Hi folks, I am a recent transplant to SW WA and had always wanted to do a Yakima weekend but now thanks to COVID I think my first season is probably bust. I was lucky to win tickets to next years' BFNA events so I have some 2021 seeds planted but still want to Scrooge Macduck some hops Are there any notable events or specific places to visit in hop country around this time of year? Been a fan of BaleBreaker for a few years now so I figure that is at least one place to visit.
If you're going to be in the Yakima area, I would highly recommend this place: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47420/?view=ratings Food is very good and affordable, and they typically have a pretty good tap list, with a lot of local selections. They usually have several Bale Breaker beers on tap, including occasional one off's and experimental batches.
The experimental beers come from Haas' pilot brewery. The beers are normally made to show off hop varietals for potential customers and not available for public consumption, but they've been sharing them with Cowiche Kitchen for a few years now. I'd also recommend a drive out to Sunnyside to check out Varietal. It's run by the guys who used to brew at Snipes Mountain, and they're making some amazing beers.
What's BFNA? What does SW WA mean? Tacoma versus Long Beach? The list of places is so long as to be unmanageable. https://washingtonbeer.com/ is a good resource for breweries and festivals. Normally I would totally recommend the Fresh Hop Festival in Yakima which is usually early September I think, but not sure what that's going to look like this year or if it's already been canceled. Too busy to share much right now but I'll try to come back to it later.
We bought a place just south of Kelso/Longview so we're about 45mins out of Portland. Brews4NewAvenues (B4NA) is a charity out of PDX that raises funds to fight youth homelessness. Great cause but also have deep connections and get support from major lambic guys (Cantillon, Bokke) and local talent from de Garde etc. Haven't been able to attend any of their events (charity auctions/festivals) but pretty excited for 2021 now. A fresh hop fest is pretty much what i had in mind, just need to find it and see when/where/if they are still putting it on.
Cancelled a long time ago. OP, you might want to rethink heading to Yakima anytime soon, they're pretty much the hottest hotspot for Covid in the state. You should be able to find plenty of FH brews on tap once they start showing up (probably another 3 weeks or so), not sure what packaged FH brews will be like this year, what with Covid, the can shortage, the lid shortage, and just the general uncertainty of the times.
Oh yeah I'm not really planning anything for this year but taking notes for the future. I did see BaleBreaker ships to WA so I'll be keeping a close eye on their store. At this point I'm not really even hitting any pubs for taps just cans but I just remembered WA is much better on growling than CA. Can any establishment fill here or what are the rules?
Pretty much. They've just gotta have the right license. You'll find grocery stores, mini-marts, some bars, and of course breweries fill growlers. And, any "sealable" ( basically a screw cap, snap-on, or swing top) container can be filled. If it was originally for something else, the original label must be removed. I've filled, or had filled, pop bottles, milk bottles, and, my personal favorite, Nalgene bottles (great for the park or walking through the neighborhood).
Years ago, I saw someone use a gasoline container to get a fill. The bartender told him he just needed to verify it hadn't been used recently for its original stated purpose, and the owner of the receptacle assured him that was the case. I still remember thinking at the time (with a chuckle), this truly is beer heaven.
@Buck86, I know Hale's hosts a fresh hop festival each year (Yakima's takes precedence in my mind by about a thousand miles). There's apparently also this guy, which I've never attended and don't know anything about: https://seattlefreshhop.com/ In terms of places to visit...down in your direction, I probably know Portland better than I know Washington. Go there. There's tons of awesome stuff in Portland for the beer world. Usually I don't stop anywhere between Olympia and Portland. Let me know if you want my thoughts Olympia and North or Portland area.
Nice I'll check out that website, thanks. I've been doing trips to Portland pretty much monthly to restock. Got a bottle shop near by that is decent but I agree, there's not a lot to brag about this side of the bridge. My regular trips are to Great Notion, Ruse and deGarde. Will visit Fort George as soon as I can sit for pizza. Up north I thought Fremont was pretty good, cloudburst was nice and Holy Mountain was awesome. The Masonry was super good too but trips into the city make for a real long day on the road. I need to find more pubs with good food in this PDX-Olympia stretch.
I would love to have seen the looks from patrons just walking in and seeing a gas can being filled with beer!
AFAIK, Dick's daughter took over the operation. I think her husband runs the brewery, and she oversees everything. EDIT: Yup, http://dicksbeer.com/deli/
