Brewed by two Tacoma women, Pride IPA benefits Rainbow Center

Let’s call this limited-edition beer from two Tacoma breweries a triple-threat IPA.

It was brewed by two women, Wingman’s head brewer Victory Lewis and North 47’s Amber Machado — an unusual circumstance in the beer business — and the can’s label was designed by Seattle-based artist Julianne Seely.

It incorporates the hop blend exclusive to the Pink Boots Society, a nonprofit supporting women in the beer industry.

All proceeds will benefit The Rainbow Center, the LGBTQ education and advocacy group now in its 24th year.

The brew’s official name is Live & Lead, with the visage of activist and performer Marsha P. Johnson, adorned in emblematic pastel flowers, on the can. As Rainbow Center’s executive director Troy Christensen explained, she was “a really pivotal person” in the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. “We thought it was important to honor her and acknowledge the history of Pride.”

You can try the beer now at Wingman’s taproom in downtown Tacoma, both on draft and in four-packs. (The first keg, tapped April 10, boasted edible gold glitter!) In a packed world of IPAs, this one is delightful, with notes of apricot and spiced apples on the nose, and an impressive velvety mouthfeel on a balanced malted backbone.

Rainbow’s events guru Marshall Samuela, also known as the celebration manager, said to look out for a keg-tapping at The Mix and The Office on Pacific Avenue, likely around Pride month in June.

Partnerships like this one aren’t unusual for the organization, but this collaboration is its first with a brewery. Machado and Lewis actually approached them with the idea.

“We wanted to use this unique opportunity to shine light on Rainbow Center and all the ways they support our community,” they told The News Tribune recently. “Bring awareness to our patrons and vice versa.”

The pandemic canceled Rainbow’s high-profile events last year, most painfully the annual Pride festival attended by thousands of people.

“Part of what makes our community so great is when we come together, and there’s this huge celebration, and you’re sort of feeding off the energy in the room,” said Samuela. With smaller or remote events — Rainbow held a virtual gala last fall — “there’s a different air about that. You get these little pockets of joy, but it’s not as substantial as 20,000 people in the middle of downtown Tacoma.”

“One thing I can tell you for sure is, in the absence of those events, partnerships like these are all the more important,” added Christensen, who has worked with the organization as a volunteer for two decades and about two years on staff.

They also hosted an inaugural golf tournament fundraiser in April, selling all 120 spots. That engagement has shown them that people are eager to support and hang out together.

Earlier this year, Wingman also collaborated with Incline Cider on a graf-style lager, brewed with rosemary and raspberries, with all proceeds benefiting Nourish Pierce County, a network of food banks serving some 60,000 people every year. (You can still pick up this interesting beer, definitely worth trying, in four-packs at both taprooms.)

Much like The Rainbow Center thought differently about its business-as-usual, Wingman re-committed to the place and people that have supported them for 10 years, according to owner Ken Thoburn.

“The community has really meant a lot to us since we started, and being a part of it is really important to us,” he said, adding they had donated beer for Rainbow’s auctions in the past. Maybe they make less beer, but “we have the opportunity to do these really fun things that are of great importance in the community.”

Christensen sees this first Pride beer as the beginning of a new tradition.

“I actually anticipate them needing to brew another batch,” he said. It’s also an IPA, and this is the Pacific Northwest.

Tacoma Pride Beer, Live & Lead

▪ Available at Wingman Brewers, 509½ Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253-256-5240, wingmanbrewers.com; open daily 2-9 p.m.

▪ All proceeds benefit The Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-383-2318, rainbowcntr.org; to further support or get involved, email marshall@rainbowcntr.org

This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.