THURSDAY, DEC. 22 2016: South Sound events + craft beer
Barleywine Revue + Peaks and Pints = bluegrass and barleywine
B Sharp Coffee House + Boathouse 19 = snapbacks and sweaters
The Grand Cinema + Harmon Tap Room = the days before and the days after
BLUEGRASS AND BARLEYWINE
Doggie Claws! Reindeer Tears! Wait: What’s that? Is Great-Aunt Betsy drunkenly shouting holiday memories at Sunday dinner again? No, no — those are just names of two excellent barley wines. (Although, if Aunt Betsy wants to get tanked at the family supper, barleywine might be the way to go; we’re talking 10.8 to 11.5 percent ABV here.) Dubbed “wines” because of their high alcohol content, barleywines are actually ales. And, like their grape counterparts, good barleywines can become even better over time. Drink the previously mentioned Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws and Heathen Brewing Reindeer Tears, as well as other barleywines Boulder Beer Killer Penguin, Dick’s Brewing Barley Wine, Fish Brewing Reel Ales 10² Barley Wine Ale, and Pelican Brewing Mother of All Storms 2015 and 2016 versions during Peaks and Pints A Barleywine Carol at 7 p.m. Tacoma bluegrass band Barleywine Revue will provide the soundtrack as we dole out five, 5-ounce samplers of barleywine.
JAZZ JAM
Jazz purists and neophytes flock to B Sharp Coffee House for intimate shows or rowdy jam sessions featuring many and varied flavors of jazz, from bop and swing to experimental and avant-garde. Tacoma-based jazz musician Marc Harper runs the jazz jam, when he’s not studying jazz at Pacific Lutheran University. Harper is a pinnacle member of PLU’s University Jazz Ensemble and is also a professional session bassist, as well as a co-founder of a student-run independent ensemble: The 322 Jazz Collective. The righteousness begins at 8 p.m.
PREFUNK: Can America have a Christmas that doesn’t involve ugly sweaters? The world will never know, because every year at least 1.4 million people receive an ugly sweater as a gift. But don’t return it — revel in it. Wear your worst to Boathouse 19 tonight. Wet Coast Brewing Company will pour four of its craft beers during the Ugly Christmas Sweater party from 5-8 p.m.
JACKIE
It’s Natalie Portman in the pillbox hat as the story of Jackie Kennedy gets The Grand Cinema treatment at 11:40 a.m., 2, 4:30, 6:50 and 9:10 p.m. Learn how our beloved first lady fought to protect her family and her husband’s reputation in the days after Dealey Plaza when Jackie hits the big screen.
PREFUNK: The warm and fuzzy feeling you get when in good company, complimented by a delicious and unique local beer, is what makes the Harmon Tap Room’s 12 Beers of Christmas a worthy holiday merriment. The Stadium District brewery has been dropping a different seasonal since Dec. 13. A complimentary engraved mug awaits those who have had their 12 Beers of Christmas Passports stamped daily. For everyone else, it’s fancy craft beer time at the Harmon Tap Room.
