SATURDAY, MAY 20 2017: South Sound events + craft beer
PREFUNK: Pull up a map of Europe on your screen. It’s almost evenly split into wine and beer. South of the Alps, where fruit grows better than grain, wine is the fermented beverage of choice. North of the Alps, it’s beer. In a few places, fruit and grains both grow well, and things get weird. Belgium is in between them, which is why the beers there can be so like wine — barrel-aged, wild yeasts, blends of different fermentations and, sometimes, with fruit. Every spring Dick’s Brewing in Centralia centers on Belgium and fruit. The Dick’s brewers take their Belgian Tripel with a classic Belgian yeast strain for a crisp, champagne-like ale and add 240 pounds of fresh raspberry puree at the end of the fermentation to give it a tart and dry finish. Dick’s Raspberry Tripel flows from Peaks and Pints’ western red cedar tap log.
NOON TO 5 P.M. GIG HARBOR BEER FESTIVAL: The Gig Harbor Beer Festival ranks high on Peaks and Pints’ list of better craft beer festivals. First, it’s one of the first outdoor versions of the year. Second, ignoring last year, it’s almost always beautiful weather. Third, reason one and reason two brings out happy, fun crowds. Twenty-five Washington state breweries will pour while Kristen Marlo, Cottonwood Cutups and Sounds Like Delores entertain. Uptown Gig Harbor Pavilion, Gig Harbor
2-9 P.M. TACOMA BREWING CO. SOFT OPENING: Tacoma Brewing Company has been pouring delicious craft beer from a tiny converted coffee shop in Tacoma’s St. Helens neighborhood, including its amazing Broken window IPA named after its large front window’s repeated fate with roughians. Today, Tacoma Brewing Co. founder Morgan Alexander opens his door in a new, much larger space at 1116 Court E. in downtown Tacoma. After all the issues opening the new brewery and taproom it seems plausible that we could see a Broken Promises IPA soon. Cheers Morgan! Tacoma Brewing Co., Tacoma
9 P.M. PUNX IN THE WOODS BENEFIT SHOW: Like camping? Like live music? Like the idea of showing up with a 5,000W generator, materials to build a stage, and turning a chunk of national forest land into an anarchist commune for several days? You’re in good company. So does everyone who attends the punk show at The Valley tonight. The Tacoma restaurant and bar will host a Punx in the woods benefit show featuring Jasey Fucking Kay, Carrion Crows, Bird Teeth and Are They Brothers. The Valley, Tacoma
9 P.M.: PAUSE BUTTON EXTRAVAGANZA: DJ Zilch AF will be dropping exclusive tracks in addition to the mix of Wrong Speed Records, dub reggae, lavatory funk, hip-hop, blunted jazz, loser rock and other esoteric genres. Acme Tavern, Tacoma
