Drink this: Official beer of Everett Beer Week is hazy IPA

From the brewery: The official Everett Beer Week beer is a hazy, New England-style IPA brewed with Mosaic, Amarillo and Denali hops.

It’s a big week for Everett beer.

The inaugural Everett Beer Week kicks off with tonight’s Upper Left Beerfest and culminates with Middleton’s fifth birthday bash Sept. 15. The week will not only consist of gallons of great beer brewed on the shores of Port Gardner, but live music, bicycle tours and even Rock ’Em, Sock ’Em Robots.

Any good beer week deserves a big beer that can take a punch. A pair of stalwart Everett breweries, At Large Brewing on W. Marine View Drive and Crucible along Everett Mall Way, collaborated on Cloak and Stagger, a hazy IPA full of fruit flavors that might just knock your socks off.

Does it matter the beer wasn’t brewed in Everett? Nah. The beer came together at the last minute, so At Large owner and head brewer Jim Weisweaver traveled to Crucible’s second location in Woodinville, where most of Crucible’s brewing capacity is these days, to help brew the official beer of Everett Beer Week.

“It was a great experience,” Weisweaver said. “It was a true collaboration. We learned some things from them, and I think they did a few things procedurally they hadn’t done before.”

Thanks to Mosaic and Amarillo hops, the beer is big and juicy like a true hazy IPA, but Weisweaver said that it has nice melon characteristics thanks to a late addition of Denali hops. “It’s a unique beer,” he added.

It wasn’t the only collaboration At Large did leading up to Everett Beer Week. At Large also brewed a bacon maple bar stout called Thought I Was A Donut with Middleton Brewing for the Middleton’s fifth anniversary.

Geoff Middleton, who is not shy of dumping boxes of cereal or whole fruit into a mash tun, brought five dozen maple bars from Everett’s Henry’s Donuts to make the beer. Three dozen maple bars went into the mash, while two dozen were saved for the fermenter. The beer will be on tap at both locations and Upper Left Beerfest.

Beers to drink

Here’s a look at some other beers to try next week:

Centennial Burst, Lazy Boy Brewing: Brewed with 185 pounds of Centennial fresh hops, this fresh hop IPA is the first of two Lazy Boy plans to brew this fall.

Sundiver IPA: Scuttlebutt’s next seasonal release is a tropical IPA brewed with El Dorado, Citra and Chinook hops.

The Pieces Fit: Weisweaver added Galaxy hops to this usually Citra-only New England-style IPA to give it a big nose and flavor of mango and guava.

Things to do

Here’s a look at what to do next week:

Sept. 7-8: For the second year in a row, Upper Left Beerfest will take over downtown Everett. Check out the after party at Toggle’s Bottleshop, located just down the street from the event entrance.

Sept. 9: Starting at At Large on the waterfront, Bike with the Brewers will tour to Scuttlebutt’s taproom and then on to the three south Everett brewers on Everett Mall Way.

Sept. 10: Let your liver recover.

Sept. 11: Try a number of locally brewed fruit beers at Lazy Boy Brewing, which will be pouring a mango hefeweizen and mango porter.

Sept. 12: Try a flight of IPAs from Everett brewers and register your vote for the best at the official IPA Showdown at Toggle’s Bottleshop.

Sept. 13: Meet Everett brewers and try their beers at Everett Brewers Unite at At Large Brewing.

Sept. 14: Scuttlebutt will release its newest seasonal brew, Sundiver IPA, and host the Summerzover concert featuring bands SISTERS, Kuinka and Fretland at the taproom.

Sept. 15: Drink and then walk/run from At Large to The Independent Beer Bar in the Costumed Beer Dash.

Taster tray

King Tide, Double Bluff Brewing: A golden-colored, well-aged Belgian tripel infused with cold brew coffee from Useless Bay Coffee Co. Available on tap at the brewery.

The Mingler IPA, 5 Rights Brewing: A dry finishing and well-balanced San Diego-style IPA is chock full of Mosaic, Amarillo, Simcoe and Chinook hops. Available on tap at Elliott Bay Pizza and Pasta, and The Hop and Hound.

Brimley’s Batter, Skookum Brewery: Pastry stout brewed with cocoa powder and conditioned on whole vanilla beans and cocoa nibs. Available on tap at the brewery.

Alteration IPA, Skookum Brewery: Skookum took its Jackass IPA, upped the pillowy flaked wheat, intensified the dry hop, added Denali hops and lowered the grain bill, giving it aromas of sweet pine and ripe tangerine. Available on tap at the brewery.

Drink this

Cloak and Stagger

At Large Brewing/Crucible Brewing, Everett

Style: New England-style IPA

Stats: 7.4 percent ABV

Available: On tap at At Large and both Crucible locations and at the Upper Left Beerfest. Also on tap at Emory’s Silver Lake, Whistle Stop Grocery, Toggle’s Bottleshop and The Independent Beer Bar throughout Everett Beer Week.