrus (specifically lemon) and some dark fruit character make this a truly unique hop. The name “Loral” came about interestingly enough as a combination of the words “lemon” and “floral.” Western Red Brewing added Loral hops to their light-bodied lager. The clean, refreshing lager has malt sweetness and floral notes to create a crisp, thirst-quenching summer sipper.
Shades Boysenberry Pie
6.5% ABV
When the sun’s out and the grill’s hot, there’s nothing better than ending your day with a summer pie. It’s the season for fresh fruit, after all, and what better way to use up all that juicy flavor than to make a stunning boysenberry pie? Shades Brewing in Salt Lake City, Utah, brewed a pastry sour version of the summer treat. Their Boysenberry Pie beer is brewed with cinnamon, vanilla, graham cracker, boysenberry, and lactose for dark berry flavors with a tart kick.
Wander Yummy Bits
7.2% ABV
Sweet, juicy, and fragrant, ripe summer peaches are the pinnacle of the season’s fresh produce, and since August is National Peach Month, there’s no better time to enjoy them. Wander Brewing knows. The Bellingham brewery just released their annual Yummy Bits IPA with all its peachy glory. The extremely juicy, hazy IPA is brewed with Amarillo, Cashmere, and Ekuanot hops topped with a jammy peach backend.
LINK: Peaks & Pints cooler inventory
