The Washington Brewers Guild presents the Washington Brewers Festival this weekend at Seattle Center (June 22 and 23). Far be it from me to tell you what to drink, but if you are headed to the Washington Brewers Festival this weekend, I have a suggestion. Consider checking out some of the newcomers. There are a lot of familiar names on the list of participating breweries, but there are a few with which you might not yet be acquainted.
Below, I share some thoughts about some of the newbies and lesser-known breweries pouring at this year’s event. To see the complete list of participants and get more info about the festival, go straight to the event website.
Crane’s Castle Brewing is a Bremerton brewery. It is making its first appearance at the WBF.
Distant West Brewing opened a few months ago in the space some might remember as the original Reuben’s Brews location in Ballard.
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Gasworks Brewing is a forthcoming Seattle brewery in the Wallingford neighborhood near Gasworks Park. The brewery isn’t open yet, so this will be a nice portent of things to come.
Haas Innovations Brewing is based in Yakima. Haas is a major supplier of hops and hop products on a global scale. They have a brewery that they used to experiment with new hop varieties and hop products. Rarely do we regular folks get to sample beers from this brewery.
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Here Today Brewery & Kitchen is located near the waterfront in Seattle. It is just a stone’s throw from Seattle Center. Not exactly new, but I know many folks have yet to discover this one.
Hildegard Ferments is based in Ballard. I like to think of it as a special occassion brewery. Meaning, they’re rarely open to the public, do special releases, private tastings, and stuff like that. They focus on the botanical side of the flavor spectrum.
Ilk Brewing is based in Olympia. A new brewery from people not new to the industry. I have yet to have anything from this brewery that I did not like. A lot.
Larrabee Lager Company is the latest addition to the Bellingham beer scene. A brewery focused on traditional lagers. Rare to find their beer this far south, but I’ve liked everything I’ve tasted from Larrabee.
Lumberbeard Brewing is making the trek all the way from Spokane. The least you can do is stop by their booth for a beer.
Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery is in Puyallup. Unless you’ve been there, you probably have not had the beer.
The Heavy Metal Brewing Company is located in Vancouver. Beyond being new to the festival, I like the name.
Thorntail Hard Agave is a new Seattle-based company that does something nobody has done before. It is not beer, but it is not seltzer either. Nor is it cider. It is fermented agave juice. On a hot day, it is perfect. Call me a traitor, but Thorntail has a permanent corner in my fridge.
Not Beer But… Speaking of non-beer stuff, this year the festival organizers have done a good job providing for folks who prefer something other than beer. The non-beer offerings include Barmann Cellars, Fierce County Cider, Modern Nature Wines, Seattle Cider, Yonder Cider, and the previously mentioned Thorntail Hard Agave at the event.
Learn more about the Washington Brewers Festival, see the complete list of participating breweries, and get tickets on the official event website.
