Sat 8/18: 5 Year Anniversary Beer Garden/TRH Nickel Session IPA Anniversary Beer

I’m writing this on the 16th, which is the true 5-year birthday of TRH. 5 Years ago right now, I was starting the 15th hour of our opening day. It was hot as hell, and I was freaking out that we were 20 people over our capacity. 7 people (2 of whom were nearby business owners) had told me that day that TRH would never make it, much less stay open 6 months. My goal was to keep the doors open for at least 5 years. I’m not sure the definition of making it, but I do know we have achieved our first long-ish term goal.

We are truly humbled by the support of our community, and the best regs in town. Thanks to all our pals, and the new pals we make daily. We are thankful to all of you, our employees, and to our amazing city.

This Saturday, we’re going to celebrate! We recently teamed up with our neighbors across the street at E-9 Brewery to make an anniversary beer, a session IPA, to celebrate The Red Hot’s 5th Anniversary. The idea that we started with was to make a session IPA (dubbed Nickel IPA) that not only came in at 5.5% ABV, but we also wanted to make five additional versions of that beer:

TRH Nickel Session IPA: our Anniversary beer
Green Nickel Session IPA: double dry-hopped version
Gold Nickel Session IPA: golden berry infused version
Wooden Nickel Session IPA: oaked version
Live Nickel Session IPA: cask conditioned version

These 5 beers will be on tap Saturday August 18th, 2012 in our last outdoor beer garden/parking lot party of the year for the TRH 5th Anniversary. If you like it, we’ll have 5-gallon homebrew recipes for TRH Nickel Session IPA on hand for our homebrewers to take home, courtesy Shane Johns, head brewer at E9. Click on the pic to just print your own:

Beer Garden opens at 11am, and closes at 8pm. In addition to the previous 5 beers on tap outside, we’ll also have Everybody’s Brewing Law of Nature Pale, Maritime Pacific Old Tacoma Lager, Tieton Cider Works Dry Hopped Cider, and Fearless Brewing’s Peach Cream Ale on outside as well. Paired with our 15 choices inside, thats 24 choices on draft for the day!

We’ll have live bluegrass outside, starting around 2pm, courtesy of 40-Grit Ceiling Sanders.

We’ll also have the grill blazing (sorry, indoor kitchen will be closed), with dogs, sausages, grilled onions and sauerkraut…

Thanks again to all of you, here’s to another 5 years! See you on Saturday!

The Red Hot / E-9 Brewery Collabeeration Nickel IPA Project

Here at TRH, we’re about to celebrate 5 years of being open. To help us in this celebration, we collaborated with our pals across the street at E-9 Brewery to come up with a anniversary beer. In celebration of 5 years, we dubbed it the Nickel IPA, brewed it as a low ABV session IPA (5%, natch), and will be serving up 5 different versions of it: Nickel IPA, Golden Nickel IPA (infused w/Puyallup golden berries), Green Nickel IPA (double dry-hopped), Wooden Nickel IPA (oaked), and Real Nickel IPA (cask conditioned). All versions will be on tap in our final outdoor beer garden of the year next Saturday, August 18th. Thanks to Shane and Sean at E-9 for letting us get in the way to help brew this delicious beer!

Wed 7/18: Heart of Gold w/American Heart Association & American Brewing Co.

On Wednesday, we’ll be tapping a special keg from our pals up in Edmonds at American Brewing Company. 100% of the sales from this beer will go to The American Heart Association. Here’s the backstory from our pals at American:

American Brewing Company of Edmonds, WA is proud to announce The Heart of Gold Tap Night.
July 18th, 2012, American Brewing Company, The American Heart Association and an amazing array of local restaurant establishments will join together to tap Heart of Gold, American’s new, limited edition, Kolsch style golden ale. Through the generosity of these partners, 100 percent of the sale of this crisp and delicious brew will benefit The American Heart Association and will raise awareness for The AHA’s annual South Sound Heart & Stroke Walk.
As the Heart & Stroke Walk is designed to promote heart-healthy living and to fight the battle against heart disease, so is the goal of tapping Heart of Gold Kolsch Ale. This crisp and refreshing summer ale is the perfect partner in the fight. Every time another pint of this “heart healthier” golden beer is poured, another donation will be made to teach children how to avoid obesity and live longer, to help distribute innovative CPR Anytime kits to the community, to teach hospital patients and health professionals about the risks of stroke, and to help educate people on how to reduce their own personal risk of heart disease.
The Heart of Gold project was inspired when Aaron Artman, President of the Tacoma Rainiers and Event Chair for the South Sound Heart Walk approached American Brewing Founder, Neil Fallon, to form a team to raise funds for the walk itself. Fallon realized American Brewing could serve a larger purpose and so the American Brewing Team decided not only to participate in the walk, but to set their creative talents on crafting a new “heart healthier style” of beer which could raise both awareness and funds for such a great cause.
In promoting a heart healthier lifestyle, American Brewmaster Skip Madsen, designed Heart of Gold as a German Kolsch style ale, serving as a healthier alternative to many of the other craft beers on the market today. Madsen, famous for American Brewing Company’s other offerings, Breakaway IPA, Caboose Oatmeal Stout, and American Blonde, created the new addition from all local and fully donated ingredients. Made with Washington grain from Western Malting Company and Hop Union’s local hops, Heart of Gold is both delicious and serves a great cause.
Brewing a great beer can’t help fight heart disease on its own, so American will team up with seventeen local beer purveyors to help get this message out. In agreeing to donate each and every dollar spent on Heart of Gold to The American Heart Association, these wonderful local establishments are stepping up where it counts. As Ryan Waterman, American Brewing Company’s Area Market Manager puts it, “With an economy the way it is, it’s really amazing to see such generosity from small local restaurants, and I’m really impressed with how they’ve volunteered to support and donate to such a great cause. It really shows that their hearts are in the right place and that they’re committed to The American Heart Association, The South Sound Heart Walk, and most of all, their community.”

Participate in the fight against heart disease by ordering a refreshing pint or pitcher of Heart of Gold at any of the above locations while the kegs last. And don’t forget to create your own South Sound Heart Walk team by visiting http://www.southsoundheartwalk.org to register. Cheers to a healthier heart!

This tasty beverage will be on tap when we open at 11am on Wednesday. Pints will be $5, and all 5 of those dollars will go to The American Heart Association. Additional donations will be accepted as well, help out if you can. Thanks to our pals at American for organizing this worthwhile event!

Wed 4/18: Black Raven Brewing Co. Rocks Your Tastebuds, 6pm

On Wednesday 4/18, at 6pm, we’ll tap a selection of kegs from our good pals to the North, Redmond’s own Black Raven Brewing Company. As the official BRBC South Sound Outpost®, we are proud to tap a few gems for Tacoma.

Trickster IPA
ABV: 7.0%, IBU: 70
Malts: ESB, Munich, Crystal
Hops: Chinook, Magnum, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Cascade
In mythology, the raven can play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules, hence the name Trickster. This well-balanced IPA has a nice, light fruit, citrus & piney hop aroma with a full hop flavor. With its balanced malt body & a 6.8% ABV, this beer has truly earned its name.

Totem Northwest Pale
ABV: 5.8%, IBU: 50
Malts: ESB, Crystal
Hops: Summit, Amarillo, Centennial
A totem is an entity that watches over and represents a clan or tribe. Totem pale represents us well with its bright citrus hop flavor. Featuring the new hop variety “Summit”, the first dwarf hop to be bred for production in the United States and currently the only hop being grown on low trellis in the Yakima Valley. With its ESB base malt and generous citrus hop additions, you too will want to make the Black Raven your totem.

Wisdom Seeker Double IPA (ONLY BREWED 4 TIMES PER YEAR)
ABV: 9.0%,IBU: 85
Malt: ESB pale malt
Hops: Nugget, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, Summit, Citra
Folklore and mythology present the raven as an omniscient creature with special powers and abilities. The Wisdom Seeker Double IPA gets its special powers from an enormous amount of hops and malted barley. Brewed in the West coast Double IPA style, this bold brew features massive citrus and herbal hop additions and a full hop aroma. Seek your wisdom cautiously;this hop feast packs a punch.

Grandfather Raven Redmond Imperial Stout (ONLY BREWED ONCE PER YEAR)
ABV: 9.5%, IBU: 70
Malts: ESB, Pale, Crystal, Dark Crystal, Chocolate, Carafa II, Roast
Hops: Magnum, Mt Hood, Ch Saaz
In the creator role, and in the Raven’s role as the totem and ancestor, the Raven is often addressed as Grandfather Raven. With this stately sense of pomp & tradition we bring you our Imperial Stout. This robust black ale is full with rich dark caramel, unsweetened chocolate, and hints of coffee aromas and flavors. Stately indeed, but at 9.5% ABV, perhaps it is just a vain attempt to encourage the trickster spirit to act respectably.

Come enjoy these delicious creations, the gang from BRBC are always good for great times. See you at 6!

Wednesday, February 15: Avery IPA 2 Ways (& more), 6pm

Tonight, we will feature one of the country’s finest brewers, spotlighting their offerings in the realm of India Pale Ale.

Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA
Hop Variety: Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, caramel 120L, victory
OG: 1.090 ABV: 10.24% IBUs: 102
Color: Dark Amber

Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat, – “great” and rajan – “king”. Much like its namesake, this imperial IPA is regal, intense and mighty. With hops and malts as his servants, he rules both with a heavy hand. The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops: tangy, vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley – fashioning a dark amber hue and exquisite malt essence.
Be aware that The Maharaja is a limited release only available for the early spring. Welcome to his kingdom!

Avery India Pale Ale
Hop Variety: Columbus, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, Munich 10L, caramel 120L OG: 1.058
ABV: 6.5% IBUs: 69 Color: Golden

In the 1700s one crafty brewer discovered that a healthy dose of hops and an increased alcohol content preserved his ales during the long voyage to India (as depicted in our label) to quench the thirst of British troops. Today, we tip our hat to that historic innovation by brewing Colorado’s hoppiest pale ale. Avery IPA demands to be poured into your favorite glass to truly appreciate the citrusy, floral bouquet and the rich, malty finish. This is the new recipe, dry-hopped more for your drinking pleasure.

And for good measure, we’re also putting on an old fave…

Avery Hog Heaven Dry Hopped Barley Wine

Hop Variety: Columbus
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, caramel 75L
OG: 1.085 ABV: 9.2% IBUs: 104
Color: Deep Garnet

This dangerously drinkable garnet beauty is a hop lover’s delight. The intense dry-hop nose and the alcohol content are perfectly balanced for a caramel candy-like malt finish.

See you tonight!

Saturday 1/28: Get a Taste of Strange Brew w/7 Bloody Seas

If you, like many, can’t get out to Port Townsend this week for Strange Brew Fest, we’ll be tapping a strange keg of 7 Seas Brewing’s “Seven Bloody Seas”, a pale ale with tomato and spices, and garnished with a pickled string bean.

This keg will be tapped when we open on Saturday at 11am, and when it’s gone, it’s gone. This is taking “red beer” to another level. Let’s get strange Saturday morning together…

TRH: 1 of 150 Chosen Bars/Jewbelation 15 Release, TODAY 12/20

This year, Shmaltz Brewing has again chosen The Red Hot as one of it’s Chosen Bars, which makes us one of a limited number of places (150 in the country, only 4 in WA State, and only one in Tacoma) that you can try and enjoy their newest Anniversary beer, the 15 malt/15 hop/15%ABV,He’Brew Jewbelation 15, on draft.

We’ll also be pouring Shmaltz’s He’Brew limited IPA release project, Hop Manna IPA Test Batch #4, and He’Brew Origin Pomegranate Ale alongside this amazing brew.

All three beers go on when we open today, and are limited.

Sat 12/17: Kiss My Cask, 12 noon

Plain and simple. This Saturday, at noon, we’re tapping three bar top casks of locally made Double IPA’s. 7 Seas Ballz Deep IIPA, Pike Double IPA, and Maritime Pacific Triple Dry Hopped Imperial IPA. Fresh and delicious, get it while you can.

Wed 11/9: Silver City Night @ TRH, 6pm

Tonight, our consistently-award-winning-pals from up the road in Silverdale, Silver City Brewery, are stopping by with a grip of treats. We’ll have their flagship Ridgetop Red, some Indianola IPA, a cask of the always amazing Whoop Pass Double IPA, and a special one-off batch of Oatmeal Pale, Pale-Oaty.

Brewmaster Don Spencer will be here to answer any beer-y questions, some surpirses await, and schwag will flow just like the delicious beer and good times.

Wed 10/26: New Belgium No Tricks, All IPA Treats Night, 6pm

Tasty brews await. The lineup, from our pals at New Belgium:

72 Eldorado Fresh Hop IPA, Belgo IPA, Lips of Faith Pamela’s IPA (aka PIPA), and Ranger IPA thru the Randall with Citra Hops and Candy Corn. Yes, the Randall filter is finally repaired, let’s hope it holds fast! Here’s an old clip of the Randall in action:

Good times and scwhag will ensue!