Beer Here: Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp Across America, Midnight Sun and Green Flash tonight

By Ron Swarner on August 6, 2014

If you're the type of observant beer drinker who follows beer blogs, you may have noticed Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp Across America, one of the most ambitious craft beer celebrations yet. A multi-pronged offensive into the gullet of beer fans nationwide, the Beer Camp Across America is part roving beer festival and part collaboration beer series, that has hit Washington state, and in fact, Tacoma's ParkWay Tavern tonight, beginning at 5 p.m., at Tacoma's Pint Defiance beer store and taproom Friday, Aug. 8, at 5 p.m.

The idea is an expanded spin on the pioneering Chico, Calif., brewery's annual Beer Camp program, which since 2008 has invited distributors, brewery owners and a few lucky consumers to Northern California for a hands-on brewing weekend with Sierra Nevada's pilot system. Barry Watson, co-owner of Pint Defiance, has been one of the lucky ones to visit the Beer Camp, and will share his Camp brewed beer, Barry's "No Sleep 'Till Chico" Imperial Coffee Vanilla Porter, Friday.

The top brews were made on a larger scale and released each spring in a highly anticipated Beer Camp variety pack, which Pint Defiance and other Washington state specialty beer stores have in stock.

The ParkWay's tap list tonight:

MORE BEER HERE TONIGHT

The Red Hot hosts Midnight Sun Brewing Co. out of Anchorage beginning at 5 p.m. Besides swag, expect Bar Fly, Son of a Berserker, Snowshoe White, Sockeye Red IPA, Monk's Mistress and 9Teen Saison.

Speaking of Pint Defiance, the beer store and taproom hosts Green Flash Brewing Co. from 5-7 p.m. On tap will be two special releases from Green Flash's Hop Odyssey Series - White IPA and Citra Session - as well as its rarely seen East Village Pilsner. Pint Defiance's wacky raffle is on, too.