Air guitar contest, tap takeovers, cornhole. 32 events to celebrate Tacoma Beer Week

Tacoma Beer Week kicks off Aug. 11 with 32 events scheduled over a 10-day run, including cornhole and Connect 4 competitions and plenty of opportunities to sip tons of local brews under one roof — or sky, if you’re headed to the signature outdoor festival.

The fun begins Friday with the tapping of the celebration’s official beer, a collaboration between Tacoma’s E9 Brewing and Odd Otter (6 p.m. at The Rusty Goat, 712 Opera Alley). The next nine days are packed with sudsy activities: homebrewing, golfing, cornhole and Connect 4 tournaments, various tap takeovers and more.

We’ve selected a spotlight event for each day through Aug. 20, but there’s a lot to explore — find the full schedule at tacomabeerweek.com.

BREW FIVE THREE — SATURDAY, AUG. 12

The big draw of Brew Five Three heads to a new location for its 10th anniversary: Typically held on Broadway downtown, the outdoor “celebration of summer” this year joins the Sound and Sky concert series at Chambers Creek Regional Park, coordinated by Tacoma Arts Live. Find the beer in the central meadow, proffering stellar views of Puget Sound and, if a clear day, the peaks of the Olympic Mountains. Tickets are available through tacomaartslive.org for $60 through Aug. 11, increasing to $65 same-day. Entry includes a souvenir tasting glass, eight tasting tokens, and access to live music and a few food trucks, including Bajan Station and Lopez Cocinita Lab.

THE RED HOT ANNIVERSARY PARTY — SUNDAY, AUG. 13

Start the day as an important member of the litter cleanup crew that will trawl the Brewery District (meet outside Camp Colvos, 2104 Commerce St., at 10 a.m.). Then head to Sixth Avenue for The Red Hot’s 16th birthday, in which the beer and hot dog bar pitches a tent in the parking lot off Junett Street and releases its yearly house IPA — this one courtesy of Silver City Brewery in Poulsbo.

LEARN TO HOMEBREW — MONDAY, AUG. 14

The Browns Point Homebrew Club hosts a two-hour educational session at Narrows Brewing (6-8 p.m., located at Narrows Marina). Take in one of the best views in town and test your palate in a blind sensory tasting that involves more than just fermented barley.

HOP PHARM CORNHOLE TOURNEY — TUESDAY, AUG. 15

A dozen teams will play several rounds of cornhole (5-9 p.m., 3216 Judson St., Gig Harbor — $25 to enter, email hoppharm@gmail.com), but there can only be one Hop Pharm champion! Even if you’re not tossing, fans are welcome, and with a spacious patio with more than just beer on tap, why not?

A BEER MOVIE AT THE GRAND CINEMA — WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16

Luxembourg-born filmmaker Jerry Franck, whose 2015 documentary “Chau, Beyond the Lines” about a Vietnamese teenager disabled by Agent Orange was nominated for an Academy Award, screens his newest film at The Grand. After an appearance at Seattle Film Festival, it will be the only foreseeable opportunity to view “Bottle Conditioned” in Washington state (6:30 p.m., purchase tickets through thegrandcinema.com). The story dives into the complicated history of Lambic beer and how new generations are approaching the style and demand for beers that, due to the nature of the process and to worldwide interest in beer, are increasingly rare. Post-show, swing by The Rusty Goat down the street to purchase some of the beers featured in the film.

AIR GUITAR CONTEST AT RAINIER GROWLERS — THURSDAY, AUG. 17

Thursday is the busiest day of Tacoma Beer Week, with seven events planned in Tacoma and Puyallup. This all-ages air guitar contest sounds pretty dang cool, though (6-9 p.m., 13105 Meridian Ave. E, Puyallup). Rainier Growlers provides the inflatable guitars; you pick the song. Sign up with Ben by emailing rainiergrowlers@gmail.com.

THIRSTY! COMEDY SHOW AT 7 SEAS & DRUNK HISTORY — FRIDAY, AUG. 18

Comedian Zane Lamprey lands at 7 Seas’ Tacoma taproom (8-9:30 p.m., 2101 Jefferson St., Tacoma; tickets $25-$40 available via 7 Seas on Eventbrite) for a mixtape of his drink-focused shows, which include Three Sheets, Drinking Made Easy and Chug. His set includes offbeat stories about his adventures culled from “being the guy who gets paid to travel around the world and drink.” Meanwhile, local teacher and “drunk historian” Steve Dunkelburger dishes on the history of brewing in a free talk at The Rusty Goat (8 p.m., 712 Opera Alley).

HOPPYWOOD SQUARES AT THE PARKWAY — SATURDAY, AUG. 19

A Tacoma Beer Week tradition, The Parkway hosts a sudsy version of Hollywood Squares (1-5 p.m., 313 N I St., Tacoma). If you’ve always wanted to have a locally brewed beer with the local brewers themselves, you’ll probably find them here, and maybe learn a thing or two yourself! If you’ve got kids in tow, fret not: Beer Star has invited a chalk artist to create a life-sized outline on the spacious patio, and you color it all in (1-6 p.m., 4328 6th Ave., Tacoma).

CIDER INVITATIONAL AT PEAKS & PINTS — SUNDAY, AUG. 20

The week wraps up, oddly enough, with cider. Peaks & Pints, which has a slew of events throughout the week, will have almost every tap ready to pour cider from around the region. It’s a cool opportunity to explore the breadth of cideries doing admirable work with heirloom apples in Washington and Oregon.

This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 1:23 PM.