TACOMA PREFUNK SATURDAY, JULY 29 2017: Ninkasi Ground Control and free pinball
PREFUNK: Consider space. Albert became the first monkey in space June 11, 1948, when NASA sent a V2 rocket carrying him up 83 miles. Laika the dog became the first Earth-born creature to orbit the Earth when the Russians sent her into space atop a Sputnik rocket on Nov. 3, 1957. Countless astronauts have since ventured into space, traveling as far as the moon. So is it surprising that Eugene beer maker Ninkasi Brewing decided to launch several vials of yeast into space aboard a rocket and then retrieve the yeast to brew beer from it? Live long and prosper, Ninkasi. In October 2014, six vials of brewer’s yeast traveled up 77.3 miles aboard a UP Aerospace Inc. rocket, returning safely to Earth and cold-transported back to Ninkasi’s lab in Eugene, where it was propagated and tested before being used to ferment Ground Control, a rich, complex imperial stout brewed with Oregon hazelnuts, star anise and cocoa nibs, hops of Apollo, Bravo and Comet, and fermented with an ale yeast that survived a trip to space and back. Enjoy this creamy, milk chocolate stout with almonds, touch of vanilla, bourbon and a little licorice at Peaks and Pints. The mission ends smooth and warm. Peaks and Pints, Tacoma
NOON TO MIDNIGHT PARKWAY TAVERN 82ND ANNIVERSARY PARTY: The Parkway Tavern celebrates its 82nd anniversary today. The Parkway originally started in 1935 as Rawlings Market, a corner store that sold beer. The bar is one of the oldest in Tacoma. The transition to a craft beer destination was in large part thanks to John O’Gara, a longtime manager who died in March 2014. The Parkway has had about six owners including Jeff and Helen Fraychineaud who have owned it since 1995. Manager Sean Jackson goes through 82 pens behind his ears a month. Today’s tap list will blow your mind. Parkway Tavern, Tacoma
9 P.M. TOMMY: Tommy, Pete Townshend’s opus about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who could sure play a mean pinball, has become the gold standard for rock operas since the release of the double album in 1969. Child abuse, sexual abuse, drugs, pandering celebrity culture, false religious icons, murder, desperate soul searching, family secrets — it’s all there. The story has also been adapted for live concerts, a glitzy Broadway production and, of course, a really freaky movie. The Grand Cinema screens Tommy tonight as part of the movie house’s Weird Elephant series. In addition to film, expect pinball free play and tournament in the lower lobby, a beer and wine bar and a Who air guitar contest. The Grand Cinema, Tacoma
