R.J. Whitlow, owner and head brewer at 5 Rights Brewing in Lake Stevens, has a special relationship with Adam Robbings.
Three years ago, Robbings, co-founder and brewmaster of Seattle’s Reuben’s Brews, one of the most respected breweries in the Northwest, took Whitlow under his wing. For 18 months, Whitlow was a dedicated volunteer at Reuben’s, driving from his home in Marysville to Ballard once a week to wash kegs, hoist giant bags of grain and do anything else to help around the brewery.
For the then-amatuer Whitlow, the experience gave him tremendous confidence in the brewhouse.
“There’s no substitute for being in a real-world environment like that and helping troubleshoot brewing problems as they’re happening,” Whitlow said of his time volunteering at Reuben’s. “Being able to observe and participate in the day-to-day operations was priceless.”
The informal internship came about when Whitlow, a regular customer at Reuben’s, was chatting with Robbings about attending University of California-Davis Intensive Brewing Science class, a week-long immersive course the university provides twice a year. Robbings had just completed the class and had a suggestion.
“Adam was like, ‘Give me one day a week for a year here, and you’ll learn as much or more,’ ” said Whitlow, who jumped at the opportunity.
The experience not only gave Whitlow a better understanding of brewing, but also what it takes for a strong commercial brewery to exist in the competitive world of craft beer.
“If there’s one thing that Adam and his team have clearly taught me is that excellence in all styles is the goal,” Whitlow said. “Everything they do is driven toward making their beer consistently set apart from the crowd.”
Despite moving on and opening his own brewery, Whitlow stays in close contact with Robbings and often shoots him questions via email. Robbings is always quick to write back and unguarded with his advice. In fact, while Whitlow was in the middle of construction of a new building for 5 Rights in Lake Stevens, he asked Robbings to come up and tour the building. Robbings did and was impressed with the set up.
“It’s evolved into a friendship,” Whitlow said.
On Saturday, Rueben’s is hosting its annual Haze Fest as part of Seattle Beer Week. Among the lineup of big hitter breweries like Urban Family, Great Notion and Adroit Theory is 5 Rights, which will be bringing its newest Groove series hazy IPA.
“It’s really cool to be a part of that lineup,” Whitlow said. “We’ve got to make sure we bring our A game.”
Seattle Beer Week
The 10th annual Seattle Beer Week kicked off Thursday with a number of events around Seattle. Here’s a day-by-day look at some events that incorporate local breweries and bottleshops, as well as other highlights of the next seven days:
May 11
Special Brews’ Silver City showcase, 6 p.m.: Stop in to Lynnwood’s Special Brews bottleshop and try a wide range of beers from the Bremerton brewery, including its popular Tropic Haze on cask.
May 12
Hops & Crocks at The Hop and Hound, noon: Think of it like those old timey potlucks, just with tons of great beers. Try samples from more than 15 crock pot entries and beer pairings, and then vote for your favorite.
Pinebox Derby at The Pine Box, 2 p.m.: Build a pine car or can car or just sit back with a beer and watch the races.
Lazy at Large BrewBQ, 4 p.m.: Everett’s At Large Brewing and Lazy Boy Brewing will be unveiling special beers at this barbecue at Fiddler’s Inn.
May 13
Seattle vs. Bellingham Brunch, 10 a.m.: Celebrate Mother’s Day with this winner-take-all IPA showdown between Seattle and Bellingham breweries at Elysian Tangletown.
May 14
Naked City 10th Anniversary Dinner, 6:30 p.m.: Enjoy a 10-course dinner with beer pairings from Naked City and 21st Amendment at Naked City Taphouse. Tickets are $100.
May 15
Loowit Brewing at Brigid’s, 5 p.m.: Edmonds’ Brigid’s Bottleshop is hosting Vancouver brewery Loowit Brewing for a tasting.
3-Way IPA beta showcase, 7 p.m.: The first publicly available beta version of 2018’s 3-Way IPA, a collaboration between Fort George, Modern Times and Holy Mountain, will be tapped at Latona Pub.
May 16
Family Feud: Evil Twin vs. Mikkeller: Bothell’s The Hop and Hound will tap kegs from brewing Danish brothers Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso (Evil Twin) and Mikkel Borg Bjergso (Mikkeller) and collect votes on their favorites.
May 17
Sour Fest at Brouwer’s, all day: Try a variety of 55 different sour beers on draft at this annual event at Seattle’s Brouwer’s Cafe.
Beer-B-Q at Ounces, 5 p.m.: The West Seattle bottleshop is hosting a beer and barbecue event with beer from Arlington’s Skookum Brewery, and other breweries Urban Family Brewing and Matchless Brewing.
Also on the taster tray
Dublin Up, Lake Stevens Brewing: An Irish dry stout with notes of bittersweet chocolate and light coffee aroma. Available on tap at the brewery.
Fn Rye IPA, Foggy Noggin Brewing: Made with 50 percent German rye malt and 50 percent 2-Row, this IPA features spicy rye tones balanced with an aggressive hop complement. Available on tap at the brewery.
Doc’s Groove Hazy Pale Ale, 5 Rights Brewing: Part of the brewery’s Z-Nation Tribute Series pays homage to Doc, a little hazy, somewhat fruity, little dank and lingering bitterness. Available on tap at the brewery.
Spring Blonde Ale, 5 Rights Brewing: A clear lager-like delight with a hint of sweet pilsner malt base with fruitiness and hop bitterness from Belma hops. Available on tap at the brewery.
Drink this
T.D.’s Groove Hazy IPA
5 Rights Brewing, Marysville
Style: Hazy IPA
Stats: 6.5 percent ABV, 34 IBU
Available: On draft at Reuben’s Brews, Chuck’s Hop Shop-Greenwood, Ridgecrest Pub and The Independent Beer Bar.
From the brewery: To celebrate Seattle Beer Week 2018, we brewed a special Groove series IPA in tribute to one of our great 5 Rights’ family members. Made with loads of Citra, Azacca, Mosaic and Amarillo hops for a juicy yet slightly dank hazy delight with notes of tangerine, citrus and ripe pine.
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