Repurposed Messenger Bag?

We got a bitchin’ new messenger bag from New Belgium Brewing to give away tonight. It’s made from old NBB advertising banners, kind of like these. Should keep you bike-to-worker’s stuff dry and secure on your commute. We’ll raffle it off tonight (WED JUN 24) with our reCYCLE’d bike. You can’t enter to win the bike today, but you can score the bag and even pick up some NBB chapstick (honestly, the best chapstick I’ve ever used), glasses, or tshirts. We’ll have $3 pints of Fat Tire and Skinny Dip starting at 5pm, and we’ll also feature the newest offering in their Lips Of Faith Program, Dandelion Ale.

Here’s a nifty commercial NBB made which inspired our reCYCLE the Bike Nights:

Last Day to Enter

Ice Cold Red Hot

Another way to enjoy delicious craft beer at The Red Hot:

Today’s (June 21) flavor is Dick’s Cream Stout from Centralia, WA.

We’ll be doing this every Sunday with a new flavor!

p.s.- Happy Pop’s Day!

First Firkin Friday Vid

A few weeks ago we had our first Firkin Friday with Schooner Exact Brewing from Seattle. Here’s a blurry vid from my phone for your amusement.

This firkin of their 3 Grid IPA was totally amazing. The best IPA I’ve had from a cask. Insanely fresh tasting.

We’ll have a Firkin Friday every month, with planned visits from Hales Ales of Seattle, Diamond Knot Brewing of Mukilteo, and Walking Man Brewing of Stevenson, WA just to name a few.

Gayl / The Swiss

Sad news for Tacoma. Any loss of life is devastating. Didn’t want to make a post, but this was in my inbox to be spread around:

The Swiss pub will be closed through Sunday, May 31st, reopening for business on Monday, June 1st.
The celebration of Gayl Bertagni’s life will continue on Saturday, May 30th beginning at 3:00 pm at The Swiss Pub, 1904 South Jefferson, Tacoma, WA 98402. The Swiss is expecting quite a bit of turnout, and while they will be providing some food for the guests, would also like to request that you please bring a dish that you would have enjoyed sharing with Gayl.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Emergency Food Network and support your local farmers.

Firkin A…

For beer and ale, a firkin is equal to nine imperial gallons or a quarter of a barrel (40.91481 litres). Casks in this size (themselves called firkins) are the most common container for cask ale. A firkin is equal to half a kilderkin. Duh.

For our intents and purposes tonight, a firkin is a ceremonial hammer-related beer-gushing bar-top cask of delicious dry-hopped 3 Grid IPA from our pals at Schooner Exact Brewing Company. Tapping is tonight (Friday May 22) at 7pm at The Red Hot. Come and meet with all the brewers from Schooner Exact as we hang out and enjoy their creation. Special edition Schooner Exact Brewing Buttons by Bearded Baby for enjoyers of the cask…

Addicted to C.L.A.W.?

Cue the slick-back haired dancers…

As soon as we filled our Bearded Baby Buttons Dispenser with the awesome stylings of one Stowe, I realized we had some sort of unintentional shrine to C.L.A.W. forming.

Stowes buttons in the house, and 12 feet away is Stowe’s Beautiful Angle poster, which is topped by a custom Red Hot edition of the C.L.A.W. City Arts cover, which is topped by RR Andersons “My Goodness My Heidelberg” drawing…and we used to have a Mark Monlux screenprint that someone actually spilled a beer on before we got it framed. Don’t ask…

Does C.L.A.W. owe me money, or do I owe them my eternal gratidtude?

IAACB Video

Many times people ask me what microbeers I have on tap. My usual answer is I don’t sell microbeer, I sell craft beer. Granted it’s a bit snarky, but all the same truthful. “Microbeer” is now a moniker to sell to a demographic it seems. Craft beer is what it is. I like my beer made by a craftsman. Here is a link to a totally awesome video that was presented by Stone head Honch Greg Koch at the currenty happening Craft Brewers Conference in Boston. Here’s what they say:

Created by Greg Koch, CEO of the Stone Brewing Co. and Chris & Jared of Redtail Media…and more than 35 amazing craft brewers from all over the country. The video was shown to a packed audience of 1700 craft brewers and industry members at the 2009 Craft Brewers Conference as an introduction to Greg’s Keynote Speech entitled “Be Remarkable: Collaboration Ethics Camaraderie Passion.” As is tradition for the CBC Keynote, a toast to the audience was offered. This time, the beers offered for the toast were all collaboratively brewed craft beers including Isabella Proximus, Collaboration Not Litigation, AleSmith/Mikkeller/Stone Belgian Style Triple, Jolly Pumpkin/Nøgne-Ø/Stone Special Holiday Ale, and 2009 Symposium Ale “Audacity of Hops.”

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

reCYCLE The Bike Night #2

Our second installment of repurposing unused bikes has another go at it tomorrow night, Wednesday April 22nd at The Red Hot. It’s a Giant Cruiser bike, ridden like 6 TIMES. Orange in color, new tubes, a large Topeak rear basket to carry a fresh supply of craft beer with you on the go, a “I HEART my bike” bike bell, and a New Belgium head tube badge. Solid.

We won’t be accepting entries tomorrow the day of, but you can enter tonight ($2 Tuesday!!!).

Tomorrow we’ll also be doing a keep-the-glassware from New Belgium with their beers on tap, while they last.

We’ll have a new bike up in the window in a week or two to be given away at reCYCLE The Bike Night #3 at the end of June!!!

p.s.- for all you regulars, a new Gauntlet Champion has risen!!!! 25 minutes, 30 seconds!!!!!! Congrats to Stadium District’s Jeff Lee!!!!!!

Dry Hop Fest

Today is the day. I’ve been working on this for a little while now. Dry hopping a beer boosts the hops character of the aroma and flavor of the brew, without increasing the bitterness. This is mostly done to IPA’s. I wanted everyone to enjoy the hops of their beer, not just IPA drinkers. It’s a chance to see how it affects their different styles. Each of these beers has been set aside for this occasion by their brewers, so thanks to them. Here’s the final lineup:

Port Townsend Quadruple Dry Hopped Hop Diggidy IPA
Elysian The Wise Dry Hop ESB
Fish Tale Double Dry Hop Organic IPA
Port Townsend Double Dry Hop Reel Amber
Schooner Exact Triple Dry Hop 3 Grid IPA
Two Beers Brewing Dry Hop 20:20 Blonde
Port Townsend Brewing Dry Hop Brown Porter
Hale’s Ales Dry Hop American Pale Ale
(Collaboration)Big Al’s Brewing/Snipes Mountain/Baron Brewing Co.’s Herberts Dry Hopped Legendary Cask Ale
Port Townsend NITRO dry hop Strait Stout

Port Townsend hooked us up this year with dry hopped versions of their beers, so we only felt it right to give a nod to their weirdness. Brewers are already asking about doing this for us next time. Info sheets will be available for those who want them, and you can also buy 4 oz tasters of these brews if you’d like to sample the lot.

All kegs tapped at 11am Wednesday March 25th, and go until they blow…