Aaron Swaney

PUD’s tips for conserving energy and keeping cool this summer

Snohomish County recorded record temps over the weekend. Here’s how to prep for when the mercury spikes.

5 Rights Brewing in Marysville recently built the Second Street Community Pavilion, which will be open year-round and have electricity and heat. (5 Rights Brewing)

Drink This: 5 Rights now has year-round outdoor seating

The new Second Street Community Pavilion is just one way the Marysville brewery continues to expand.

5 Rights Brewing in Marysville recently built the Second Street Community Pavilion, which will be open year-round and have electricity and heat. (5 Rights Brewing)
Penn Cove Brewing Co. now has three taprooms on Whidbey Island. Yes, three. The newest opened over Memorial Day Weekend in Freeland. (Tyler Rowe / Cold Pizza Creative)

Drink This: Penn Cove opens its 3rd taproom on Whidbey Island

Brothers Marc and Mitch Aparicio opened a new Freeland taproom at The Barn over Memorial Day weekend.

Penn Cove Brewing Co. now has three taprooms on Whidbey Island. Yes, three. The newest opened over Memorial Day Weekend in Freeland. (Tyler Rowe / Cold Pizza Creative)
Hammered Dwarf owner and cider-maker John Flemming poses in front of a trailer full of barrels he recently purchased. Flemming is filling the barrels with cider to create a lineup of enticing barrel-aged ciders. (Hammered Dwarf Cider)

Drink This: Hammered Dwarf opens new cidery in Snohomish

Head brewer and co-owner John Flemming hopes to make barrel-aged ciders a cornerstone of his business.

Hammered Dwarf owner and cider-maker John Flemming poses in front of a trailer full of barrels he recently purchased. Flemming is filling the barrels with cider to create a lineup of enticing barrel-aged ciders. (Hammered Dwarf Cider)
The beer is flowing again at Snohomish County breweries as COVID-19 restrictions ease. (Kevin Clark / Herald file)

Drink This: Raise a pint to breweries that survived COVID-19

The Herald’s beer aficionado enjoyed a beer crawl from Everett’s At Large Brewing to 5 Rights in Marysville.

The beer is flowing again at Snohomish County breweries as COVID-19 restrictions ease. (Kevin Clark / Herald file)
Exterior of the new Quil Ceda Creek Casino on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2020 in Marysville, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The new Q: Quil Ceda Creek Casino now a state-of-the art building

The Tulalip casino offers casual and full-service dining, a live entertainment lounge and three full-service bars.

Exterior of the new Quil Ceda Creek Casino on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2020 in Marysville, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Empty crowlers and growlers from Everett’s Crucible Brewing wait to be filled and delivered to thirsty beer fans in and around Everett. (Crucible Brewing)

Drink This: How breweries survived without bar service

The pandemic led brewers to invest in canning machines, offer curbside pickup and add outdoor seating.

Empty crowlers and growlers from Everett’s Crucible Brewing wait to be filled and delivered to thirsty beer fans in and around Everett. (Crucible Brewing)

Drink This: 5 Snohomish breweries to host Smash and Dash

Each brewery takes the same base IPA recipe and then dry hops the beer with a different hop. Try them all.

Scott McEntire and Jim Coe enjoy a drink and lunch in an outdoor seating tent at the Salish Sea Brewing Co. along Dayton Street on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 in Edmonds, Washington.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Drink This: Salish Sea expands into former American space

The new location will allow the Edmonds brewery to create wider variety of beers at 1.5 times its current capacity.

Scott McEntire and Jim Coe enjoy a drink and lunch in an outdoor seating tent at the Salish Sea Brewing Co. along Dayton Street on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 in Edmonds, Washington.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
A solar panel installation on a home in Snohomish County. (Snohomish County PUD)

The PUD can help homeowners harness the power of the sun

Solar power can make a lot of sense even in the cloudy Northwest, but you have to do your homework. Here’s how to get started.

A solar panel installation on a home in Snohomish County. (Snohomish County PUD)
Matt and Jill Wurst opened Audacity Brewing in December 2020 and are now managing to stay open, with the COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, at their brewery on 10th Street on Monday, Jan. 11, 2020 in Snohomish, Washington.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

It took some Audacity to open this new Snohomish brewery

The COVID-19 pandemic hit just as Matt and Jill Wurst were getting the business off the ground.

Matt and Jill Wurst opened Audacity Brewing in December 2020 and are now managing to stay open, with the COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, at their brewery on 10th Street on Monday, Jan. 11, 2020 in Snohomish, Washington.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Head Brewer Hollis Wood at Skkokum Brewery, with beer barrel aged beers, on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 in Arlington, Washington.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Barrel aging turns ordinary brews into something extraordinary

Barrel-aged beer is a prestige product that can burnish brewers’ reputations and bottom lines. But it’s difficult and costly to make.

Head Brewer Hollis Wood at Skkokum Brewery, with beer barrel aged beers, on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 in Arlington, Washington.  (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Greg Krsak, owner and operator of Scrappy Punk Brewery pours samples Saturday afternoon during the inaugural Soho Brew Tour in Snohomish on June 24, 2017.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Last call at Scrappy Punk falls on brewery’s 4th anniversary

The owner of the Snohomish brewery is ready to say goodbye — and it has nothing to do with COVID-19.

Greg Krsak, owner and operator of Scrappy Punk Brewery pours samples Saturday afternoon during the inaugural Soho Brew Tour in Snohomish on June 24, 2017.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
John Spadam owner, at Spada Farmhouse Brewery in Snohomish. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Spada ready to show off new bar and restaurant in Snohomish

During the pandemic, the Spada family has been busy renovating an old building on First Street.

John Spadam owner, at Spada Farmhouse Brewery in Snohomish. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Nassima Rothacker St. Clement’s Punch is an alcohol-free cocktail made with orange and pink grapefruit juice and Monin Triple Sec Curacao syrup.

These ‘mocktails’ taste like the real thing — but there’s no booze

For your next Zoom happy hour, here are five recipes from Fiona Beckett’s “How to Drink Without Drinking.”

Nassima Rothacker St. Clement’s Punch is an alcohol-free cocktail made with orange and pink grapefruit juice and Monin Triple Sec Curacao syrup.
Indulge in luxury lodgings — and you don’t have to drive far

Indulge in luxury lodgings — and you don’t have to drive far

Take a pandemic staycation in style at these 3 high-end hotels in Snohomish County.

Indulge in luxury lodgings — and you don’t have to drive far
Drink This: Snohomish brewery making big move to First Street

Drink This: Snohomish brewery making big move to First Street

Spada Farmhouse Brewery aims for more customers at the new location, where it will add food service.

Drink This: Snohomish brewery making big move to First Street
Drink This: Distillery switches from gin to hand sanitizer

Drink This: Distillery switches from gin to hand sanitizer

Lynnwood’s Temple Distilling is now making the alcohol-based cleaner — but you can still order spirits.

Drink This: Distillery switches from gin to hand sanitizer
Drink This: Grab a growler from your favorite local brewery

Drink This: Grab a growler from your favorite local brewery

As coronavirus closes breweries, distilleries and cideries, curbside pickup options are available.

Drink This: Grab a growler from your favorite local brewery

What 5 breweries are doing to reach customers during the shutdown

Now that Gov. Jay Inslee ordered they close their doors, they’re offering beer to go in growlers.