MONDAY, JUNE 16 2014 >>>

1. Every year, more than 30 street bands from around the nation converge in Seattle for Honk! Fest West. Olympia's Rhythm and Rye will be hosting a rowdy Pre-Honk! primer with two of its favorite Honk! bands: The Bucharest Drinking Team and Artesian Rumble Arkestra June 16. The Bucharest Drinking Team, a band that borrows stylistically from great Balkan brass bands such as Fanfare Ciocarlia and Boban Markovic, mixes in a liberal shot of Romanian folk music and a penchant for '80s disco from behind the Iron Curtain to bring you a high-proof Eastern Bloc Party, complete with dancing, drinking, and music. The utterly delightful punk marching band Artesian Rumble Arkestra play a variety of jazz standards and atypical covers reflecting the broad diversity of its members' favorite music: samba, rock, Balkan, New Orleans, gospel, reggae and pop. This will be a sight to see ... and hear.

2. Ghana knocked the Americans out of the last two World Cups with 2-1 victories, beating the Americans in group play in the 2006 tournament and in extra time during the round of 16 four years ago. Only four Americans who appeared in the 2010 match are likely to start: goalkeeper Tim Howard, midfielder Michael Bradley and forwards Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore. USA takes on Ghana at 3 p.m. today. Doyle's Public House has a sweet setup to watch the match.

3. A couple of beer events happen today. Pint Defiance hosts notable craft brewer David Walker of Firestone Walker Brewing Co. to discuss beer and sign bottles from 3-5 p.m. Expect Union Jack and DBA on tap, Stickee Monkee Barrel-Aged Central Coast Quad bottles and a rare keg of Barrelworks Li'l Opal Blended Oak-Aged Saison, which was released April 19. The Twisted Kilt Irish Pub in Puyallup will serve 99-cent beers whenever the U.S. scores against Ghana during World Cup action.

4. The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson's latest and eighth feature overall, is clearly a very Wes Anderson film, complete with many of the idiosyncrasies that make his work distinctive and, to some, excessively precious: quirky, deadpan humor; characters communicating via handwritten letters; richly detailed and meticulously arranged production design; the presence of Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson. Catch the film at 4 and 8:40 in The Grand Cinema, or 6:30 p.m. at the Capitol Theater.

5. Phoenix garage punk band The Rebel Set and Sacramento folkadelic band Honyock rock Le Voyeur at 10 p.m.

LINK: Monday, June 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, JUNE 12 2014 >>>

1. Steel Creek American Whiskey Company kicks off its three-day, one-year anniversary celebration with a bull-riding contest and line dancing. Enjoy drink specials, but practice moderation so you can partake in all of the fun that requires hand-eye coordination. If not, the whiskey fueled shenanigans can be just another hazy memory. Get the chance to work on your "boot scootin' boogie" with free line dance lessons or hop on the mechanical bull and hang on for dear life - cash and swag prizes go to whomever walks away the bull-riding champion. Read Jackie Fender's feature story on Steel Creek's anniversary and new menu.

2. Doyle's Public House in Tacoma's Stadium District has erected a 4,400 sq. ft. tent in its neighboring parking lot, placing two, 20-foot screens on opposite ends to the 2014 World Cup games, which launches today. There will be raised seating on both sides of the tent to provide better sight lines as well as increased standing room. A centrally located bar will make it easy to quench your thirst. Doyle's co-owner Russ Heaton has some thoughts on the World Cup.

Northwest author Brian Doyle will discuss his new novel, The PLOVER, at 7 p.m. in the Puyallup Public Library. Doyle's appearance marks the kick-off for the Puyallup Public Library's Adult Summer Reading program, which officially begins June 16 and runs through Aug. 16. Doyle's book is about searching for something on a boat in the Pacific Ocean. Like we're going to tell you.

4. Connecticut poppy and punk/emo band Spit-Take, featuring members of Heats of Formation and Secret Parts brings its Wipers, Lemonheads and Jawbreaker inspired music to Le Voyeur for a 7 p.m. all-ages show with Snow Roller.

5. Erick Olson, Matt Johnston and Jason Riley are Forces, a band too weird to live and too rare to die. The electronic rock band will play The Swiss with PYP, Vaughan and DJ Mernsivich at 8 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, June 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, JUNE 1 2014 >>>

1. It's become tradition in our area - a yearly blues-blowout local music fans look forward to for the quality it draws. And, like clockwork, it's back. From 2-10:30 p.m. at Jazzbones, the preliminary contest of this year's South Sound Blues Association sponsored Back to Beale Street 2014 Blues Competition goes down, offering a chance for competitors to earn their way to the heralded International Blues Challenge in Memphis in early 2015. Schedule to perform before three judges are Clover Creek, The Julie Duke Band, Phat Daddy and the Zone, Pacific Drive, Aaron Jones and the Way, Thai Barker Band, Rafael Tranquilino Band, Palmer Junction, The CD Woodbury Band, Blues County Sheriff and Brian Lee and the Orbiters. Those in the know recognize four of the bands represent the Puget Sound Music for Youth Association, which is cool. 

2. The Mother Earth News Fair returns to the Puyallup Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The family-oriented sustainable lifestyle event will features hands-on workshops and demonstrations from experts from the leading authorities on renewable energy, small-scale agriculture, gardening, green building, small-scale livestock, green transportation and natural health.

3. In 2001, wife-and-husband team Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen conducted interviews with more than 40 exonerated Death Row residents, then condensed some of those interviews into a direct-address theater piece, The Exonerated. Their play won numerous awards and was adapted into a star-studded telefilm that aired, appropriately enough, on Court TV. Director Don Welch has assembled an impressive cast of a dozen undergrads plus one soulful saxophonist (Sean Lindemeier) for a passionate, provocative, poetic 90 minutes of despair and redemption. It's terrific. And it ends today at 2 p.m. at the South Puget Sound Community College. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of The Exonerated in the Music and Culture section.

4. Rich Wetzel's Groovin Higher Orchestra will drop in on Stonegate Pizza to perform a rockin' big band jazz dinner show from 5-8pm.

5. Five of the best up and coming stand-up comedians - Aaron Kirby, Monica Nevi, Tyler Smith, Tyrone Hawkins, MC Mike Coletta - will perform for $5 at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

LINK: Sunday, June 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14 2014 >>>

1. Kye Alfred Hillig has produced an incredible body of work over the past few years. At 7 p.m. in Urban Grace, he'll release his latest set of songs, on the Real Snow LP. On record, Hillig is a restless explorer of delicate melodies and grandiose styles, dipping his toe in electro-pop, U2-esque melodrama and dusky folk-rock. As a solo performer, Hillig frequently strips everything down to just him and a guitar, embracing the troubadour motif, and exposing his barebones songwriting in the process. Tonight's show will see him off as he takes to the road on a tour down the west coast.

2. Good news! Artist Yvette Endrijautzki's "CONSTELLATION - an Overture to the Zodiac," which features 40 local, national and international artists interpreting the 12 Zodiac signs via different media, has been extended to June 13 at Tacoma's Fulcrum Gallery. Check it out from noon to 6 p.m.

3. The "Root and Wing" exhibit fills The Evergreen State College Lab 1's lobby space with organisms that seem to grow from the ceiling and walls. Artist Sumi Wu used cast bronze, cast aluminum, and hand-blown glass to create lively, colorful, organic forms that embody the beauty and flow of nature while evoking natural processes of change, relationship, evolution, and adaptation. The installation, which was erected in December, will finally receive its dedication at 3 p.m. During the ceremony, Wu will dance to music by Benjamin Starshine, Anne Rutherford will tell stories and Paul Susi will bust out a monologue.

4. Two beer events will take place tonight — Pike Brewing tasting at STINK and 10 Barrel Brewing tasting at Puyallup River Alehouse. Check out the New Beer Column for details.

5. Oh sure you have your giant floating laughing lips and your hissing Mad Max-ish funny cars shooting flames 400 feet into the air and improvised kitchen-sink costumes and requisite body painting and sword fights and psychedelic light show like you're entering another planet, as if you have stepped out of reality as you know it and into a place where anything goes and usually does and no one really thinks much of it except that it's usually pretty relaxed and ridiculous and surreal and friendly and funny. This is pretty much a given. It's Harlequin Productions' Funderdome improv comedy show at 8 p.m.

LINK: Wednesday, May 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Columbia Brewing Co. first occupied the building along the 2100 block of South C Street in 1900. Beer made at the facility gained national attention for its flavor and smooth aftertaste in the early 1920s, prompting the brewery to double in size and increase capacity by the mid-1930s.

Success at the plant received the attention of another brewery, Heidelberg Brewing Co., which purchased the Columbia plant in 1949 and set out for another round of remodeling. The facility was bought yet again a decade later by Carling Brewery, making it the only West Coast holding of the otherwise East Coast beer company.

Fickle beer drinkers began to snub Tacoma's home brew, and the plant closed in 1979. There have been efforts to revive the brewery in the passing years, but the natural spring that bubbles water to the surface on that end of town isn't as mountain pure as it once was.

That's just a snippet of what you'll most likely hear when University of Washington-Tacoma Art and Architecture Professor Julie Nicoletta leads a tour through Tacoma's Brewery District from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21. Sponsored by Downtown On the Go, the 1.5-mile Walk Tacoma UWT/Brewery Walk will start at the base of the UWT stairs at South 19th and Pacific Avenue and end at the Harmon Brewery and Eatery for light appetizers and a beer tasting. Then at 8, stop by the corner of South 19th and Jefferson Street as I will lead my own tour talk called, "Bushes I Fell In Between the Heidelberg and The Swiss During the 1990s." OK, I'm kidding about my tour (kind of), but the part about the Brewery Walk is absolutely true.

Nicoletta's tour will highlight the historic Brewery and Warehouse Districts, including locations of old breweries, the Swiss Building, the Streets and Grounds Maintenance Division's Barn, and the development of the Prairie Line Trail along the old Prairie Rail Line. There is no need to pre-register for the event, simply join Downtown On the Go at the meeting spot. 

The Harmon has its T-town Blonde, Chambers Bay Scottish Ale and the new drINK THIS IPA lined up for the tasting.

BEER NEWS

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Dick's Brewing Company will release a special 20th anniversary beer, Dick's Midnight Ride, July 18. Dick's Midnight Ride is a trip to the dark side. The robust, Northwest-style CDA will burst with Cascade and Centennial hops, perfectly balanced with a rich dark malt profile. Think rich, dark and malty like a porter but with a hop IPA profile. Dick's will throw a 20th anniversary bash at its Centralia home Saturday, Oct. 25.

BEER HERE

Tuesday, May 13-18

American Craft Beer Week - May 12-18 - is more of a Midwest thing. All the Northwest craft breweries are hip wader deep into Seattle Beer Week. Ninkasi Brewing Company, for instance, has 13 events lined up for the 11-day Seattle Beer Week, which ends May 18. A few South Sound beer-centric entities are celebrating the Emerald City beer bath, such as Pint Defiance taproom and beer store with its 26-beer Northwest beer punch card. The RAM Big Horn Brewery is waving the American Craft Beer Week flag, highlighting one of its gold medal winning beers a day, offering an 18-ounce pour for $3.25. The Big Red IPA is on the pedestal today. Tomorrow, its Washington Blonde receives the spotlight, followed by the Disorder Porter and a Hefeweizen salute Friday.

Wednesday, May 14

The ladies of Pike Brewing have developed a beer with some of the proceeds going to Planned Parenthood. Kris Blondin, owner of STINK Cheese and Meat and neighboring STINK Tank wine bar, holds the Pike Brewing crew in high regard. STINK will pour samples of Pike's seasonal Morning After Pale Ale from 5-8 p.m. For every pint sold, Blondin will donate a dollar to Planned Parenthood.

The 10 Barrel Brewing Co. is on the move. The Bend, Ore., brewery is opening a third brewpub in Portland's Pearl District this summer - the other two are in Bend and Boise. The Portland site will include a pub and a brewhouse, which will brew small batch and one-off beers. Speaking of 10 Barrel small batch beers, several will be available May 14 when 10 Barrel visits the Puyallup River Alehouse. The downtown Puyallup house of beers will serve hot dogs, tacos, giveaway prizes and pour a bunch of 10 Barrel beers.

Saturday, May 17

The Bacon and Beer Classic will consume Safeco Field in Seattle May 17. The traveling greasy, hoppy fiesta visits baseball fields around the country, drawing thousands of attendees to sample craft beer and bacon-based dishes from regional restaurants. Adding to that already winning combination will be performances from local bands and cooking demonstrations. Chef Hudson Slater of Maxwell's Restaurant teamed up with the mad scientists at Wingman Brewers to create a Tacoma bacon beer for the Seattle festival - Gratzilla Bacon Smoked Wheat Beer. It's a light, sessionable and smoky wheat beer - and on tap at Wingman, too. By the way, Wingman is now open 2-9 p.m. every Sunday.

Top Rung Brewing Company in Lacey gives nod to the American Craft Beer Week with a tour of its brewery beginning at 3 p.m.

St. Patrick's Day celebrations aren't easy. You must practice to prepare yourself for the zaniness that goes down every March 17. Doyle's Public House knows this. That's why they host monthly St. Practice Day parties, of which happens Saturday. The party begins with Doyle's Guinness Club toast at 5:17 p.m. All the members gather before Grand Poobah Russ Heaton, who recognizes members who have hit milestones, such as 500 pints of Guinness, while the other members tear up. After the announcement, Heaton raises a glass of the Irish Mother's Milk and toasts the members. At 5:25 p.m., some will board a bus for the Sounders game. Those who stay behind will work on their membership goals, until funky Afrobeat band Rippin Chicken bumps them silly at 9:30 p.m.

>>> Doyle's Public House lines them up Saturday at 5:17 p.m.

Whatever you do, don't call the Harmon Brewing Company's Stadium District restaurants "McMenamins."

I made the mistake of dropping that term during a conversation with co-owner Pat Nagle about his remodel plans to make the Harmon Tap Room and The Hub more of a destination. "It's not McMenamins," he shot back. "We're not adding a hotel or movie theater."

I've known Nagle for some time. I've never met someone more passionate about the restaurant and brewery business. If he says his new plan doesn't mimic McMenamins then, hey, I'm not calling it either (although I did notice a slight smile on the man's face).

Nagle, and his business partner, Carole Ford, are transforming the Harmon Tap Room, and in a way The Hub above it, into one single destination for families. Phase one is nearly complete. The Tap Room's outdoor beer garden has been remodeled, complete with new tables and concrete walkways. If you're thinking dirndl-wearing beer maids bearing big tankards of frothy lager, think again. You need to think families - dining outdoors, under Tivoli lights, next to a fancy new fence, with giant Jenga games and music on the way, only to be interrupted by the brewmasters wheeling kegs toward the cold storage. The keg highway through the beer garden, or Harmon Garden as it now is known, will disappear in June.

The Harmon, like many other breweries across the nation, is aspiring to be more than just a place where patrons drop in for a mug or a quick bite on the way to somewhere else.

"We have two restaurants and the huge all-ages outdoor Harmon Garden, a private events space, the brewery behind glass - it's more of a destination," says Nagle, nibbling on a Tap Room street taco, while pointing to each subject's location - including The Hub straight above. The Tap Room turned family-friendly this year, but the outdoor beer garden was a 21 and older hangout. If you take your beer out to one of the Garden's long, wood tables today, don't be surprised when two fifth-grade St. Pat's students slam down their root beers on the same table and high-five because their teacher, Mr. Moore, is "rockin' cool."

Over the next four to six weeks, Nagle and Ford will remodel the stairway between the two restaurants, allowing an easy flow.

"The only outdoor seating at The Hub is in the bar. If a family wants pizza or a pulled pork grinder in the sunshine, down the stairs they can descend and out to the Harmon Garden," explains Nagle. "It's that easy."

Other changes include a freshening of the Tap Room's facade. In June, expect to see window dressings and awnings. Wood fencing has replaced the chain fence around the Garden.

As I mention, the keg route to cold storage is changing.

"The area off the Tap Room's back room will be remodeled, insulated and fitted to be a bottling and keg-filling center, opening up the brewing room for more tanks," says Nagle. This will eliminate having to cart the kegs through the Harmon Garden. The kegs will soon only travel several feet into cold storage. Gone will be the crowded bottling situation in the brewing room, and awkward flow through the Garden."

Also on the way are menu changes, seasonal specials and holiday dinners.

The Hub and Harmon Tap Room should be integrated by mid-June, just in time for graduations.

Now, if there was a hotel on top of The Hub. ... Just kidding Pat!

HARMON TAP ROOM, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, all ages until 9 p.m., 204 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.212.2725

BEER HERE

THURSDAY, MAY 8

Now in its sixth year, Seattle Beer Week is more than 100 beery events from May 8 through 18. Who cares? Pint Defiance does. The beer store/taproom on the edge of Fircrest will celebrate the Seattle event by tapping 26 Washington beers, in intervals, during the duration. Pint Defiance will issue a special punch card. Drink all 26 and earn a limited edition shirt as proof of your status as a veteran beer marathoner. Start stretching and stay hydrated with your favorite electrolyte-enhanced beverage, because you won't want to hit the wall during this once-a-year-event. Check out its Facebook page for more details: facebook.com/PintDefiance.

SATURDAY, MAY 10

The third annual Gig Harbor Beer Festival will host 21 craft brewers, Gig Harbor's Heritage Distillery and a bigger music venue at the Gig Harbor Uptown Pavilion Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. In terms of music, Perry Acker returns for the band's second year and takes the stage at 3 p.m. Aisle of View, a reggae band currently touring the country, opens at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25, and are available at gigharborbeerfestival.com. Admission includes a commemorative taster cup and eight taster tokens. Depending on availability, you may also purchase tickets the day of the event for $25. Additional taster tokens will be on sale during the event. The Uptown Pavilion is at 4701 Point Fosdick Dr. NW.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14

The 10 Barrel Brewing Co. is on the move. The Bend, Ore., brewery is opening a third brewpub in Portland's Pearl District this summer - the other two are in Bend and Boise. The Portland site will include a pub and a brewhouse, which will brew small batch and one-off beers. Speaking of 10 Barrel small batch beers, several will be available May 14 when 10 Barrel visits the Puyallup River Alehouse. The downtown Puyallup house of beers will serve hot dogs, tacos, giveaway prizes and pour a bunch of 10 Barrel beers.

The arrival of spring at the RAM Restaurant and Brewery marks the return of its 2010 Great American Beer Festival bronze medal winner, Maibock. "The RAM's traditional Heller Bock combines toasty malt richness and a refreshing hop character to deliver a bold kick," says Dave Leonard, director of Brewery Operations for the RAM in a news release.

In Germany, Maibocks are the first bock biers released each year, which makes this medal-winning brew perfect to toast longer days. The RAM's version is an easy drink, smooth with notes of citrus, floral and caramel.

The RAM's Maibock will be on tap for a limited time at all RAM locations.

Wednesday, May 7

I'm transforming my Ford Fusion into a funky vehicle perfect for peeling through the years via one of those freaky traversable wormholes. I still need a collider, an imploding device, a differentiator - you know, your basic road trip stuff. My target? Shea Stadium, 1986, Game 6 of the World Series to make damn sure that Beantown's first baseman bends lower. 

Some would rather go back further, mid-1800s, to see how our state rocked the world back then. If you are having differentiator problems, check out Fort Nisqually Living History Museum at Point Defiance Park. Established in 1833 by the Hudson Bay Company and moved to Tacoma's peninsula in 1933, the fort acts as a repository of living history, and their camps and classes - run by Mike McGuire (a.k.a. Fort Mike) - continue to educate kids about the rich history of the South Puget Sound.

Pint Defiance - the beer store/taproom so in love with Point Defiance Park it incorporated the Tacoma icon into its name - will host a fundraiser with Ninkasi Brewing Company for Fort Nisqually 5-7 p.m. Wednesday.For every pint sold, Ninkasi will donate $1 to the Fort Nisqually Foundation to keep the camps and classes coming. In fact, $2 will be donated for every growler filled. With Ninkasi's Total Domination IPA, Prismatic Series Lux Helles Lager and Multihead Single-Hop Pale Ale on tap, McGuire should be a happy man.As a bonus, Pint Defiance is putting a bounty on the draft beers by donating $50 to the Fort for every keg emptied that night. Nice. Expect Ninkasi schwag and both free and donation-based raffles.

Thursday, May 8

Now in its sixth year, Seattle Beer Week is more than 100 beery events May 8 through 18. Who cares? Pint Defiance does. It will celebrate the Seattle event by tapping 26 Washington beers, in intervals, during the duration. Pint Defiance will issue a special punch card. Drink all 26 and earn a limited edition shirt as proof of your status as a veteran beer marathoner. Start stretching and stay hydrated with your favorite electrolyte-enhanced beverage, because you won't want to hit the wall during this once-a-year-event. Check out its Facebook page for more details: facebook.com/PintDefiance.

Saturday, May 10

The third annual Gig Harbor Beer Festival will host 21 craft brewers, Gig Harbor's Heritage Distillery and a bigger music venue at the Gig Harbor Uptown Pavilion Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. In terms of music, Perry Acker returns for the band's second year and takes the stage at 3 p.m. Aisle of View, a reggae band currently touring the country, opens at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25, and are available at gigharborbeerfestival.com. Admission includes a commemorative taster cup and eight taster tokens. Depending on availability, you may also purchase tickets the day of the event for $25. Additional taster tokens will be on sale during the event. The Uptown Pavilion is at 4701 Point Fosdick Dr. NW.

Wednesday, May 14

The 10 Barrel Brewing Co. is on the move. The Bend, Ore., brewery is opening a third brewpub in Portland's Pearl District this summer - the other two are in Bend and Boise. The Portland site will include a pub and a brewhouse, which will brew small batch and one-off beers. Speaking of 10 Barrel small batch beers, several will be available May 14 when 10 Barrel visits the Puyallup River Alehouse. The downtown Puyallup house of beers will serve hot dogs, tacos, giveaway prizes and pour a bunch of 10 Barrel beers.

You'd best prep your favorite Barry Manilow, Nelly and Journey songs, because you're entrenched in National Karaoke Week. Seriously, this is a thing. National Karaoke Week happens through Saturday, and it's a BFD in some parts of the country. Wait, scratch that - it's apparently a BFD in Tacoma, if a brewery is busting out the karaoke machine.

Narrows Brewing Company hosts a karaoke competition tonight from 7-9 p.m. Need some courage? Head brewer Joe Walts has released a new Double IPA. Oh Mandy! It's going to get Hot in Herre.

Also tonight

Puyallup River Brewing Company will release its first bourbon barrel-aged beer tonight. The Point Success Porter and Mud Mountain Milk Stout were aged in American oak Ghost Owl Bourbon barrels from Parliament Distillery in Sumner. Parliament head distiller Jarrett Tomal and his crew will be at the Puyallup River Alehouse to discuss their business, hand our Parliament swag and, of course, swig some brews. The celebration begins at 6 p.m.

Saturday, April 26

Those in the know know that barley wine isn't wine at all, but a dark, malty ale enjoyed late in the evening. Brewed for a long time with ample sugar, barley wine's alcohol levels tend to top off at about 14 percent. That's about three times the amount in a popular, mass-produced beer. Those in the know know the ParkWay Tavern host its ninth annual Barley Wine Festival from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Expect 30 aged barley wines and Murphy's Barbecue out front. Let's take a look at the schedule taplist:

2007 Anchor Old Foghorn
2007 Full Sail Old Boardhead
2008 Flying Dog Horn Dog
2009 Stone Old Guardian
2010 Fishtale 10(2)
2010 Great Divide Old Ruffian
2010 Hale's Rudyard's Rare
2010 Hopworks Noggin Floggin
2010 Lagunitas Gnarleywine
2010 Rogue Old Crustacean
2010 Red Hook Treblehook
2011 Beer Valley Highway to Ale
2011 Lost Coast Fog Cutter
2011 Port Townsend Barleywine
2012 21st Amendment Lower De Boom
2012 Avery Hog Heaven
2012 Dick's Barleywine
2012 Ninkasi Wheat Wine
2012 Silver City Old Scrooge
2012 Widmer Old Embalmer
2013 Anderson Valley Horn of the Beer
2013 Black Diamond Dried Up Old Geezer
2013 E-9 Thunder Buddies
2013 Epic Barleywine
2013 Mad River John Barleycorn
2013 Oakshire Barleywine
2013 Snipes Rosa
2014 Harmon Barleywine
2014 High Water Old & in the Way
2014 Lazy Boy Barleywine
2014 Sound Old Scoundrel

Those in the know know to program a taxi service on their cell.

Sunday, April 27

Pint Defiance will host German beers for its Sonntag Sampler from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flights of four 4-ounce pours will be served for the cost of a normal pint. You may sample Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berlinerweisse, DAB Dortmunder Export, Ayinger Ur Weisse Dunkel and Wiehenstephaner Korbinian Doppelbock. Das ist sehr gut!

Conductor/arranger Brent Havens and his 30-piece orchestra plus a full rock band - featuring singer Randy Jackson's (lead singer of the rock band Zebra) - join forces to perform classic songs of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in "The Music of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, A Rock Symphony," a brilliant combination of passion and power Sept. 19 at the Washington State Fair.

The Music of Led Zeppelin was first performed in 1996 and was transcribed and scored by Havens, who is guest conducting this performance. The performance features songs from the vast Zeppelin catalog, such as "Kashmir," "Black Dog," "All of My Love" and "Stairway to Heaven."

According to a news release, the "show will include Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album in its entirety for 45 minutes in the first half of the show. A 20-minute intermission follows, then the best of Led Zeppelin follows for 75 minutes in the second half of the show." 

Tickets are $20-$45, and will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26 on the Fair website, or by phone (888) 559-FAIR (3247) daily, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13 2014 >>>

1. Today is the last day to catch the Washington State Spring Fair. While shorter than its late summer edition, is crammed with more attractions than ever. For urbanites who need convincing, here's a handy checklist: Slamfest Demolition Derby, All Alaskan Racing Pigs at Fountain Plaza, Brad's World Reptile Show, Fair Farm, DockDogs, Mindworks! interactive hands-on games, Face painting, Tot Spot, Rainier Rush, Extreme Scream, and more whirling rides, Scones, onion burgers, caramel apples and more. Go ahead: Leave your laptop behind, shimmy into that old pair of Wranglers, pull on those dusty cowboy boots, slap on a 10-gallon hat and prepare to spend yourself a day at this year's wingding.

2. Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, when performed well, fulfills all of the promise of what opera can be. It is a perfect story of innocent love and betrayal. Cio-Cio-San - Butterfly's Japanese name - is one of the best-developed and most sympathetic characters in the operatic repertoire.  And the music that envelops this touching tale is rich with melody and orchestration. Opera lovers look forward to seeing it time and time again, and many a novice has come to love opera through Butterfly.  Experience Tacoma Opera's version at 2 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

3. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club celebrates its fifth anniversary with a marathon viewing session featuring releases from Seattle's Something Weird Video - in honor of Mike Vraney, SWV's founder, who passed away Jan. 2 of this year. Beginning at 4 p.m. in the Acme Tavern, expect a potluck (bring food!), raffle prizes and, of course, wacky films. According to host Rev. Colin, the party will last "until they either kick us out or attendance drops off." Either way, TCMC will be staying up way past their usual bedtime.

4. The gang at Harlequin Productions reveals their plans for shows this coming year. And of course it's a party ... with a name ... ECLECTICA! The party will feature live entertainment, cash prize drawings, a wine toss, delicious food and drinks, and of course, the unveiling of Harlequin's 2015 lineup of shows. Harlequin will also be auctioning off items such as ocean-side getaways, dinner/hotel/show packages and a ringside seat at a private performance. Harlequin's improv comedy troupe Something Wicked will be in the house. The $35 event runs 5-8 p.m. in their Historic State Theater.

5. Los Devitos are a surfy garage rock band. They're great. Something about the laid-back vocals (reminiscent of fellow garage rockers the Growlers) and clean guitar lines, mixed with gently woozy psychedelia, is instantly evocative of mumbling heat-struck nonsense on a beach as the sun mercifully sets. This is music that's less for dancing and more for that moment near the end of the party when everyone slumps down into couches, keeping one foot on the ground to slow the spins. Catch the band with No Body and Trout Stream at 7 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

BONUS: Tacoma Community College's Diversity Film Festival kicks off today.

LINK: Sunday, April 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area