Author: Nat Pellman

After five years the Washington Hop Mob has more than succeeded in its original goal of showing that we don’t need any fancy hypeboi Triple IPA from California, our local brewers can brew our very own fancy hypeboi Triple IPAs just as well

At one point, the number of participating breweries skyrocketed to over 40 from its humble beginning of just 12 Washington-only shops.

As with most things, the powers that be decided that the event needed change and adapt in order to survive. That’s why we are announcing a huge change to the Triple IPA only format. This year, Hop Mob will be open to all beers, provided they meet the following criteria:

Must be a new beer, specifically created for this event,

Have an IBU of 50+, and

Must be a complete expression of hop character.

That’s it? That’s it.

No style is off limits. A big, boozy, marshmallow macadamia nut imperial stout cram-jammed with Mosaic? Cool. A light-bodied lager double dry-hopped with Saaz, Motueka, and Galaxy? Word. An over-hopped juicy 12% Triple IPA? Tradition.

We’re super excited to let our friends in the brewing industry really let their hop flag fly. Join us on February 6th for a hop showcase a bit unlike anything we’ve done in the past.

Oh Yeah! It is BEERlesque time again! One of our favorite events is going down on January 30th. Weve had such a blast the last two years that we had to keep it going. Well have some of Seattle’s finest burlesque performers on our stage to entertain, titillate, and maybe get a few giggles here and there (Easy Cheese never forget). Lots of great moments have been shared, and everyone is left satisfied by the end of the night.

Doors will open at 7 and the show will begin at 8:30. This will allow attendees to order and enjoy dinner beforehand. Dinner service will end when the show begins to limit interruptions. Tickets will be $30 and include a beer from one of our partner breweries:

Merchant Du Vin:
Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome
Lindemans Young Lambic
Lindemans Peche
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Dupont Avec
Dry Hop

Weihenstephan
Hefe
Pilsner

Tickets here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4476549

As we have done in years past, proceeds from ticket sales will be going to a very important charity. This years recipient will be Old Dog Haven.
www.olddoghaven.com

Here is a list of the performers:

Ruby Mimosa;
website – www.rubymimosa.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/missrubymimosa
Instagram – @RubyMimosa
Bio – Ruby was born and raised in Hawaii. She was brought up on Hula, Ballet, and Gymnastics
this Island Flower has been dancing since she was three. Ruby moved to Seattle in 2006,
where she quickly got recruited as seventh member to the International Supertroope,
The Atomic Bombshells.
Ruby has been one of the primary instructors at Miss Indigo Blues Academy of
Burlesque since 2007; teaching Burlesque Bump & Grind, Tassel Twirling, and The Art
of the Tease, and most recently Burlesque 101 to women and men of all shapes and sizes.
She has taught her classes at BurlyCon, up and down the West Coast, Vancouver B.C.,
London, and Paris.
Rubys unique mix of athleticism, dance, theatrics, and bubbly charm makes her a Seattle
treasure and beloved all over the world. She has been a highlighted performer in France,
England, Portugal, Canada, China, and Australia.
Ruby is the creator of BurlesKaraoke a monthly party that combines the joyfulness and
beauty of burlesque and the improvisational goodness of the audience singing karaoke!
Mimosa also works with cowboy band Brent Amaker & the Rodeo has been shimmying
her way along countless rock and roll stages throughout Seattle, the West Coast, and
festivals including SXSW. She has worked with The Seattle Opera, Grammy award
winning artists Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, as well as a host of Burlesques crème de la crème.

Faggedy Randy;
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Faggedy-Randy-2399027877001292/
Instagram – @faggedyrandy
Bio – Faggedy Randy has been a dynamic part of the Seattle boylesque and dance scenes for over a decade. Among his contributions are his roles in Homo for the Holidays, Ben Dela Cremes Gaylord Manor, and Scott Shoemakers War On Christmas. Catch Randy at venues where feathers, rhinestones, and pasties can be found!!

Lady Drew;
Facebook – www.facebook.com/ladydrewburlesque
Instagram – @LadyDrewBQ
Bio – Lady Drew Blood is “Seattle’s Burlesque ASSet”. A performer since 2005, she came to burlesque from roller derby and thrives on kicking ass. She is a true lover of all things nerdy and dirty, with the resume to back it up. She’s performed in productions such as Disney After Dark, Pretty Haute Machine Burlesque Behind the Pink Door, and Tuesday Tease, to name a few. She guest performed in Metalesque, Freezing Tassel, Oregon Burlesque and New York Nerdlesque Festivals! Add to all that, her love of music and the hardcore, and you get one talented, bad ass performer!!

Sailor St. Claire;
Website – www.sailorstclaire.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/sailorstclaire
Instagram – @LadyDrewBQ

Hyacinth Lee;
Facebook – www.facebook.com/misshyacinthlee
Instagram – @misshyacinthlee
Bio – Hyacinth Lee has been entertaining burlesque audiences in the Pacific Northwest and beyond with her signature musicality-driven high-energy style since 2011. She has won multiple burlesque festival awards for her performances, including “Most Innovative” and “Best Group” at the Oregon Burlesque Festival for her duets with Baby Le’Strange. She once even got a shout out from Alison Bechdel and well-known radio personality Daria Eliuk once said she should be on money.

Amara Strutt;
Website – www.amarastrutt.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/amarastrutt
Instagram – @amarastrutt
Bio – Amara Strutt is a flavor that lingers on the tip of the tongue, a dangerously addictive blend of bitter and sweet that bespeaks her refined palette. Clothed in feathers, fur, satins, and silks, Amara recalls the elegance of classic Hollywood and pairs it with the shameless sass of bygone burlesque queens. Parading across stages throughout the Pacific Northwest, Amara combines her background in dance and theatrical costuming to create vintage burlesque fantasies that are oh-so-refined and oh-so-elegantly filthy. Armed with cunning, confidence, and cool charm, this Feathered Fox commands the stage with her sultry sophistication. You’ll certainly want to keep your eyes peeled while she peels, or she just might outfox you.

She has strutted her stuff at the Vancouver Burlesque Festival, The Moisture Festival, and the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender and has also become a mainstay in the Seattle burlesque scene appearing at Tuesday Tease, Burlesque Behind the Pink Door, The Emerald City Burlesque Revue, and numerous other Northwest stages. In addition to performing and costuming up a storm, Amara shares her passion for burlesque with others as an instructor at Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque, where she teaches the FANtastic fan dance primer, ChairOgraphy and BOAdacious classes.

Just like many of you, we too, are beer hoarders. And just like you, we’re running out of space in a cellar. We try to put together creative events that allow us to showcase both vintage and fresh selections while making space for the next wave of beers that will need some time to age.

A couple of years ago, we took real notice of something. We have some Firestone Walker Anniversary beers… like several years of them. In fact, at that point, we had anniversary beers 14^th through 21^st. At that point, we decided that 8 years is cool, but a decade would be a lot cooler. We hung on to those special beers for another two years.

On January 23^rd at 5 p.m. we will be tapping Firestone Walker XIV-XXIII. David Walker, with his beautiful mane, will be in attendance to help send off a decade of making fantastic beers. We here are incredibly excited to be able to put this unique event on and we’re probably the only place outside of the brewery who can do it.

We’ll be doing two separate flights of five years each. Only flights will be available that evening, i.e., we will not be doing pours of single years. We want to be able to give everyone an opportunity to get a flight. We also suggest bringing a friend or two, because most of these beers are over 12%.

The taplist, because it is cool to type out, will be:  

The Lion Flight:

Firestone Walker XIV

Firestone Walker XV

Firestone Walker XVI

Firestone Walker XVII

Firestone Walker XVIII

The Bear Flight:

Firestone Walker XIX

Firestone Walker XX

Firestone Walker XXI

Firestone Walker XXII

Firestone Walker XXIII

     

Naming beers might be one of the most difficult parts in the logistics process. They need to be unique, stand out just enough, and stand out for the right reasons. It also helps if they reference something local and familiar. It often goes unnoticed, but a beer name can make or break the sale.

There are, of course, breweries that don’t care how local, familiar, or pleasant the names are. One of our favorite breweries subscribes to this principle. We are talking about Burial out of Asheville, NC. You might not be totally familiar with them, but they have been making outstanding beers of all styles on the east coast for quite a few years now. Doug and Tim, the owners, are products of the PNW brew scene, and into giving their beers rad names. They’ve been friends of the restaurant for a while now and were gracious enough to send some delicious treats our way, not just for festivals, but to have a bunch on at once. Bottleworks will also be getting some package, so you can enjoy them at home, at someone else’s home, in the woods, or at a ritual sacrifice.

On December 7^th, yes, the Saturday of Big Wood, we’ll be tapping several of the beers we’re receiving for y’all to come out to try. It’ll be the next best thing to flying out to Asheville and checking out the scene (seriously, though, it is highly recommended).

Taplist for the evening:

To Wear the Feathers of Slain Beasts Mixed Culture Saison w/second use peaches

This Earthen Helix of Death DIPA

When You Lay in Your Grave DIPA

Hellstar Dark Lager

Contrition Pilsner

Surf Wax IPA

Here at Brouwer’s, we like our festivals. The is so much good in the beer world, that we like to host events that focus on a particular style to give the nice people out there a chance to try how diverse that style can be. Whether Barleywine, Stout, Sour, or IPA is life, we’ll have you covered at some point during the year.

Well, what if you want to try lots of different styles of beer, but are still REALLY into themes? We’ve got you there as well. The first Thursday of December, Big Wood begins anew. It is arguably our favorite festival because we get to showcase all different kinds of beer AND they will all be barrel-aged. As the winter gray settles in, it is the perfect time to hunker down in the beer cave and sip on some extraordinary offerings from your favorite breweries.

On December 5^th – 8^th, we will once again dive deep into the bowels of the cellar and pull all sorts of vintage goods for your palate from sour to sweet and everything in between. Join us that weekend for 50+ barrel-aged beers, making it one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the city. No tickets necessary, just come on down.

This year, we lost a very important and special figure in not just our local scene, but the larger one as well. Obviously, we are talking about Matt Bonney,  former Operations Manager here at Brouwer’s, the Burgundian, and Bottleworks and owner of the Toronado Seattle,  and member of the Publican National Committee.  Rightfully so, many brewers have made special beers commemorating his life and legacy. It has been incredible to watch the community come together to to send the Centaur out in style. Years ago, while the PNC was still very active, they all got together to brew a handful of beers. They brewed a stout with Firestone Walker, and it was appropriately named PNC. A sour was brewed by Allagash and was named PNC #2 Broken Elevator.   Wanting to honor these amazing beers, the former members of the PNC descended upon Paso Robles and had a conference at the Walker Farm. Together they crafted two beers that will hopefully be a lasting tribute.

The stout isn’t ready just yet, but soon we’ll have the sour. We’ll be tapping a keg of Rolling Bones American Wild Ale fermented with plums, cherries, black currants, and grapes on Wednesday, November 27^th. Bottles will be available for purchase at Bottleworks on that day as well.

We hope you’ll join us that evening.

Here’s more info on the beer itself:

Final beer details: American Wild Ale Fermented with Plums, Blackcurrants, Cherries and Grapes. 7.1% ABV.  Barrel Ratio: 67% French Oak, 22% American Oak, 10% Rum barrel.

 “Kindred brothers from another mother sit down together to blend and stutter. Mindful of much to do about nothing they paint with their palate’s, ideas get them buzzing. For years they held court beguiling like jesters, imbibing and jiving the ether of ancestors. They bring to the table a blend for the ages, the tricks of their trade they weave in like sages. From field to vat to barrel to bottle, bound flavors of feral to be read like a novel. The sounds of the bones that dance on the barrel head, relative memories for spirits not gone dead. Currants and plums and grape skins and cuvee, Liefmans, Agrestic and Flanders are all in play. The game is a foot when the blend strikes a chord, still each in the group asks, “Is it me Lord?”. Found harmony through barrel and in friends past and present, the gift of this blend to bring joy, peace and presence. Santé!”

Nestled in the Southeast corner of Portland lies a little brewery shrouded in mystery. Well, maybe not mystery so much anymore as they’ve now been producing super clean, funky, and flavorful beers for a couple of years now. You may have gotten your first taste of them with this year’s release of 3-Way. Yep, we’re talking about Ruse Brewing.

Ruse has been very active in their local creative community to partner with artists and musicians in creating delicious craft beer to pair with their art. Ruse began in the brewhouse of Culmination while its founder searched for a permanent home and to hone his craft. It took a little time, but finally settled in the southeast with a new home and a new partner. Together, they’ve tried to not let themselves be bound by only producing certain styles, rather dipping their toes into the wide gamut of beer out there.

We are incredibly excited to welcome them up to Seattle and to Brouwer’s. We’ll be hosting the brewery on November 15 at 6 p.m. We’ll be tapping the following beers:

Stages of Sundown Imperial Stout with Coffee and vanilla.
Pinot Barrel-aged sour ale conditioned on cherries.
Dream Language Vienna Style Lager. Collaboration with Our Mutual Friend Brewing.
Collective Questions West coast IPA dry hopped exclusively with Mosaic.
Translator West Coast IPA Dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic
Castle of Goop Hazy DIPA fermented on Peach and Tangerine, Dry hopped with Vic Secret,El Dorado, Motueka and African Queen.  Collaboration with Modern Times.
Sci Fi Silhouette Hazy IPA dry hopped with Citra, Vic Secret and Topaz.

While we’re changing how we’re doing or hop celebration in October, that doesn’t mean we won’t have any fresh hop nights. Since the harvest came early, so are the beers; and that means, one of our fresh hop focused events is going to happen in September.

Breakside Brewing down in Portland has been one of our good friends for the last several years. After hearing that they were coming out with several fresh hop beers in a short period of time, we thought it might be a great idea to grab them all at once at put them on for a special showcase. After all, they brew some of the best fresh hop beers all season.

On September 25th, we’ll be tapping those five kegs and giving everyone a head-start in their quest to try as many freshies as possible during our favorite season of the year. The list of beers includes:

Fresh Sterling Pilsner
Fresh Simcoe Breakside IPA
Fresh Cascade Wanderlust
Fresh Chinook Thirst Trap
Fresh Mosaic Rough Beast

And as a special treat, we’re going to tap The Mountains of Instead, a barrel-aged Apple Ale that we’ve been holding onto for a special occasion.

Delirium Flag Day

July 21^st is one of the most significant days for Belgians. It is the day that Leopold I ascended to the throne and the constitutional monarchy of Belgium was established. Citizens and the Belgian diaspora alike celebrate this momentous day. L’union fait la force.

For us here, it is the start of Belgian Beer Week and we thought it’d be a great idea to celebrate one of the most lauded and decorated Belgian beers around – Huyghe’s Delirium Tremens. The idea then popped up to include its siblings, Nocturnum and Red, since then we can represent the three colors of the Belgian Flag.

On Sunday, July 21^st, please help us celebrate Belgian National Day with Huyghe. We’ll be offering flights of the three beers all day and having a “keep the glass” special from 6-8 pm. The pink elephant awaits.

In the past, you may have noticed at your small bottle share that someone brought an interesting tart treat from an eponymously named brewery in Northern California. Surely you inquired afterward as to where you could find the brewery’s other beers. Well, until recently, the answer to that was not very many places. Recently, however, the good people at The Rare Barrel were gracious enough to send a shipment of beer of this way and some of your favorite sports probably picked some up.

We ended up picking up a few of their brews and thought about what to do with them. A couple went on during Sour Fest, and they were both terrific and two of the most popular beers at the festival. If you missed out, we have great news for you. On Aug 14th, we’ll be putting on all 4 of the beers we were fortunate enough to get from them for your enjoyment. The tap list will be:

Across the Sea Sour Ale w/ Coriander and Sea Salt

Apropos of Nothing Sour Ale w/Elderberries and Lavender

Pop’t Art Sour Ale w/ Blueberries, Boysenberries, and Cherries

Summer’s Gonna Hurt You Sour Ale w/ Peaches and Nectarines

In this day and age, every brewery out there is throwing new and exciting beers out to the thirsty public seemingly all the time. It’s the era of FOMO – you can’t afford to be shamed on your semi-anonymous beer logging website for missing out on the Super Hazy Pastry Boi ™ of the week. Oh my god, it was sooooooooooo gooooooood. The horror of it all.

Well, you know what is always there for you? What will never be as fleeting as a 1-4-pack/pp limit of micro-brewery hop juice? That’s right, it’s the Trappists. They are a time-honored tradition of brewing excellence. When was the last time you ordered an Orval – the first commercially available Brett beer in the US; or maybe crack open a cellar-temped bottle of delicious Rochefort 10?

That time could be right now – or very soon. It’s the time of the year when we like to look beyond the hype and revisit beers that are on the top of your favorite brewers’ desert island list. Once again, we’ll be offering 20% all the Trappist beers in our cellar and a certain t-shirt might make a repeat appearance.