Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Ephrata will hold its first annual Brewers' Harvest Expo Saturday, September 24, from noon to 6 p.m. on the Grant County Courthouse lawn. Visitors will be able to sample offerings from 11 northwest craft breweries. Admission is $25 and includes 12 two-ounce samples and a souvenir glass. Additional four-ounce samples can be purchased for $1 each.
Organizer Denver Morford said the Expo will double as a fundraiser for college-bound high school athletes at Ephrata High. The Marty O'Brien Scholarship Fund was established in 2007 after the death of the long-time coach.
The past few years, Denver has been brewing hard apple cider in his garage and got the idea for the Brewers’ Harvest Expo after watching a Discovery Channel special about Beertopia, a craft beer-tasting event in New Zealand.
“Halfway through the show, I said ‘I’m going to do that here in Ephrata’,” Morford said.
Denver and a friend, Ryan Shannon, have been working on the event since January and have rounded up 10 area craft brewers “and one tourist from Western Washington” for the event. Each brewery will pour three of their beers on Saturday.
“We wanted to focus on Central Washington breweries,” he noted. “There are hundreds of breweries up and down the I-5 corridor, in Oregon and California, but I want to see these small operations in our area succeed.”
Local caterer Jim Duzon will serve brats, hot dogs, soft drinks and water for an additional charge, and Bob Muchlinski will entertain the crowd with classic and indie rock. Fifty tins of Cougar Gold cheese will be for sale, as will souvenir shirts and glasses. Attendees at the Brewers’ Harvest Expo can also purchase a 64-ounce growler (jug filled with the beer of your choice, for carry out).
Breweries featured are:
Snipes Mountain, based in Sunnyside, producing an American Brown Ale (Coyote Moon), American Blonde Ale, Fresh Hop Ale, Hefeweizen, India Pale Ale, Porter, Strong Ale (Roza Reserve) and a Special Best Bitter (Sunnyside Pale Ale). Snipes Mountain products feature many varieties of locally grown Yakima Valley hops balanced with a blend of Northwest and European malts.
Methow Valley Brewing Company, one of the smallest commercial breweries in the world, produces batches of only 3.5 barrels (about 100 gallons) and serves it at the Twisp River Pub. Varieties include Cream Ale, India Pale Ale, Vienna Lager, Pilsner, Sachwarz Bier, Bock, Brown Ale, Porter and Oatmeal Stout.
Alpine Brewing Company in Oroville produces German-style beers including Amber Lager, Bohemian Pilsner and Hefeweizen, as well as the seasonal Weizenbock and Oktoberfest varieties.
Columbia Valley Brewing in Wenatchee was opened by former Cashmere Brewing brewmaster Joe Nester in July. Offerings include a Pale Ale, IPA and an Imperial Amber called “The Suffocator” Imperial Amber.
Ancient Lakes Brewing Company of Quincy, was founded in 2010 by three local families, the brainchild of long-time Quincy resident John Cedergreen. He brought expert home brewer Mike Silk on board; the brewery is still in Silk’s garage. Quincy Gold, Silk, I-90, Antler Dance, Small Town, Potholes and Steamboat are the mainstays, along with seasonal varieties, Barley Wine and Cherry Bomb.
Golden Hills Brewing Company, started by Edwall native Bernie Duenwald in 2005, along with brewmaster Jim Reiha, originally from Sprague, bring beer that ale drinkers enjoy, because they are different and flavorful. Selections include Clem's Gold, Lizzy’s Lager and Ben’s Brown, which took home a bronze medal from the 2010 World Beer Cup.
Rocky Coulee Brewing Company’s owners, Tom and Lynnie Schafer in Odessa, pride themselves on creating quality hand-crafted beers, including Fireweed Honey Blonde, Golden Ale, Dunkel, Brown Ale, Creamed Copper, and their newest beer “The Bail Out Ale.” The brewery was founded in 2001.
Ice Harbor Brewing Company in Kennewick has been around for nearly 15 years, producing ales and seasonal beers: Columbia Kolsch Brand Ale, Red Ale, Harvest Pale Ale, Sternwheeler Stout, India Pale Ale and Barley Wine Style Ale.
Iron Horse Brewery, Ellensburg, is one of the best known craft breweries in Eastern Washington, with many of their ales on tap in bars and restaurants across the state. Offerings include Quilters Irish Death, Mocha Death, Malt Bomb, 509 Style, Loco Imperial Red, Light Rale Ale, Cozy Sweater, High Five Hefe and Black India Pale Ale.
The Roslyn Brewing Company has been brewing hand-crafted, full-bodied German-style lagers in the old-world tradition since 1990, using malted barley grown in the Northwest, hops from the Yakima Valley and ice-cold, snow-fed water from the Cascades, including Roslyn Beer (mild dark lager), Brookside Beer (pale lager) and #9 Root Beer.
Lazy Boy Brewing in Everett has taken several medals at the North American Beer Awards since 2007. They brew seven varieties: Hefeweizen, European lager, Belgian golden strong ale and Amber
For more information, visit http://wine-beer-washington.com/announcements/inaugural-brewers¹-harvest-expo or the Facebook page entitled http://www.facebook.com/BrewersHarvest.
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