Brews News
On a recent visit to Otherlands Beer in Bellingham’s Sunnyland neighborhood, co-owner Karolina Lobrow told me about an exciting upcoming event. Night of the Helles — a celebration of Helles lager — will take place Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Kulshan Roosevelt Taproom on Kentucky Street. This one-night-only event will feature Kulshan’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF) award-winning Helles, along with Helles’ guest taps from Chuckanut, Otherlands and Wayfinder Beer. Live music from Diego Romero starts at 6 p.m. in the brewery and Carve Casual will offer food specials all evening.
This is a significant event for lovers of the Helles style. In addition to Kulshan, both Chuckanut and Wayfinder have medaled at GABF for their interpretations of the style, with Chuckanut taking home GABF Gold medals in 2011 and 2016. And beer critic Joe Stange named Otherlands Brighten the Corners Helles one of his top 10 beers of 2021 in Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, giving a glowing review.
“I got fully stuck into this supple, addictive Helles with its luminous leafy-lemon Mittelfrüh hop flavor,” Stange wrote. “We were the last to leave.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Helles lager, here’s a brief history provided by event organizers: “In response to the huge success of Pilsner around Europe in the late 1800s, brewers in Munich started producing a pale lager made with the same brewing methods as Pilsner in 1894. Their beer, however, was less hoppy than Pilsner, with slightly more malt character due to Munich beer drinker’s love for the Dunkel, a dark, malty lager. Though it took several decades for Helles to overtake Dunkel in popularity, it did eventually, and remains the most popular style in southern Germany to this day.”
In other words, if you like beer but can’t stand hop-heavy IPAs, this may be the event for you.
In other Otherlands news, the nearly 2-year-old brewery was named “Brewery to Watch 2022” by Seattle’s Sip Magazine. This comes as no surprise to someone who’s been keeping an eye on Otherlands since well before they opened in Bellingham — back when co-owner Ben Howe was brewing at Wayfinder Beer in Portland. But it makes me very happy to report their success, nonetheless. If you haven’t visited their cozy European-inspired cafe (with heated outdoor seating), what are you waiting for?
Spirits Scene
Terramar Brewstillery in Edison is kicking off a live music series this month. Each Saturday in February, Daddy Treetops entertains during “Piano Brunch Saturdays” in the speakeasy. Mimosas, Bloody Marys and French 75s are available during these 21-and-older events from noon to 2 p.m. Terramar uses their house-made single malt whiskey, vodka and gin (crafted from barley grown and malted in the Skagit Valley) in their cocktails. They open at 11:30 a.m., so show up early for a seat, as Edison is notoriously busy on the weekends.
Attached to Terramar’s distillery by the breezeway, the Terramar brewery taproom will host its own February shows called “Acoustic Instrumental Sundays.” Daddy Treetops performs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday evenings in the all-ages, dog-friendly taproom.
Recent Releases
Wander Brewing has released It’s Mauve, a hazy double IPA, for Washington Hop Mob. There’s a lot to unpack here, so I’ll start with the name. It’s Mauve refers to Jay-Z’s response when a fan complimented his “pink” suit at a pre-Grammys event. “It’s mauve, bro,” Jay-Z responded. “It’s not pink. Have a ‘mauvelous’ day.”
Meanwhile, Washington Hop Mob is an annual celebration of hoppy beers that kicked off in 2014. At the time, hops were kings (they arguably still are) and Hop Mob challenged Washington brewers to design and create a unique Triple IPA for the festivities. Today the rules have relaxed, and brewers can create any style of beer for Hop Mob as long as it meets certain criteria. Hop Mob beers are available at special tasting events in the Seattle area over the course of 10 days — kind of like a beer week.
It’s Mauve wouldn’t exist without Jay-Z or Hop Mob — so be sure to toast them both when you raise a pint. It’s Mauve is available in mauve four-packs and on draft at Wander Brewing.
Stemma Brewing released Lindsay’s Main Squeeze, a gluten-free hard seltzer, on Valentine’s Day. Brewed with orange, pomegranate and vanilla beans, this fruity drink comes in at a whopping 7.5% alcohol-by-volume. While hard seltzer isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, it’s great to see local alternatives to White Claw on the market for anyone who desires a gluten-free option.
For those who prefer fruit-forward beers, Structures Brewing has been dropping new smoothie beers every few weeks. Their latest “Smoothie Thursday” release features Rusted Gold, a wheat IPA “brewed with a TON of Galaxy and Mosaic” hops, plus Strawberry/Kiwi Smoothie and Apricot/Peach/Cherry. Smoothie beers are all about fruit flavor and smooth, creamy mouthfeel. If any brewery in town can nail this style, Structures can.
