This time last year Joe Walts was pinching himself. An ear-to-ear smile busted out as he gazed at the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound on a glorious summer morning in Tacoma. Behind him was the Narrows Brewing Company. His dream of being a head brew master came to fruition, accented in a locale surrounded by mountains, mild seasons and friendly peers. Saturday, he and Narrows Brewing celebrates their one-year anniversary with a bash featuring Stephanie Anne Johnson and the release of the Barrel Aged Black Saison.

Flash back 15 months, Walts has his broken leg propped up on his couch in Madison, Wis. He suffered an injury while on the job as quality manager at Ale Asylum Brewing. Besides the pain, he was contempt. The company just moved into a new facility. His lifestyle was good.

"However, I didn't get into the field to work on other people's recipes. I wanted to do my own thing," says Walts.

Walts had been searching for a head brewer job for eight years.

"I was tied to the Madison area," says Walts. "Anytime you tie yourself to a specific area you either get phenomenally lucky or take whatever you can get. So brewers have to move to advance."

He did turn down several jobs in less desirable areas. He and his wife, Rachel, felt lucky and fortunate in their current lifestyle. They came to the conclusion if they left for a head brewer job, it would have to be in paradise.

Enter the Evergreen State.

"The Narrows Brewing job popped up on ProBrewer(.com), and I thought, if I don't go after this it's not going to get any better."

Narrows Brewing, a team of 10 owners, made a smart move. They flew Joe and Rachel out to meet them and their nearly finished brewery. Rachel could see first hand that, indeed, it was the paradise they desired. It had the mountains and water, without the sweltering heat, mosquitos and frigid winters.

The scenery isn't the only beauty. Housed in a striking, 100-year-old building on pilings, walking into Narrows Brewing can knock you off your feet. It's huge. The sparkling clean 15-barrel brew house has large doors to receiving as well as the moorage house. The Narrows Bridge and surrounding waterway commands your attention in the high-ceiling tasting room, after you weave your way past three event rooms and 100 seats to get there. If you can veer from the gorgeous view, and not get lost in the contemporary wood beam architecture, six taps await. The tasting room feels pub-ish, large enough to host your after-work happy hour on a moment's notice. The taproom has a satisfying mix of regulars and new visitors since it opened last year.

Because of weight limits, Narrows Brewing can grow much larger, in terms of volume produced, other than the new 30-barrel fermentation tank on the way. Maybe they could squeak another in. The ownership sees the complex as more of a destination than a worldwide distributor. Wednesdays are open mic night from 6-9 p.m. MindTap Trivia is Thursdays at 7 p.m. Live music is common on the weekends. Food trucks such as Barrel 51 BBQ (before it was vandalized) are common Fridays beginning at 6 p.m., as is a high school reunion in one room and a bon voyage party across the hall in the neighboring room.

Did Walts change his brewing style to match his new surroundings?

"Not at all," he says. "And that's really surprising to people. Yes, this is hoppier country, but that doesn't mean the best IPAs here are better than the best ones in the Midwest. In fact, they are pretty much the same. Your geekier beer drinkers are going to be the same no matter where you go in the world. They'll be looking for crazy beers, or what they are really into, caring deeply about the brewing process. Then you go a couple notches below that, and you have people who don't really care about how the beer is made. They want to drink local, and drink a flavorful beer. Those people in the Midwest are drinking cream ales and amber lagers. Out here, that group of people is almost exclusively drinking IPAs. And the taps in both areas reflect the demand. Those making IPAs in the Midwest are crushing it. In fact, the brewery I came from makes a great IPA. They opened in 2006, and they're going to break 20,000 barrels this year, and they are leaning heavy on hoppy beer. I think variety is more important to Midwest brewers, even if they could make more money selling hoppier beers (laughs)."

Narrows Brewing's Giant Pacific Octopus IPA is the star beer at Narrows, in terms of volume sold.

Currently, Walts is in the lab making sour beers with two wine barrels. He also has six bourbon barrels from Kentucky and two from Gig Harbor's Heritage Distillery (in which he aged the anniversary beer) and as the barrels get stripped of flavor, he'll use them to make sour beers. Walts is a big fan of Engine House No 9's sours.

"Although, I don't want to see sour beers go the way of IPA and become a commodity," he says.

What he does want to see is everyone drinking his one-year anniversary beer, the Barrel Aged Black Saison, which he first brewed last autumn with 10.5 percent ABV.

"I took that beer and aged it in the Heritage barrels," Walts describes. "In those barrels that Saison yeast, which was insane to begin with, continued to ferment for four months so it's 10.9 now and has a really great wood flavor. We bottled it in 22s and got four or five cases worth out of those two barrels."

He's also got yeast on order for an Oktoberfest beer for a September release.

But, it's summer, and Narrows Brewing will host an outdoor one-year anniversary party Saturday titled "Breakers Ball," a continuation of its nautical motif. The brewery has unconstrained views of the Narrows Bridge and nearby waterways, in which to drink their Galloping Gertie Golden Ale, Siren's Call Hibiscus Saison and Post-Tension Porter, just to name a few. Stephanie Anne Johnson will perform before an outdoor dance party Saturday. Local food trucks and vendors will be on site.

Walts, of course, will be there, too. As the sun sets over the mountains he'll probably pinch himself, if he's not underneath the Marina checking the status of his barrels.

BREAKERS BALL, 6-11 p.m., Saturday, July 19, Narrows Brewing Company, 9007 S. 19th St., Tacoma, $10, 253.327.1400

Damn, it's toasty outside! I don't know about you but that shiny orb in the sky relentlessly bringing scorching hot temps leaves me only wanting to eat one thing right now - ice cream.

When I think of ice cream in Tacoma, there's one joint at the top of my list - Ice Cream Social. What was once a highly coveted, mobile creamy sweet treat at farmers markets and festivals, now has its own permanent storefront on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue. After opening the door three weeks ago, the Ice Cream Social is the, er, hot treat in town.

I could recommend my go-to flavor chocolate, because ICS knows it well, as well as standards vanilla, strawberry, salted caramel, and cookies and cream. I say be adventurous. If Ice Cream Social's daily rotation of handcrafted flavors lands on Valhalla coffee, lavender coconut or dark chocolate, grab one. You won't be disappointed.

Really, you can't go wrong because ICS delivers heavenly bliss served up in a cone, including a daily dairy free option for you lactose intolerant types.

It's no secret their success lies in the details such as locally sourced dairy from Smith Brother's Farms, and partnerships with locals such as Valhalla Coffee.

Oh, ICS makes fresh waffle cones on site.

If neighbor The Red Hot is hogging all the car and bike slots, you can find ICS scoops at Maxwell's, Gateway to India, Hilltop Kitchen, Taste of Peru, Morso Wine Bar, Grassi's and the Proctor Farmers Market.

ICE CREAM SOCIAL, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2914 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.327.1660

It's "BBQ Month" at Engine House No. 9 in Tacoma. I dropped by E9 for one of its six barbecue dishes, the delicious smoked barbecue pork quesadilla with a chipotle sour cream drizzle kick ($6.99). I scanned the walls. ...

Besides weekend breakfasts beginning in August, the other notable event on E9's calendar is its Wild and Sour Fest Aug. 23. E9 brews awesome sours, and this annual festival is probably the restaurant and bar's biggest event of the year.

"Couldn't be happier with how sour fest is shaping up," says E9 head brewer Shane Johns. "Going to be a lot of great beers. Have some super special stuff in bottle format. And I have received almost every keg on my wish list. I only have a couple kegs left to arrive at the E9. Going to be some tough decisions made as to what beers go on tap first and what will be back-ups."

Having more sours this year than he can tap can only be a good thing.

"It will also be the biggest selection of E9 sours ever available at one time," adds Johns. "Will have five of them: Raspberry Wild, the last keg of Gold Medal winning Golden Berry, the last keg of Silver Medal winning Verre Violet, Rhubarb Wild Batch 3 and End of a Era, which will be blended to be Super Funk Forward."

In mid-chomp of a pork quesadilla triangle, my eye caught a glimpse of a brown poster filled with a list of beers in all-caps. Apparently, Johns has been tinkering with sours. E9 will present 14-plus Berliner Weisse and Gose and part of its Berliner Fest Saturday, July 19, which will include the E9 Tacoma Weiss with peach and golden raspberry variants.

"It was something I've talked about making for a couple years and just hadn't pulled the trigger on," says Johns. "Some encouragement from Trevor at De Garde and Tanya from 10 Barrel got me pretty excited about going forward with the project. I love both of their Berliner-inspired beers, so pulled out the recipe and went for it. The Tacoma Weiss isn't a true-to-style Berliner I sort of put my own spin on it."

Here's the Berliner Fest tap list:

• Almanac Golden Gate Gose
• Anderson Bally Horse Tongue Wheat
• Anderson Valley Mink and the Holy Gose
• Bear Republic Tartare
• Black Market 1945 Berliner Weisse
• Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse
• E9 Tacoma Weiss
• Evil Twin Justin Blabaer Weisse
• Freigeist Abraxxxas
• Off Color Troublesome Gose
• Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse
• Tacoma Brewing Beer X Berlin Belma
• 10 Barrel Cucumber Crush
• 10 Barrel Raspberry Crush

If Johns had to pick three non-E9 beers at Berliner Fest to drink, which ones would he choose?

"I would pretty much drink any of the Berliners or Gose that will be on tap. I've enjoyed all of them multiple times. One of the great things about these styles is the low ABV you can really session them, without getting too buzzed. If you're going to make me choose, then the 10 Barrel Raspberry Crush, Professor Fritz 1809 Berliner Weisse and Bruery Hottenroth."

Johns releases about two beers a month, most straight to his Alpha distributor. "The next fun release at E9 will be for the Berliner Fest and Sour Fest - peach and golden raspberry Tacoma Weisse for Berliner and Raspberry Wild and End of a Era for Sour Fest," says Johns. "I'll have a few other new beers hit the draft line-up between the two fests."

The new beers to hit the E9 taps include several released this month - VOLTRON 2.0, Duex Cinq Trios (batch two) and the Summer Saison - plus an India session ale for Latona Pub in Seattle, the Farmhouse Six to be released early August and the Raspberry Wild at the end of August.

"We'll also be brewing Tacoma Brew again this month and another batch of Tacoma Weisse," adds Johns. "If hops show up, I'll also do some sort of hop forward beer with Galaxy hops. I don't know what style yet."

He has a few other ideas cooking, but he doesn't know if he'll get them into the fermenters this month or next.

Not like he doesn't have time.

BERLINER FEST, 11 a.m., Saturday, July 19, Engine House No. 9, 611 N. Pine St., Tacoma, 253.272.3435

SEE ALSO

Shane Johns and E9 win Washington Beer Awards medals

Every week we swap out the Served banner art above, introducing you to the people who serve food and drinks in the South Sound. This week, meet Steve Wirtz.

Server Banner Boy, July 14-20, 2014

Steve Wirtz

Steve Wirtz was with Dick's Brewing Co. for 13 years, spreading the Centralia brewery's good word and great beers near and far. For the last 21 years, Wirtz has been pulling the 42 tap handles at the notorious Eastside Club Tavern in downtown Olympia.

Why do you serve?

"I'm absolutely in love with the beer industry and all the people involved. Fitting since my last name means "tender of the bar" in German. My father was also a bartender for many years. I guess I'm just destined for this career and a lifer at the Eastside Club."

Who is your favorite server in the South Sound?

"My favorite tender in the South Sound is Terry Williamson at The China Clipper in Olympia. He is pretty much known worldwide at this point and his infectious personality keeps people coming back to the Clipper. Love that guy!"

What are you most proud to serve?

"Being an IPA guy myself, I'm most proud serving the wide variety of great IPAs on the market today. I really feel like I can connect to the breweries and then translate it to the customers - like an ambassador of beer.

What's your favorite movie?

"My favorite movie would have to be the Shawshank Redemption. I'm also into any movie containing classic and antique cars as I'm a gearhead."

What don't you serve?

"Thankfully, I don't serve liquor. Beer has a much better vibe and comes with much less trouble. My customer base at the Eastside is a very diverse, yet docile and relaxed crowd. I'm pleased to serve and converse with them.

What's on your radar at the Eastside Club Tavern?

"I'm excited for the Eastside cycling jerseys, which should arrive soon. The design looks great!

LINK: Meet other South Sound servers

Every Friday after 2:45 p.m., when workday decorum is thrown out, Weekly Volcano publisher Pappi Swarner pops open a local brew, tilts back in his rickety office chair and cranks his Frazier Model Seven speakers. And as interns inappropriately learn from Pappi during their orientation, nothing tastes better than pairing local music with local beer. Pappi picks one song and repeats it until he can see the bottom of his glass. When the music stops, we know he has left the building.

Today, Pappi looks a little down. He's been dealing with some homeowner issues. Therefore, he's paired The Approach's "The Mask" with Wingman Brewers' Coconut P-51 Porter.

Combining hip-hop, reggae, rock and ska, Tacoma band The Approach isn't afraid to throw in some unexpected tricks, such as shredding guitars and a few Anthony Kiedes-like interludes. Although some of the songs go on a bit long, they rarely sound self-indulgent. No, instead they sound like a party, which is exactly what the band's live shows bust out.

"'The Mask' was written and intended to be known as the Anti-Hero song. ‘I wear a mask to conceal my identity, cuz I'm a member of your family you're not proud to see'," says The Approach vocalist Joseph Abarca. "The song is meant for anyone who feels like they cannot get out of the downfall they live in due to money, politics or their upbringing. Sometimes you have to make the hard choices to move up in the totem pole. That's why we wrote this song."

That's heavy, but it rocks and is perfect for Pappi's mood.

Catch The Approach at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 12 at Half Pint Pizza Pub on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue. The band will return to the Half Pint the next day to join other bands on the Art on the Ave "Half Pint Stage" at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 13.

A dark mood calls for a dark beer. Pappi is tipping Wingman Brewers' P-51 Coconut Porter. The brew house close to the Tacoma Dome has added hundreds of toasted flaked coconuts and the perfect amount of coconut oil to its popular and robust P-51 Porter, creating the seasonal Coconut Porter. Growler after growler line up before the Coconut Porter tap, eager to grab the 8 percent ABV and a taste of Hawaii. The Coconut Porter pairs well with rich meat dishes such as osso buco, coq au vin and burgers. But of course it makes for a great ice cream float. Wingman also has the tasty Pina Colada Porter on tap, an offshoot of the Coconut Porter with pineapple. These are two desirable beers even though we are far, far from the (is)land(s) of rainbows.

LINK: The Approach on SoundCloud

SATURDAY, JULY 12

7 Seas Brewing isn't just the maker of delicious craft beer. It isn't just at the forefront of the "beer in a can is cool again" movement. It's a local business doing things the right way and an entity that knows how to party - as will be proven when 7 Seas throws its fifth annual anniversary bash in its parking lot Saturday. According to co-owner Mike Runion, you can expect "Grab Ass, Awesome Local Musicians, Tom-Foolery, Delicious grubs, Leisure, Relaxation and Sunshine" from noon to 8 p.m. at its Gig Harbor brewery.

"We are pulling out all of the beers we can for the bash," says Runion. "Probably 18 to 20 different 7 Seas beers on tap - a few are only a single keg left. 

The following beers will be available at the 7 Seas Brewing 5th Annual Anniversary Bash Saturday: British Pale, Cutt's NW Amber, Rude Parrot IPA, CDA, Port Royal Export Stout, Ballz Deep Double IPA, Broken Mast Brown, Reign Man ESB, Life Jacket Session IPA, Depth Finder IRA, Oatmeal Raisin Imperial Stout, Dry-Hopped Pilsner, Red Hot Session IPA, Swiss 21st Anniversary Imperial Red, Slow Rye'd Rye IPA, Bavarian-style Hefeweizen and SMASH Plisner.

Click here to see my 7 Seas Brewing anniversary party commercial.

Four the fourth year, ferries will be unloading folks with funny hats, pretzel necklaces and T-shirts proclaiming they love beer in every way possible into downtown Bremerton. The 2014 Bremerton Summer Brewfest will bump up participating Washington breweries to 30, pouring more than 70 summer style beers, from noon to 6:30 p.m. It's a short walk from the Bremerton Ferry Dock, with live music by Driftin Harbour Rats at 1 p.m. and The Echo Devils at 4, with the South Sound represent, including 7 Seas Brewing, Dick's Brewing, Fish Brewing, Harmon Brewing, Narrows Brewing, Northwest Brewing, RAM Brewery and Top Rung Brewing. Randalls are big at this festival, too. The $20 advance/$25 door fee includes a tasting cup and six tokens each good for a 5-ounce taste. Additional tokens may be purchased at $1.50 each or four for $5. For more details, go to washingtonbeer.com.

If you don't have kids of your own, playing miniature golf is not much more than a nostalgia trip. Fond memories of a round with Mom and Dad and going out for ice cream afterward provides its appeal, not the challenge of putting the ball in the holes. The Harmon Brewing Company has your nostalgia needs covered and then some with its family-friendly Mini U.S. Open Put Putt Tournament, a nine-house course weaving through its venues The Hub, Harmon Tap Room and its beer garden, the Harmon Garden from 4-6 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., an award ceremony will be held in the Harmon Garden. At stake are team high score, individual high score, individual low score and lowest team score. The grand prize is two free rounds at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, home of the 2015 U.S. Open. Two-dollar pints make everyone a winner.

SUNDAY, JULY 13

Tacoma's popular Art on the Ave community festivals adds a Tasting Lounge this year, located next to the 6th Ave Photography building on Sixth Avenue. As of press time, Harmon Brewing, Tacoma Brewing Co. and soon-to-open Odd Otter Brewing Company will join Cork! Wine Bar, offering five tastings for $10. The Lounge will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

With a festival-loaded weekend, you might want to bring it down a notch Sunday. Pint Defiance continues its popular Sunday Sampler series, this week offering tastings from the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp. 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. Expect to drink Firestone Walker, Oskar Blues, Victory Brewing and Bell's/Sierra Nevada.

In May 1670, Prince Rupert, cousin of King Charles II, acquired the fur rich lands of the Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada to "the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay." Its first century of operation found Hudson's Bay Company firmly ensconced in a few forts and posts around the shores of James and Hudson Bays. Natives brought furs annually to these locations to barter for manufactured goods such as knives, kettles, beads, needles and blankets. By the late 18th century competition forced HBC to expand into the interior. In 1824, HBC chief factor John Work happened upon pink flower-covered hillsides flowing down to Puget Sound. He called the area Chilacoom, a variation of the resident Indian chief's name. In March 2012, John O'Reilly took over the Steilacoom space that formerly housed Jake's Bar & Bistro, where he had a stint tending bar, and renamed it Topside Bar and Grill. In honor of the town's British connection, O'Reilly secures Coastal Mature Cheddar from Ford Farm in the UK on the Ashley Estate located between Dorset Downs and the Jurassic Coast as his main ingredient in his Topside Coastal Mac & Cheese. The milk in the cheese comes from cows that graze on lush pastures, which makes the milk rich, creamy and perfect for making cheese.

Coastal Mature Cheddar is sweet and salty. The texture is typical of English cheddar, rugged, crumbly and slightly crunchy. Topside chefs add it to their creamy mac and cheese base, mix it with firm penne pasta and top it with toasted bread crumbs ($16). The flavor is wonderfully, nutty with a slight sharp flavor. For an extra $6, you may add fresh Dungeness crabmeat or bay shrimp.

Served only at dinner, I suggest enjoying the Coastal Mac & Cheese from Topside's deck with a spectacular view of Puget Sound, and pair it with Ninkasi's Total Domination IPA.

TOPSIDE BAR AND GRILL, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 215 Wilkes St., Steilacoom, 253.212.3690

LINK: More mac and cheese dishes in the South Sound

Wine Spectator has announced its annual Restaurant Awards, honoring exemplary wine lists around the world. This year, 3,748 restaurants have been named award winners, spanning 50 U.S. states and more than 80 other countries and territories. Thirty-one Washington state restaurants earned one of three awards: the coveted Grand Award, Best of Award of Excellence or Award of Excellence.

Six top notch dining destinations - Clos Maggiore in London, La Toque in Napa, Nice Matin in New York, Saison in San Francisco, The Stonehouse in Santa Barbara and Studio in Laguna Beach - have earned Grand Award honors for the first time in Wine Spectator's 2014 Restaurant Wine List Awards. These restaurants join 68 other winners who have maintained their status as a top destination for wine drinkers, including Canlis and Wild Ginger in Seattle.

While no South Sound restaurant earned Grand Award honors, two restaurants from the our region made the Award of Excellence list: La Petite Maison and Waterstreet Café + Bar - both from Olympia.

La Petite Maison is a French restaurant with entrees in the $24-$39 range and a corkage fee of $15.

Waterstreet Cafe + Bar is a contemporary American restaurant with a fireplace and entrees in the $16-$42 range. Its corkage fee is $18.

Congratulations!

Looks as if we're in third place with this news. Still, damn worthy news to post. ...

Today Jaime Kay Jones and Chef Kyle Wnuk announce their agreement to sell the restaurant Marrow to Chris Keil and Matthew Schweitzer.

Earlier this spring, Jones approached Keil and Schweitzer, owners of restaurant and bar Hilltop Kitchen, to discuss their potential interest in acquiring Marrow. The four worked together over the next few months to arrive at an amicable arrangement. Keil and Schweitzer will work with Jones and Wnuk through July, shadowing the staff and getting to know the business. Keil and Schweitzer will fully take over operations at the end of July.

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Remember when Pappi Swarner announced the Valley Pub in Tacoma would reopen soon? He wasn't just loaded on 7 Seas Brewing's Life jacket IPA. The news is true.

Brothers Justin and Robbie Peterson, responsible for the Eleven Eleven on Hilltop Tacoma, and X Group Restaurants, of Masa, Asado, Engine House No. 9 and Choripan, have joined forces to bring life back to the Valley Pub.

John Xitco of X Group tells me, "They have beards and we have scruff, and you can anticipate the Dome District dive Valley Pub to reopen on or around August 1."

Team Valley Pub is knee deep in a remodel, which will include taxidermy and lots of diamonds, "neon, wood and painted," and a famous "Pillars of Pennies" that Xitco says, "You will just have to see it."

Entertainment will include live music on some nights and a jukebox on others.

The "pub" moniker won't quite be right since liquor will be available as well as 12 draft handles pouring ice cold craft brew plus a wicked bottle selection to boot.

Of the pub's grub Xitco says, "The menu will have similarities to Eleven Eleven, but with newly created specialties just for the Valley.  We will have several ‘grab and go' menu items for the quick lunch break too."

And finally, Xitco closes by telling me, "A guy once ate glass at the Valley. We would like to welcome him back."