Few beer events are more heart warming and exclusive than the annual tapping of Bob’s Brown Ale from Georgetown Brewing Company. Once the brew is gone, it’s gone; never will it be sipped again — until the following year’s event.

Mark your calendars Monday, May 14, at these finer beer-sipping venues. Bob’s Brown Ale events will be held at Olympia’s Eastside Club, as well as Merconi’s, Parkway Tavern, The Swiss and Varsity Grill in Tacoma.

Merconi’s promises to be casual with outdoor seating. Parkway’s promises to be reverently beer focused and packed. The Swiss event will be spread out and laid back.

The big Monday event in the South Sound will be found at Varsity Grill, where more than 100 are expected to attend, even though there are only 120 pints available.

What makes this limited-release brew so special, you ask. Idiot. It’s a beer with a story.

The beer festivities celebrate good beer and good times — in the spirit of Bob Hirsch, the name behind the special beer.

Chemically, Bob’s Brown Ale packs a wallop with its truckload of Centennial and Crystal hops and a blend of two-row pale, caramel, chocolate, Munich and roasted barley, and malts that offers a punch in a brew that is just 6.3 percent alcohol by volume. But the brew characteristics don’t tell the whole story.

See, Georgetown Brewing Company brews a batch of Bob’s Brown Ale and releases just 100 kegs of it in memory of Hirsch, a brewing buddy who died of cancer a few years back. Hirsch lived with cancer for two-thirds of his life.

“In a way, I feel lucky to have cancer. It’s allowed me to do things I wouldn’t normally have done,” He had said.

The brew in his name is released every year on Bob’s birthday, May 14. Georgetown brewers shuttle the kegs to the most select brew locations in Puget Sound in the morning, and locations are sworn to strict rules under penalty of death and dismemberment if they brake those rules.

Proceeds from the events go to cancer research and awareness programs, namely American Cancer Society and Ronald McDonald House.

The event at Varsity Grill will start at 5:30 p.m. and won’t quit until the keg is dry. That could be as little as 45 minutes or so if there is a crowd, since a keg holds only about 120 pints. 

“Our goal is to get as many people out here as possible to have the keg gone in an hour,” says Varsity Grill Events Coordinator Kathryn Schwarz. “We are wildly excited to have so many people come out and show their support.”

Manny’s Pale Ale and Chopper’s Red will be on special for $3 a pint. The party will feature live music and prizes all night, whether it rains or shines.



[Eastside Club Tavern, 410 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.357.9985]

[Meconi’s Pub & Eatery, 709 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.383.3388]

[Parkway Tavern, 313 N. I St., Tacoma, 253.383.8748]

[The Swiss, 1904 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821]

[Varsity Grill, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.627.1229]