It’s 6:30 in the morning on a cold and dreary Wednesday in February. I pull up to the Atwood Ales Farm Brewery, which is a mere 2 miles south of the U.S.-Canada border, and I see owner/brewer Josh Smith quietly laboring away through the fogged-up windows of the old barn. After [...]
Thirty miles south of Bellingham, Washington, where you find fresh air from the Salish Sea converging with alluvial soil and glacial water flowing from the rugged and volcanic North Cascades, a zymological wonder is in the works. It has taken more than a year, but Garden Path Fermentation has finally landed [...]
It’s an exciting time of year in the Northwest. We’re now knee deep in hop harvest season, which typically runs from August through late September, depending on the hop variety and the local climate of the hop field. It’s also prime time for making “fresh” or “wet” hop beers, which are [...]
There are all sorts of brewer collaborations these days, but the best ones happen naturally. (Isaac, Josh, and Rowan) After enjoying some Atwood Ales beers, Rowan Chadwick and Isaac Koski, co-head brewers of Urban Family Brewing, contacted Atwood Ales owners Josh and Monica Smith about collaborating on a beer. [...]
OSB's new taproom in Twisp. Photo by TwispWorks. Winthrop-based Old Schoolhouse Brewery just opened a new taproom in Twisp, which features 21+ taps of OSB beers and others. The taproom is a part of TwispWorks, “a place where people and ideas come together and where creative enterprise thrives.” TwispWorks [...]
I recently had the opportunity to visit Atwood Ales’ brewery in Blaine, WA, which sits on an idyllic, 5-acre farm that is less than 2 miles from the Canadian border – as the bald eagle flies. The brewery isn’t open to the public, but Atwood Ales owner/brewer Josh Smith and his wife [...]
Atwood Ales recently opened up in Blaine, WA. They focus mainly on farmhouse style and British style beers. There's a specific way to drink these. It's also important to set your expectations for each of them, so Owner/Head Brewer and Janitor, Josh, put together this fancy-schmance video to help you out. [...]
With the rise in popularity of mixed-fermentation beers, 100-percent Brett beers, spontaneously fermented beers and Lambics, wild ales, sour ales and farmhouse beers, the terms that define these beers get tossed around more and more. Some of these terms are used interchangeably, and some people interpret them differently, adding confusion. To [...]
Welcome back again for another rendition of Tap Trail Reviews. We've got a fun one this week from Wander, who just celebrated their second anniversary on Saturday in epic fashion. Loads of incredible beer, people, and community made for a great party. Prior to their anniversary, Wander re-released bottles of their Wild [...]
Saison, which means season in French, is among the most varied and wide-ranging styles of beer. Interpretations vary greatly from simple to complex, and from light (in color and strength) to dark and strong. Historically, saisons can be traced back to the nineteenth century, when they were made in small farmhouse breweries [...]
par·a·dox / ˈperəˌdäks / noun / A statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory. Paradox is quite an interesting name to choose for a brewery, but this little known brewery from Divide, CO, nestled off Highway 24 [...]
As much as some would like to believe, the Blaine Act (which initiated the repeal of the 18th Amendment and was later adopted as the 21st Amendment) wasn’t named after the thriving rum running and bootlegging scene around Blaine, Washington, during Prohibition. The Blaine Act was sponsored by Wisconsin Senator John [...]
Up for review today, just in time to celebrate these warm temperatures, is a great farmhouse ale from Grand Teton Brewing. Synonymously called a Saison, these beers are hearty, often strong, bright and hazy ales. Classically these were brewed in the Winter months, and meant to condition in the Spring so that [...]
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