“April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” That’s what the renowned 20th Century poet, T.S. Eliot, had to say about the month of April. The folks at Beveridge Place Pub and Cooper’s Alehouse, two beloved Seattle beer halls, have a different opinion. For them, April is all about hops, and there is nothing cruel about that.
This is the 14th year that Cooper’s Alehouse on Lake City Way has hosted an IPA Festival, and this year it is bigger and better than ever, spanning the entire month of April. They’re dedicating a significant portion of their taps to IPAs of all types–Session IPA, Double IPA, Triple IPA and whatever other hoppy beers they can find.
You can simply order up a pint of your favorite or you can do blind tasters, sampler trays, and even pair your hoppy dingdong with IPA-specific food specials. Keep track of what’s pouring by following Cooper’s Alehouse on Facebook.
Across town in West Seattle, Beveridge Place Pub has a simple approach. The annual IPApril celebration sees the pub dedicate a dozen of its 36 taps to a rotating selection of lupulin-forward beers of all types. The name might be IPApril, but you might find any style of beer on tap, as long as it’s hoppy.
I was at the Beveridge Place last night and the gamut included stuff like Heart of Darkness Imperial CDA from Two Beers Brewing, Humulo Nimbus Double IPA from Sound Brewery, and the comparably meek Three-Six-Oh IPA from Skookum Brewing.