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 Tricia Irwin.

Server Banner Girl, June 16-22, 2014

Tricia Irwin

Tricia Irwin has been serving the patrons of Doyle's Public House for the last seven years. She truly adores the Tacoma Stadium District pub, especially her bosses and fellow employees. She was also named Tacoma's sexiest female bartender in 2010.

Why do you serve?

"Gosh, where do I start? My amazing guests, the creativity, the laughter - I thrive on it all. I've been in this industry for 11 years, so, I guess it just clicks."

Who is your favorite server in the South Sound?

"Joy at The Top of Tacoma rocks my world."

What are you most proud to serve?

"I'm really diggin' the banana Jameson my boss Russ Heaton has concocted. Mix that with some Bailey's, chill it up and you have a little cloud in heaven."

What's your current drink of choice?

"Oh, I think most people know I'm not too picky. But I'm usually pretty happy with whiskey and a good IPA."

Favorite movie?

"For the sake of this interview, let's just go with Cocktail ... 'Cocktails and Dreams.'"

What don't you serve?

"A bad attitude. Or anything blue."

What's on your radar at Doyle's Public House?

"WORLD CUP BABY! The tent is up in the parking lot until July 14 and we are having quite the party! Come join me and the rest of Doyle's awesome crew for some good footy and good times!"

Yesterday during the Washington Brewers Festival, Specialty Competitions LLC and the Washington Beer Commission announced the winners of the second annual Washington Beer Awards. Seventy-five Washington breweries submitted 460 beers to be judged by blindfold trained beer judges.

South Sound Breweries grabbed a few medals, including three Gold:

American Light Ales

Silver: Puyallup River Brewing - Cream Ale

Irish and British Stouts

Gold: Fish Brewing Co. - Over & Out Oatmeal Stout

American Brown and Black Ales

Silver: Harmon Brewing Co. - Black Tartan IPA

American Barley Wines

Gold: Fish Brewing Co. - 10-Squared Barley Wine

Belgian Strong Ales

Bronze: Wingman Brewers - Stratofortress

Farmhouse Ales

Silver: E9 Brewery - Farmhouse Quatre

Sour Beers

Gold: E9 Brewery - Golden Berry Wild

Silver: E9 Brewery - Verre Violet     

Spice, Herb, and Vegetable Beers

Silver: Puyallup River Brewing - Black Pumpkin Saison

Bronze: Northwest Brewing Company - Bad Panda Ginger Pale Ale

Specialty Beers

Bronze: Wingman Brewers - Gratzer

Wood and Barrel Aged Beers

Bronze: Puyallup River Brewing - Oak Aged Point Success Porter

LINK: Read a recap of Day One at the Washington Brewers Festival

Woot! Day One of the Washington Brewers Festival is in the history books; a glorious affair nestled between a bumpy field and cloudy skies. The state's granddaddy of beer festivals has returned to Marymoor Park in Redmond, with 88 breweries pouring 330 different beers, plus a lot of free bags of Tim's Cascade Chips.

If you're not a member of Washington Beer Lovers, a community craft beer organization, join on-site. A taller glass and extra tokens are an immediate payoff.

Warning, Marymoor Park's field is full of dips and mounds - it's a good excuse.

The Clise Mansion is closed to the public, but its front covered patio is a lovely spot for reflection and Instagram wrangling.

Like a South Sound dork, I aimed my drinking toward familiar faces. First of all, the South Sound produces mighty fine beer. Secondly, I needed a plan. If I wandered aimlessly, I would end up drunk and confused. I speak from experience.

Dick's Brewing's Friday night only Raspberry Triple Framboise didn't disappoint: tart, intense and plenty of personality.

I heard rave reviews of Wingman Brewer's Peanut Butter Cup Porter in three different waiting lines. It tastes like a freakin' Peanut Butter Cup, with bitter dark chocolate and nuttiness.

7 Seas Brewing CDA is my go-to beer: a smooth Northwest dark ale that pairs well with the Skillet food truck's grass fed beef burger. Veraci Pizza's mushroom slice is a winner, too.

Last minute addition Top Rung Brewing had its Good Jake CDA on tap. It's a must with hop-forard taste and dark roasty malts.

The RAM Brewery's Paradisi Pale is a sipper. The wheat pale incorporates grapefruit peel and citrusy Citra and Chinook hops for a heavy citrus aroma, fruity flavor and pine.

I enjoyed Silver City Brewing's Gold Mountain Pilsner while watching all-female AC/DC tribute band Hell's Belles rattle the crowd's four-ounce tasters. Easy drinking with a touch of lemon.

The longest line, by far, was the one in front of Iron Goat Brewing from Spokane. Six different beers aged in Dry-Fly whiskey and gin barrels kept them busy. Its Whiskey Barrel Cap n' Kidd Scotch Ale is malty, toasty tasty.

Day Two of the Washington Brewers Festival kicks off at 11 a.m. at King County's Marymoor Park in Redmond. It's an all-ages affair the next two days. At noon today, the Washington Beer Awards will be doled out, followed by live music and the BevMo! Brewers Keg Toss. Oh, and approximately 250 different beers will be on tap. Enjoy.

LINK: More photos from Day One of the 2014 Washington Brewers Festival

LINK: Vikings of the 2014 Washington Brewers Festival

Day Two of the Washington Brewers Festival kicks off at 11 a.m. at King County's Marymoor Park in Redmond. Last night's adult-only opening of the three-day festival was a blast, and the next two days promises more fun with more breweries and more kids. Yup, the next two days are a family affair. At noon today, the Washington Beer Awards will be doled out, followed by live music, including Luke Warm & Moderates and The Quick & Easy Boys. The BevMo! Brewers Keg Toss is at 3:30 p.m. and the kids playground and Rootbeer Garden are open all day. Oh, and approximately 250 different beers will be on tap.

The Washington Brewers Festival is a mecca for beer aficionados - but curiously, it seems to be home to something else: Scandinavians. Last year we noted a curious trend: The suds extravaganza wasn't just full of beer; it was also full of Vikings. So last night we were on the lookout for impressive horns - and their wearers. Below are the eight Viking types we spotted at Marymoor Park.

LINK: More photos from Day One of the 2014 Washington Brewers Festival

Macaroni and cheese may not be duck à l'orange, but it transcends so-called gastronomy by inspiring devotion and embodying sustenance. Adults fight over whose mother's recipe wins out. Friends have mac-and-cheese cook-offs. Even fancy restaurants try to capitalize on such greatness by adding things such as chorizo, cotija and aged English cheddar. Hmmm, that actually sounds delicious.

Anyway, it's Friday. You've had a tough week and you really want to treat yourself to make it all better. Best way to indulge? My weekly Mac and Cheese Madness report. This week I suggest wrangling the lobster mac and cheese at Steel Creek American Whiskey Co. Yup, this cowboy and whiskey bar not only features 3,000 awesome whiskeys (I could be off a tad) but a worthy mac and cheese to boot.

Steel Creek's lobster mac and cheese is my first creamy version since I began this insane weekly journal. I'm talking exceedingly creamy. The cheese-to-pasta ratio is perfect - pasta isn't left swimming in the cheese or, horror of horrors, there's so little of the good stuff. The only thing is that the subtle flavor of the lobster is hidden in the cheese. The lobster flavor is subtle but pervasive and really pops when you happen upon a bit of claw meat. But I still wouldn't kick this mac n' cheese out of bed.

Steel Creek, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this weekend, has eased my disdain for mixing seafood and cheese.

STEEL CREEK AMERICAN WHISKEY CO., 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, 4:30-11 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.627.1229

The much-anticipated 9th Annual Washington Brewers Festival takes place June 13-15 at Marymoor Park in Redmond. The Washington Beer Commission welcomes more than 330 beers from 88 state breweries, including locals 7 Seas Brewing, Dick's Brewing, E9 Brewery, Fish Brewing, Harmon Brewing, Northwest Brewing, Top Rung Brewing and Wingman Brewers. Admission is $20 for the 21 and older, Hell's Belles rockin', 74 brewery Friday night; $25 for the all-ages Saturday or Sunday affair. Jump on Washingtonbeer.com for details and tickets.

Go in with a plan, or you'll wander aimlessly and get drunk. You could stick to IPAs or oatmeal stouts. Or, visit just the South Sound breweries. Or, sip newly released beers. Stay focused. The free Washington Beer Mobile App for Android or iOS will keep you on track with a brewery locator, festival information and more.

You may bring a picnic setup with you, but leave the tents, glass containers and your own booze outside the gate. Close to 20 food vendors will be on-sight. Kids are welcome Saturday and Sunday, accompanied by a responsible adult, of course.

Sorry, folks, no dogs are allowed.

Below are the South Sound breweries pouring at this weekend's festival.

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New Moon Café, which has sat comfortably along Fourth Avenue in downtown Olympia for the last 15 years, has made a few changes.

Fourteen new owners took over last July, turning the café into a cooperative, and the group has settled in enough to keep the popular breakfast/brunch/lunch spot reliable for regulars, with just enough change to call it their own.

The upgrades include new menu design and items, such as a chicken bacon ranch burger, build-your-own omelets, cobb salad, a grilled feta sandwich, Wild Cat - a house specialty that has sautéed onions, peppers, mushrooms and marinated tempeh over garlic rosemary potatoes - and for kids, a grilled Elvis, with peanut butter, honey and banana.

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The Harmon Brewing Co. and Mash Homebrew Supply are teaming up to host "Aroma of Tacoma," a home brewing competition where homebrewers will have until July 17 to brew a beer in 23 beer styles using handcrafted products, containing ingredients available to the general public and made using private equipment by hobbyist brewers.

The Aroma of Tacoma is a Beer Judge Certification Program sanctioned home brewing competition with Pro-Am selections. Saturday, July 19, judges will gather at the Harmon Hub in Tacoma's Stadium District and sample the "brew"-testant's beers in a morning and afternoon session. Medals will be awarded for all 23 BJCP beer styles as well as Best Of Show and Pro-Am selections at neighboring Harmon Tap Room July 26. The Best of Show winner will receive at $250 gift certificate to Mash Homebrew Supply. Not bad for a $7 entry fee.

Registration is now open with details at aromaoftacomahbc.com.

Maybe it's the geo-political pageantry. Maybe it's that study abroad you did in Germany. Maybe it's Lionel Messi's hair. Whatever your reason for paying attention, it's World Cup time, kicking off June 12 and running through July 13.

The average American's knowledge of futbol is limited to the following: "Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole" and an extended "goooaallll" or two.Others might believe underwear model David Beckham, who married Posh Spice, is STILL playing for Los Angeles.

That's not the case outside this country. The rest of the world is counting down the minutes. They'll be misspending all their waking moments between June 12 and July 13, hoarse and bleary-eyed. They're bat shit crazy over the game.

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Even if you didn't grow up with it, Southern food is comfort food: big, satisfying flavors that are the antithesis of delicate and calculated haute cuisine. Most attempts to refine it are unsatisfying. It's generally best if the chef just gets out of the way and lets the flavors express themselves.

That's why I was interested to hear about Chef Riley Morgan's summer menu at 1022 South J on Hilltop Tacoma. The Southern-raised Morgan has created a Northwest meets Southeast menu, adding a Northwest touch to deviled eggs, pulled pork, collard greens, grits and other Southern staples. He's taking Southern flavors and airing them out for summer.

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