Whether you’re a craft beer novice or a vintage beer snob, Washington Beer Open House is a great opportunity to visit a local brewery (or two), chat with a brewer, tour a brewhouse and, of course, taste test a few pints.
Started by the Washington Beer Commission in 2011, Washington Beer Open House is seen as a way for brewers to connect with local consumers. More than 140 breweries across the state are participating in some way on Saturday, with most offering guided tours, special beer releases and food pairings.
Here’s a look at what breweries in Snohomish County are doing:
Because of its location, Snohomish’s Three Bull Brewing doesn’t open its taproom doors often. Saturday is one of those rare opportunities to drop in on the brewery’s owners, brothers Craig and Cary Pritzkau and Brian Felske, and taste some of their creations.
Located in a residential neighborhood, Three Bull is limited on how often it can be open to the public. But that doesn’t mean its not a nice setup. Three Bull has a decent bar to belly up to and a fire pit to stay warm. The brewery is offering new beers, including its newest creation, Blood Orange Red X, and brewery tours during Washington Beer Open House. There will also be rocky road ice cream made with Three Bull’s Toasted Marshmallow Porter.
For more information on Three Bull Brewing, visit threebullbrewing.com.
Marysville’s Whitewall Brewing will be celebrating its fifth anniversary during Open House. Brewers Aaron Wight and Sean Wallner have created a number of specialty beers for the event, including three barrel-aged offerings: Bourbon barrel-aged Cat Tracks winter ale with Nutella, barrel-aged Truck Nuts porter with coffee, cherry and cacao, and whiskey barrel-aged Jaywalking Grandma imperial milk stout with peppermint.
Another release is the latest in Whitewall’s Heritage Series in which Wight and Wallner brew beers in tribute to old world beer styles. The Rustic Saison is the third beer in the series and is a farmhouse saison made with four different grains, giving the beer a bread-like malt character to support the bright fruity notes of apricot, white grape and lemongrass.
They will be offering brewery tours and Jimmy Peppers food truck and San Juan Cigars will be serving food and selling cigars.
Four Snohomish breweries are reprising the Smash & Dash collaboration they did for last year’s Open House. Scrappy Punk Brewing, Spada Farmhouse, Lost Canoe Brewing and Haywire Brewing will all brew the same base recipe with a single malt and single hop (SMASH) and then dry hop their batch with a unique hop. The four hops are Galena, Belma, Dr. Rudi and Ekuanot. Pick up a punch card at any of the participating breweries, visit each brewery and try their version and be entered to win prizes.
Just down the street, Frank Sandoval and SnoTown Brewery is unleashing a long list of one-off beers on Saturday, including a collaboration with Scuttlebutt Brewing. During the recent snowstorms, Sandoval and Scuttlebutt head brewer Eric Nord brewed Snow Day, a hazy IPA made with Ekuanot and Laurel hops. Other beers on tap for Open House include: Cherry Scotch Ale, Hula Girl Session Ala, Lite ale with coconut and pineapple, Coffee Stout, Capital T triple IPA and Red, Red Rye, a rye beer aged nine months in a red wine barrel.
In Bothell, Foggy Noggin Brewing is releasing its late winter seasonal, Diablo del Sol, an English pale ale with a bold, hoppy aroma. Made with loads of hops added at the end of the boil, the beer balances a malty sweetness with an aggressive floral hop presence. Owner Jim Jamison will also be offering brewery tours.
South Everett’s Middleton Brewing, Crucible Brewing and Lazy Boy Brewing collaborated on a Blackberry Cobbler Kettle Sour and will offer it at each brewery for a brewery crawl during Open House. Get stamps at all three breweries and enter a drawing to win prizes. Breweries will be offering other special beer releases throughout the day.
Get a taste of the tropics at Snohomish’s Sound to Summit Brewing. Head brewer Adam Frantz has brewed up a Hawaiian Kolsch with passion fruit, orange peel and pink guava. There will also be food specials, and Frantz will be on hand to answer questions.
DRINK THIS
Blood Orange Red X
Three Bull Brewing, Snohomish
Style: Red ale
Stats: 6.3 percent ABV, 57 IBU
Available: On tap at the brewery
From the brewery: The ruby-colored flesh of real blood oranges is a perfect complement to the RED X malt used in this distinctive blood orange red ale. Expect bright citrus notes from the real fruit infusion.
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