North Sound Brewing Happenings

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Seahawks Sunday
Grab a fellow 12 this Sunday and come enjoy a pint (or 2) at NSB! We will be showing the 1:25 game against the Baltimore Ravens on our 3 big screen TV’s, and as always it’s Happy Hour all day with $1 off pints. Outside food welcome! GO HAWKS!

Survival Drive!
Time to clean out those closets! Help NSB in supporting homeless youth by donating items necessary to survive a PNW winter. Items such as warm clothing, tents, sleeping bags, and food are being collected for Northwest Youth Services the month of October and will go directly to those in need in Skagit and Whatcom counties. Visit NWYS.ORG for more info. and ways to help.

Mactoberfest
Saturday Oct. 26th at the Littlefield Celtic Center in Mount Vernon. Help vote NSB the official beer for next summer’s Skagit Valley Highland Games while enjoying traditional Celtic music and Scottish meat pie! Tickets and more info at celticarts.org

Save the Dates
NSB Chicken Wing Thing Sunday, November 3rd
There are still a few spots left if you think you have what it takes to be the next Wingmaster Champion! Sign ups happening now at the taproom. Of course, you don’t have to make wings to enjoy them! Anyone can be a judge!

Hops on the Rock Saturday, November 9th
Our next big brewfest event will be in Eastsound on Orcas Island with 20+ regional NW breweries, live music and food vendors. Visit hopsontherock for more info.

Brewer’s Notes:
We’re feeling a little hazy… Sarah and I are brewing the next iteration of Hazy IPA today. We’re using Amarillo, Mosaic and Ekuanot hops to get a fruity and tropical aroma and flavor! It should be ready in about two weeks!
Get Some,
Rob

Anacortes Brewery is Warming Up for the Holidays

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New Releases for November:

Anacortes Brewery Noel Winter AleNoel Winter Ale (ABV 7.0% / IBU 45)   Brewed to celebrate the holiday season, this winter warmer uses various aromatic specialty malts and has a prominent hop character from mild American Noble varieties.

Klosterbier (ABV 5.3% / IBU 35)   Smooth, dark lager originally brewed at the Anacortes Brewery under the guidance of the visiting brewmaster of The Kalt Loch Brewery in Bavaria. Inspired by a dark lager brewed for the Engelberg Monastery. Delicately hopped with Perle hops, this beer has become a local favorite.

Events for November (WA State):

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Label Unveiling 5PM Thurs 11/7, Skagit Valley Gardens, Mont Vernon

Skagit Beer and Wine Festival 3PM Sat 11/23, Eaglemont Golf Course, Burlington

Preview: Washington Brewer’s Guild Winter Beer Festival Fri-Sat 12/6-7, Magnuson Park Hanger 30, Seattle

North Sound Brewing Co. Happenings

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Grasping at those Last Straws of Summer

It’s a fall inventory clearance time, so in place of a cask this week, we will be serving the last of the Pearls Pale infused with gin botanicals and served with a wedge of lime!  Taste the last rays of summer sunshine in a glass and prepare for winter.

Brewers Night on the Island

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 10th, at Penn Cove Brewing Company in Coupeville for some tasty NSB brews and fun schwag prizes. Drink beer, win stuff! 6-8 pm

Save the Dates

Macotberfest  Saturday, October 26th

Help vote NSB the official beer for the Skagit Valley Highland Games at the Littlefield Celtic Center in Mount Vernon

NSB Chicken Wing Thing Sunday, November 3rd – Think you have what it takes to be the next NSB Wingmaster? Sign-ups happening now, and we are about halfway to our 12 chef limit- don’t delay any longer!

Hops on the Rock, Saturday, November 9th

Our next big Brewfest event will be in Eastsound on Orcas Island with 20+ regional NW breweries, live music, and food vendors.

north_sound_brewing_happenings

Chuckanut Brewery Wins at Great American Beer Festival

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Chuckanut has done it again; this time Chuckanut Brewery has brought home a Bronze Medal from the Great American Beer Festival 2019 for Fest Bier. The GABF competition is only for U.S. breweries, and the competition for a GABF medal is as fierce as ever. Judges examined 9,497 beers from 2,295 American breweries.

Bronze medal-winning Fest Bier is a modern style, golden lager like the one served in Munich at their Oktoberfest celebration every year. Chuckanut Fest Bier emphasizes the use of Vienna malts for a smooth, quaffable Oktoberfest beer light in color with a 5.5% ABV and 22 IBUs. The aroma and flavor are lightly malty with a hint of Noble hops. This medium-bodied lager finishes crisp and smooth for a beer to enjoy in multiple quantities in liter mugs! Chuckanut Fest Bier is delicious with festival foods like brats, roasted chicken, roast beef and fish on a stick!

South Nut’s Tap Room is in the heart of Skagit Valley, 11937 Higgins Airport Way, Burlington and welcomes guests of all ages

Terramar Grand Opening Halloween Weekend!

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Terramar is the newest brewery to the Skagit Valley and is celebrating its grand opening on Halloween Weekend!  Located in Edison, Washington, in what was originally (back in 1890) a slaughterhouse, owners Chris and Jen Barker have created a thoughtfully designed and community-oriented destination.  From the outside deck to the murals to the kids play-room, I found myself smitten with Terramar’s vibe within minutes of entering.

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Jen and Chris started with a vision for a farm brewery.   That vision is crystal clear when you take a look at the menu.  Terramar’s beer and spirits feature malts from Skagit Valley Malting and their pizza dough is a 3-day sourdough ferment made with 100% Cairnspring Mills flour.  Their small bites, salads, and pizza feature cheese from Gothberg Farms, Samish Bay Cheese, and Ferndale Farmstead along with their very own Terrarmar cheese.  Blanchard Mountain Farm, Well Fed Farms, Viva Farms, Cascadia Mushrooms, BeeWorks Farm and Blau Shellfish supply many of the ingredients for the inventive and tasty offerings.  With names such as Fuzzy Piggy and Clamdango, you get a sense of the creative minds at work!

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Mike Armstrong has been at the helm on the brewing stage to get things rock and rolling.  Just arrived from Alaska’s Denali Brewing Co. is head brewer Greg Spore.   Spore is excited to dive in with the abundance of the rich Skagit Valley bounty.  From Skagit Valley Malting to local blueberries, Spore plans on creating high quality clean and crisp beers but also pushing the creative envelope.  Terramar plans on having 12 craft beers on tap and a few ciders shortly.  I enjoyed on tap a blueberry basil martini while visiting Terramar for the first time.   Starring Blanchard Mountain Farm basil-infused vodka and cold-pressed Bow Hill blueberry juice,  it tasted as good as it sounded.

terramar_brewing_blueberry_basil_martini

Join us in celebrating the newest brewery in the Skagit Valley this Halloween!  From 11:30 – 9:00, Terramar is hosting an all-day spooky kids maze, kids and adult costume awards, and a Jack-O-Lantern contest.  They are also releasing the fall cocktail special  The Hazelnut Fig Old-Fashion with Samish Island foraged hazelnuts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chuckanut Biers for September

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Time to get out those hoodies and jackets, the sun is getting lower in the sky and it’s time for Oktoberfest! Fall is in the air and now’s the time for a change in beers. Chuckanut’s modern Fest Bier is out in the market already. Fest Bier is made to reflect the current Oktoberfest beers brewed in Germany, a golden lager meant to be consumed in liter sizes. But if you are looking for the old Marzen style Oktoberfest beer you are in luck. Chuckanut’s Old Fest will be out in the market soon. It’s fun to have both the Old Fest and Fest Bier on tap at the same time to experience the difference between old and new. Old Fest has an amber color, lots of malt flavors and a bit more rich than the Fest Bier. Similar ABV’s but a difference in color and flavor these two make great options for any Oktoberfest or fall beer drinking activities.

If you haven’t tried Chuckanut’s answer to the Bitburger Pilsner Challenge of making a German style pilsner lager you need to. If you had a blindfold on while drinking Nutburger you could swear you were sitting in a local German bierstube. Nutburger Pilsner is perfect to quench your thirst or accompany a good meal. With an ABV of 4.9% you can easily drink this one from a liter mug on your patio! Milder in flavor and strength than our normal Pilsner it’s a nice change and more delicate in than most Bohemian style pilsners. If you are looking to change up your Pilsner options this one’s for you.

With the Great American Beer Festival coming up our usual German style beers are coming out. Here’s your chance to catch up on the beers you love from Chuckanut. The collection includes Helles Lager (golden breakfast beer from Munich), Dunkel Lager (dark and delicious full of chocolate and coffee flavors), Mexican Style Lager (perfectly light in style and body, great with a dash of lime), Dortmunder, Rauch Helles, Rye Lager, Sticke Alt (dangerously smooth but high in ABV) and of course our regular Pilsner, Kolsch and Vienna Lager.

The Scarlet Ale (previously known as Ruby Ale) has returned as our seasonal ale for late summer to fall season. Considered uncommon in the world of beers today Chuckanut is excited to rediscover this old English style, sessionable ale. Its medium body is highlighted by toasted malt flavors balanced with hops, making Chuckanut Scarlet Ale a satisfying any-time-of-day tipple!

Anacortes Brewery Release and Events for September 2019

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New Releases for September:

Oktoberfest (ABV 6.4% / IBU 30)   Malty and full bodied, this savory beer celebrates the traditional Bavarian festival. Delicately hopped and lagered for 6 weeks in our authentic cold storage cellar.

Sabro Fresh Hop IPA (5% ABV / IBU 50)  This highly anticipated seasonal is made with 2 row and Vienna malts for a dark straw color and features major hop flavor and aroma from copious amounts of fresh Sabro hops collected from Carpenter Ranches in Granger WA.

Halloweizen (ABV 5% / IBU 20) Our 2019 Pumpkin Ale is brewed with cinnamon and allspice with the addition of local Skagit valley grown pumpkins roasted in a wood fired oven. This is topped off with sneaky banana and clove aromas from our traditional Bavarian hefeweizen yeast.

Experimental Series – Session IPA (ABV 3.5% / 45 IBU) This aromatic IPA features woody vanilla and tropical fruit notes from Pahto hops and a lower alcohol level for easy drinking.

S’Ale Fest IPA (ABV 6% / IBU 80)  This classic northwest style IPA has a building hop character balanced with a sturdy backbone to support it. Columbus, Cascade & Simcoe are dry-hopped in the fermenter producing a moderate citrus and stone fruit aroma that yields to a bold, prolonged hop flavor and bitterness.

Events for September (WA State):
Brewer’s Night – 6PM Tues 9/10, 192 Brewing, Kenmore

Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival – 11:30AM Sat 9/21, Christenson’s Nursery, La Conner

Oyster Run Motorcycle Rally – Sun 9/22, Downtown Anacortes

Tribute to the Community Rotary Gala – 5PM Fri 9/27, Port Event Center, Anacortes
S’alefest – Sat 9/28, Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes

Flatstick Golf Tournament, 6PM Tues 10/1, Flatstick Pub, Kirkland

 

Rockfish Grill Entertainment Calendar Sept 2019
9/4 – Joan Penney 6:00PM

9/6 – Pacific Twang 8:00PM

9/11 – Trish Hatley 6:00PM

9/18 – Andre Feriante 6:00PM

9/21 – Billy Appleton Band 8:00PM

9/25 – Janette West 6:00PM

Preview: 10/4 – Bill Mattocks 8:00PM

Chuckanut Brewery Midsummer Beers

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Now that summer has arrived and in full swing, Chuckanut Brewery has some new beers to release. The new Dinkel Lager is now on tap at North Nut in Bellingham and soon at South Nut. This is not a misspelling of Dunkel! Dinkel is German for spelt, an ancient grain. Chuckanut Dinkel Lager uses 50% malted spelt giving this lager a creamy mouthfeel and flavors reminiscent of fresh baked bread. The use of spelt combined with new world Experimental Hop #04190 culminates in a malty, fruity beer with a creamy finish!

Nut to the Future is a collaboration with the new Seattle brewery Future Primitive made for the Beer Prom event in Bellingham. This prom date beer is a California Common with a German twist. Using lager yeast but fermented at higher temperatures Nut to the Future has the classic character of a California Common. But the all German malt bill of Pilsner, Munich and Vienna malts, mashed up with new age German hops gives this German Common an amber hue and bready, slightly sweet flavor.

The Scarlet Ale (previously know as Ruby Ale) has returned for late summer to fall season. Considered uncommon in the world of beers today Chuckanut is excited to rediscover this old English style, sessionable ale. Its medium body is highlighted by toasted malt flavors balanced with hops, making Chuckanut Scarlet Ale a satisfying any-time-of-day tipple!

Fest Bier 2019 will be released in August to prepare everyone for the coming of Oktoberfest (at Chuckanut’s North Nut September 14). This golden lager emphasizes the use of Vienna malts for a smooth, quaffable Oktoberfest beer light in color just like in Munich, Germany. The aroma and flavors are lightly sweet with a hint of Nobel hops making this medium bodied lager crisp and smooth, perfect in liter mug quantities!

Anacortes Brewery Releases / Events for August 2019

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New Releases for August:
Anacortes Arts Festival Hefeweizen (ABV 4.6% / IBU 18) Our award-winning Hefeweizen has a cloudy golden color and a full, fruity aroma. Bavarian yeast produces striking banana & clove flavors. This summertime favorite is light-bodied with a flavorful snap and mild tartness finishing relatively dry – the perfect thirst quencher!

Vienna (ABV 4.8% / IBU 15) Smooth and malty, this elegant amber lager is delicately hopped with Perle & Mt Hood varieties for aroma and balance.

Anacortes Arts Festival Hefeweizen (ABV 4.6% / IBU 18) Our award-winning Hefeweizen has a cloudy golden color and a full, fruity aroma. This summertime favorite is light-bodied with a flavorful snap and mild tartness that finishes. It’s the perfect thirst quencher!

Get Back (6.9% ABV / 40 IBU) The official 25th anniversary beer of the Anacortes Brewery! This Extra Special Bitter (ESB) features rich caramel and toasted malt notes backed by a clean Simcoe hop presence. It’s a fresh take on a classic style and a chance for us to get back to where we once belonged.

Events for August (WA State):
Anacortes Arts Festival – Fri-Sun 8/2-4, Downtown Anacortes
Anacortes Brewery 25th Anniversary Celebration- 1PM Sat 8/10, Heart of Anacortes
Brewfest on the Skagit – 4PM Sat 8/10, Mount Vernon Riverwalk
Cancer Walk – 4:30PM Sat 8/17, Seafarer’s Memorial Park, Anacortes
Heart of Anacortes Concert Series – 6PM Sat 8/17, Heart of Anacortes
Hangarfest – 7PM Sat 8/24, Museum of Flight, Seattle
International Blues Challenge Finals – 1PM Sun 8/25, Port Gardner Landing, Everett
Heart of Anacortes Concert Series – 6PM Sat 8/31, Heart of Anacortes

Chuckanut Tsunami at WA Beer Awards

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Chuckanut Brewery dominated the awards at this year’s WA Beer Awards ceremony at the WA Brewers Festival on June 15th at Marymore Park. The blind judging had over 1,465 entries in 135 styles entered by 193 breweries. Chuckanut won medals for 9 out of the 10 beers they entered including 5 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals.

Chuckanut received gold medals for their Dunkel Lager, Kolsch (German style ale), Alt Bier (old German ale), Maibock, and Rauch Helles (golden smoky lager). A silver medal was awarded for the Asian Style Lager (made for Din Tai Fung restuarants). The bronze medals were awarded to the Mexican Style Lager, Rye Lager and Pilsner. With all these awards Chuckanut Brewery swept the large brewery category and won Large Brewery of the Year 2019. Chuckanut was also the winner of the Large Brewery of the Year at the WA Beer Awards in 2017!