Established in 2006, the Tacoma Film Festival has developed from small regional festival to a welcoming, interactive haven for regional and international filmmakers, industry professionals, students, fans, critics, and creative entrepreneurs. This year, TFF has shortened things to just a four-day weekend, running from Oct. 10-13; while there will be fewer movies than a week would provide, this shorter run has been stuffed with entertainment, both at The Grand Cinema and down the street from Peaks & Pints at the Blue Mouse Theater. Pairing the Tacoma Film Festival with Peaks & Pints on the last day of the festival seems like a grand idea. Lights! Camera! Pints! Before or after catching the Sunday scheduled films, stop by Peaks & Pints for an all-day flight of TFF movie themed ciders and beers in a flight we’re calling Peaks and Pints Sunday Flight: 2024 Tacoma Film Festival.

Peaks and Pints Sunday Flight: 2024 Tacoma Film Festival

Fat Orange Cat Cautionary Tail

8% ABV

FILM 12 P.M.: Ghost Cat Anzu is the animated story of 11-year-old Karin who finds herself abandoned by her father in a small Japanese town, where her grandfather, a monk, resides. Her grandfather asks Anzu, his jovial and helpful, although rather capricious, ghost cat, to look after her. As their spirited personalities collide, sparks fly—yet perhaps only in the beginning. Ghost Cat Anzu screens at noon in the Blue Mouse Theater.

BEER: Fat Orange Cat Brew’s Cautionary Tail pumpkin ale brewed with vanilla and spices is a beautiful dark amber pour, an exquisitely smooth feel, and a delicious taste finished with subtle pumpkin and cinnamon.

Rainier Beer

4.73% ABV

FILM 2 P.M.: Rainier: A Beer Odyssey is an independent feature documentary on the iconic, groundbreaking Rainier Beer TV commercials that ran from 1974 to 1987. Produced by Peaks & Pints co-owners Robby and Justin Peterson, and directed by Isaac Olsen, the Rainier movie screens at 2 p.m. today at the Blue Mouse Theater.

BEER: In 1883, Andrew Hemrich and partner John Kopp established Bay View Brewery in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. Ten years later, Bay View Brewery joined with the breweries of Albert Braun and Claussn-Sweeney to form a new association, the Seattle Brewing & Malting Company. The brand name eventually chosen for the company’s flagship beer was “Rainier,” named after the mountain. The Bay View plant continued to operate, and in 1906 added a bottling shop and additional refrigeration. By 1905 production of Rainier Beer reached 300,000 barrels per annum. The company employed more than 300 men, and there was room to build worker homes beside the Duwamish River that then still curved through Georgetown. Kopp and Hemrich produced Rainier beer in Washington until 1916, when the state of Washington enacted its own prohibition, four years before the 18th Amendment enacted the nationwide prohibition. Following the repeal of the Prohibition, the brewery was purchased by Lethbridge, Alberta brewers Fritz and Emil Sick, who then repurchased the Rainier brand and began brewing Rainier back in Seattle in 1935. Today, Pabst Brewing Co. brews Rainier Beer with a satisfying malty flavor over a slightly fruity background, spiced with Chinook, Mt. Hood, and Willamette hop notes.

AleSmith Speedway Stout: Horchata Edition

12% ABV

FILM 3:15 P.M.: The Tacoma Film Festival celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a collection of short films showcasing Latinx voices. The Hispanic Heritage Shorts begins at 3:15 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

BEER: This Speedway coffee imperial stout is AleSmith Brewing’s take on a classic Mexican rice-based drink. They took Speedway and infused it with Mexico Los Milagros single origin coffee from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Ceylon cinnamon, and Madagascar vanilla. But that’s not all – they add a touch of sweetness with milk sugar and combined it with rice to give this stout a velvety and luscious mouthfeel.

Schilling Mountain Mule

6.99% ABV

FILM 5:30 P.M.: Call Me Mule tells the tale of John Sears, who refers to himself as Mule, who has been roaming the Western United States with his three mules for over 30 years. The feisty 65-year-old and his animals sleep outside, claiming the right to move freely. Bemoaning the loss of open space, urban sprawl, and our dependence on the automobile, Mule advocates a simpler way of life in harmony with nature. While many appreciate his nomadic lifestyle, Mule is not welcome everywhere. His confrontations with law enforcement have resulted in fines, arrests, even institutionalization. His story may be unusual, but it has universal appeal, celebrating the creativity, courage, and resilience to choose an extraordinary way of life and defend his place in the world. This observational documentary, told in Mule’s own voice, follows his arduous 500-mile journey to deliver a message to the Governor of California, screens at 5:30 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

CIDER: The first of Schilling Hard Cider’s cocktail series, Mountain Mule features a blend of zesty lime and spicy ginger, crafted with fresh-pressed apple cider. With locally sourced ginger, Schilling collaborated with cocktail experts at Portland syrups to create a flavor similar to a Moscow Mule. A small amount of Japanese chili is used to elevate the bite of ginger.

Single Hill Energy Cone Fresh Hop IPA

6.5% ABV

MOVIE 6:30 P.M.: Devo by acclaimed filmmaker Chris Smith captures the gloriously radical spirit that is Devo – a rare band founded by a philosophy: a Dada experiment of high art meets low, hellbent on infiltrating American popular culture. Through never-before-seen archival and interviews with Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, and Jerry Casale, Devo relishes in the highs, lows, surreal moments and incredible performances of a 50-year career, embracing the spectacle of the band from their lo-fi beginnings to pioneers of the music video in the early days of MTV’s cultural dominance. The sold-out screening of Devo will hit the Blue Mouse screen at 6:30 p.m. followed by a Devo Karaoke Party at 8 p.m., and a 9:30 p.m. after party at Peaks & Pints.

BEER: Q: Are we not fresh hops? A: We are Energy Cone! The staffs at Full Throttle Bottles and Bottleworks — two popular Seattle craft beer bottle shops and taprooms — joined Single Hill Brewing in downtown Yakima to brew Energy Cone five years ago. Last year, this popular fresh hop collaboration added the staff at Bridge & Tunnel Bottleshop & Taproom in Astoria to help brew Energy Cone. This year, Peaks & Pints joined the fun. In the previous years, Single Hill always went to Sauve, Loza, and Cornerstone for wet hops and the fresh kilned for dry hopping to brew this Devo-inspired fresh hop beer. This year on brew day those farms were in alpha hops that wouldn’t make a great beer, so they went to a couple favorites — Blackstar and Perrault. It’s usually Citra heavy but swings around depending on the year and sometimes goes more Mosaic. This year is about 3:2 Citra: Mosaic wet.

LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory