A New Harvest Festival Celebrating More Than Hops
Across the Pacific Northwest, harvest season means one thing to most beer-loving people: fresh hop beer. In recent years, the beer-drinking public has gone certifiably mad for anything brewed with hops still wet off the bine — and since we grow the vast majority of the nation’s hop crop right here in the PNW, maybe that obsession is just baked into our regional DNA. Can’t really blame us.
But here’s the thing about grain — and I promise that’s not a typo, stick with me — hops aren’t the only harvest-time crop worth bragging about around here. Washington grows plenty of the other stuff brewers need too: barley, wheat, specialty grains, the whole supporting cast. A good chunk of the barley in your pint still comes from big farms in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Canada, and in some cases even Germany; however, the barley actually grown here in Washington often comes from smaller growers cultivating less common, more interesting varieties. It’s nerdy, albeit delicious, stuff.
Anyway, I actually do have a point buried under all that grain talk: when PNW beer lovers think “harvest,” they go straight to hops. Fair enough — hops earned that reputation. But there’s a whole second half of the harvest story that rarely gets its moment, and this new festival is finally giving it one. Along with hops, of course. Can’t forget about those yummy cones of lupulin goodness.
Harvest Fest in Seattle on September 26th
Join the Washington Brewers Guild for the first-ever Harvest Fest on Saturday, September 26th. The event takes place at Stoup Brewing’s Capitol Hill location from 1-5 pm.
“This celebration of the bounty of Washington agriculture will feature fresh hop beers, seasonal lagers, curated paired food items from Project Feast, and sensory education activities from our friends at CLS Hop Farm, LINC Malt, and Cold Stream Malt & Grain.”
But yeah, the beer is important too, so here’s the list of participating breweries:
- 7 Seas Brewing Co
- Aslan Brewing Co
- Bizarre Brewing
- Chuckanut Brewery
- Dru Bru
- Fremont Brewing
- Garden Path Fermentation
- Georgetown Brewing
- Human People Beer
- Icicle Brewing Company
- ilk beer
- Kulshan Brewing Co.
- Ladd & Lass Brewing
- Logan Brewing Company
- Single Hill Brewing
- Stoup Brewing
- Trap Door Brewing
- Valholl Brewing
- Yonder Cider
Set an alarm! The tickets go on sale August 6th. Only 250 tickets. They will go fast. Follow the Washington Brewers Guild on social media as more details are unveiled.
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