Three days, five breweries, five beers that are all the same only different
It’s one thing to collaborate with other breweries, nothing new or different about that, but what the breweries of Snohomish, Washington do each year is a bit different. They call it Smash and Dash and it reminds me of an old, still-practiced Bavarian brewing tradition known as zoiglbier. It’s kind of obscure and a lot of hardcore beer geeks don’t even know about zoigl.
In super-simple, quick, and incomplete terms, zoigl is not just a style of beer; rather, it is a way of making it. Zoigl is brewed in a village’s central community brewhouse, then the unfermented beer is carted to individual pubs where it is fermented, conditioned, and eventually consumed. So, at each zoiglstuben the beer is the same but different. Like I said, that’s a super-simple definition. You can learn more about zoigl here.
Smash and Dash in Snohomish
Meanwhile, back in Snohomish, they are preparing to celebrate Smash and Dash on March 5th thru 7th. The whole point is to celebrate and foster a spirit of unity and creativity. The town’s breweries get together and brew a single batch of beer at one of the breweries. Once initial fermentation is complete, they each get their share and complete the beer. Or beers, in this case.
Adam Frantz, Head Brewer at Sound to Summit Brewing, explains it like this. “We brew one base IPA together, then split off each brewer’s allocation after fermentation. Each brewer dry hops their beer differently. The brewers each choose a hop that is new to them, and every year the hops change. It is experimentation that is fun for the brewers and consumers alike.”
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Normally, the annual Smash and Dash event coincides with Washington Beer Open House, but because the world is still a little bit topsy-turvy, the breweries of Snohomish are doing things a bit differently this year and spreading the event out across two days, March 6th and 7th.
“This year, we are holding the event over the course of the whole weekend in order to spread out the crowds that usually attend. The event follows the normal open hours of each brewery that is participating, and each brewery will provide ample indoor and outdoor seating. “
For you, the consumer, here’s how it works:
- Start at any of the five participating breweries (listed below). Pick up your punch card, and order the Smash and Dash IPA.
- Receive your punch and enjoy your beer.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 at each of the five participating breweries.
- Drop your punch card in the bin at the brewery of your last punch and you’re entered to win a gift basket from that brewery. There are five gift baskets in total.
The following breweries are particpating in Smash and Dash this year:
- Sound to Summit Brewing is using Talus hops
- Haywire Brewing is using Barbe Rouge hops
- Spada Farmhouse Brewing is using Taiheke hops
- Snotown Brewery is using Zappa hops
- Audacity Brewing is using Rakau hops
Map for mobile devices, click here.
