SATURDAY, JAN. 14 2017: South Sound events + craft beer …
The Valley + Peaks and Pints = Something spectacular
Doyle’s Public House + Wingman Brewers = Fig, Fennel, Almond and Stanton
SQUEAK AND SQUAWK
Squeaking. Squawking. Rocking. And rolling. Throw in some indie posturing, a dollop of cello playing, a healthy dose of experimenting, a smidge of history making and a heaping helping of tight pants and ironic haircuts — and you have the Squeak and Squawk. Sean Alexander and Peter Lynn founded the Tacoma indie music festival in 2008. From the jump, SQSQ established itself as a different kind of festival for Tacoma, an ambitious project that brought in offbeat indie artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Five days of music, with two shows a day. In 2010, SQSQ returned with another unforgettable array of bands. When Sean Alexander left Tacoma for New York, the festival was passed along to Jena Stedtler and Rev. Adam McKinney, who presented an amazing array of awesomeness in 2012 and 2013. After a four-year break, SQSQ will return June 15-19, 2017. The Valley hosts the first fundraiser for the music festival, a taste of what’s to come, if you will. Mr. Motorcycle, Widowspeak, The Cutwinkles and Kilcid Band will kill it, beginning at 9 p.m.
PREFUNK: Dogfish Head kicked off the New Year with a throwback release of one of its most popular seasonal beers – Olde School Barleywine. This 15% ABV unfiltered and cellarable classic is a beautifully balanced ale, dark red to amber in color, with a sweet and velvety flavor profile and huge complexity and warmth. Olde School is a take on traditional English barleywines — malt-forward and fruity attributes from esters. When properly aged, the pit-fruit and sweet, sherry characteristics mature into something spectacular. Drop by Peaks and Pints and grab a couple for your cellar, or maybe pop one open for the 1:30 Seahawks playoff game on our 130-inch screen.
HAPPY, NON-THREATENING GOOD TIME
Make no mistake, when Peaks and Pints listens to music, we like to be entertained. But to us, being entertained also means being challenged. And this is perhaps the reason why we have yet to warm up to Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz and John Mayer. Their music is pleasant enough, but the lyrics turn our brain into Cream of Wheat. And if our brain is going to be turned into a breakfast product, we prefer Frankenberry, thank you. That’s why we dig Gig Harbor native Luke Stanton. He knows his way around a tale, as well as a guitar. Stanton leads an awesome indie folk quartet, which will perform at 10 p.m. inside Doyle’s Public House.
PREFUNK: Let’s talk porter. The porter style is an ale, and ranges from brown to deep black in color because of its chocolate and smoked brown malts. The origins of the style are traced to the 1700s, when it was a favorite beer of the porters who worked the shipyards in London. In the U.S., the porter style nearly vanished in the years following Prohibition, as light-bodied lagers appealed more to the masses. Homebrewers and small craft beer makers helped revive the style. Wingman Brewers in Tacoma is making sure the style sticks. The Dome neighborhood brewery hosts its annual, all-day Porterpalooza, an ode to one of the brewery’s signature beer — P-51 Porter — and its crazy variants, beginning at noon. Expect more than 12 different porter versions including mainstays Peanut Butter Cup Porter, Coconut Porter, Sriracha, Pistacho, PB&J and Nuetella. New porters include Maple Bacon, S’mores, Creme de Menthe, Blueberry & Coffee, Earl Grey and Fig, Fennel, Almond.
