Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl: Downtown Snohomish bars and businesses are hosting an Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Prizes will be awarded to the individuals and couples with the “ugliest” Christmas sweater. Participating businesses include: Skip Rock Distillers, Piccadilly Circus, Stewart’s Place, 907 Bar & Grill, Time Out, Oxford Saloon and more. Registration is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Skip Rock Distillers, 104 Ave C, Snohomish. Tickets are $25 day of...

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Nothing encapsulates the holiday season better than a big colorful bowl of alcohol. Just add a ladle and you have punch — it sounds more legit that way.But seriously, isn’t this the time of year when you find yourself inviting over family members you didn’t know existed to eat your food and drink your wine? We all have that far-removed uncle who thinks wine only comes in glass jugs or sticks to “champagne” in the form of whatever domestic canned beer that happened to be on sale.

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Erik Liedholm reached back into his past for the names of his distillery and spirits.Wildwood Spirits Co. is named after the street, Wildwood Street, that Liedholm grew up on in Michigan. Owing to Liedholm’s Swedish roots, Wildwood’s spirits have Swedish-inspired names, including Stark Vatten, or strong water.

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This time of year, taking a stroll, whether it's to find the perfect tree or to spy mighty eagles, is a great way to spend a Saturday.

Make sure to don mittens, a scarf and a large coat. You know it's going to be cold.

That's why it's always made better with a warm beverage in hand.

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Events

Wildwood Spirits opens: Wildwood Spirits Co. Distillery and Tasting Room will host its grand opening Dec. 4 at its location at 19116 Beardslee Boulevard, Suite 102, Bothell. Wildwood Spirits is run by head distiller Erik Liedholm and chef John Howie and has won awards for its Kur Gin and Stark Vatten Vodka. The tasting room will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

Winter Beer Festival: More than 50 Washington...

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“Drinking in America: Our Secret History”Susan Cheever, Twelve, $28If you’ve watched “Drunk History,” the Comedy Central series in which someone gets a little tipsy before recounting important events from United States history, you already know alcohol can play a humorous role in the retelling of our collective story as a nation.

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Skip Rock Distillers are releasing their Belle Rose Double Barrel Rum this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the distillery,104 Avenue C, Snohomish.

Belle Rose won best rum in SIP Northwest's 2015 Best of the Northwest contest.



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Arlington's Angel of the Winds Casino, which is owned by the Stillaguamish Tribe, opened Washington's first tribally owned and operated craft brewery this past week, according to a press release.

Angel's Tap House Brewery will be brewing its own beer and baking artisan pizzas at its location inside the casino and hotel in Arlington. Former Ellis Island Casino & Brewery head brewer Frank Ellis is Angel's head brewer.

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The Everett Music Initiative and Everett's Scuttlebutt Brewing are teaming up for a third time, this time to promote some great local bands and Scuttlebutt's flagship winter beer, 10 Below.

Saturday night's 10 Below Show features Seattle band The Hollers, and Everett's I Will Keep Your Ghost and Hot! Donna at 8 p.m. at the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

"Scuttlebutt is one of the really great anchor brands in our community," said Steven...

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Whether you’re camping, tailgating or just sitting in front of an outdoor fire, having a temperature-controlled cup is a good thing. The Yeti Rambler Lowball, which is made from stainless steel and holds 10 ounces, keeps coffee piping hot and cocktails nice and cool with specially designed double-wall vacuum insulation.

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Events

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Both Diamond Knot locations will prepare and serve a dinner to the families of Esther’s Place this Thanksgiving.For more details, here’s a press release from Diamond Knot:Diamond Knot Craft Brewing cooks, serves Thanksgiving dinner to the homelessThe staff at Diamond Knot is giving back, not only with their time, but with dinner this Thanksgiving. Both Diamond Knot locations are preparing and serving an early dinner for those in need this holiday season.

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Small Town Brewery, which made a name for itself with its wildly successful Not Your Father’s Hard Root Beer, recently announced the launch of Not Your Father’s Ginger Ale, a gruit-inspired botanical beer brewed with ginger.Not Your Father’s Ginger Ale is expected to hit store shelves in 40 states, including Washington, this week.

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Skagit Wine and Beer Festival: Drink wines, beers and spirits from regions throughout Washington at the fourth annual Skagit Wine and Beer Festival Nov. 21 at the Best Western Plus Skagit Valley Inn & Convention Center. General admission is from 4 to 8 p.m., with VIP hour from 3 to 4 p.m. There will also be appetizers, chocolate and cheese samples. General admission tickets are $50 per person or $90 per couple. VIP tickets are $70 per person or $130 per couple. For a list...

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Maybe the proudest day of my wine fan life was when I took a bottle of dry gewurztraminer to a pig roast and was stunned to receive a round of applause.The honeysuckle aromas, the tart flavors of grapefruit and lychee, the alcoholic heft interacted perfectly with the sweet fatness of the pork to create a whole that was gloriously greater than the sum of its parts.

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Dick Mergens and Shawn Dowling knew they wanted to open a brewery before they ever brewed a batch of beer. In October, that dream became a reality. In a strip mall along Everett Mall Way, Mergens and Dowling, who grew up together in Pacific County near Raymond, opened Crucible Brewing on Oct. 2. It was the culmination of a long road.

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Crucible Brewing is the newest brewery in Everett, which isn't saying a lot since Everett has a surprisingly small amount of new breweries for being in the middle of a craft-beer-crazy landscape.

So whenever I hear new brewery and Everett in the same sentence, I know I need to see what's going on. I visited Crucible on a recent evening last week, and since I hadn't been before, I ordered a flight with all of their beers to decide, in my mind, which of its beers was...

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EventsVodka Infusion Classes: Everett’s Bluewater Distilling is hosting a Vodka Infusion Class at 2 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15. Learn how to make fresh-infused vodkas and liqueurs, including limoncello. For more information and to register, visit www.bluewaterdistilling.com.

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Brooklyn band Lucius and California brewery Lagunitas Brewing are teaming up to help non-profits in the Pacific Northwest.Starting Nov. 16, the band will play four shows in the Northwest, from Eugene, Oregon to Bellingham. The Seattle show at the Tractor Tavern is sold out, but the Bellingham show at Wild Buffalo House still has tickets available.

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This week, I’ve got a short, sweet and slightly spicy article.We have been so busy with our grand opening that I have barely had time to think. However, I must admit I still allow time to succumb to my biggest stress reliever: cooking. Sure it would be easier to grab some fast food on my way home from the distillery, but nothing beats the sound of meat in a cast-iron skillet sizzling along with a tangy blues rift from B.B. King echoing out of the stereo in the living room.

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Knock on the bright blue door at Velton's Coffee and get ready to walk into an aromatic garden of delights. It's here in the basement of the non-descript brick building in Everett's Lowell neighborhood that Velton Ross, owner of Velton's Coffee Roasting Company, roasts award-winning coffee.

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EventsPour Over Pairings: Lynnwood’s Stogies N Hops will host New Belgium Brewing and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream for an ice cream social/beer pairing at 1 p.m. Nov. 7 at its location at 526 164th St SW, Lynnwood. Pair beers with ice cream for boozy and fun beer floats. For more information, visit www.stogiesnhops.com.

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Craft spirits in Washington have really taken off in recent years, and leading the charge is Woodinville's J.P. Trodden.

After taking home a silver medal in last year's San Francisco World Spirits Competition, J.P. Trodden's Small Batch Bourbon was awarded a double gold medal in this year's competition, putting it in the same class as some of the best bourbons, whiskeys and Scotches in the...

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EventsSound to Summit Halloween Bash: Snohomish’s Sound to Summit Brewing Halloween Bash is 9 p.m. to midnight Oct. 30 at the brewery, 1830 Bickford Ave No. 111, Snohomish. There will be a costume contest, food and live music from Dead to Rights. Event is 21-and-over and tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door. For more information, call 360-294-8127.

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There will be candy for the kids and gin for the adults at Temple Distilling’s grand opening on Saturday.The new distillery in Lynnwood recently opened its doors but is hosting an official grand opening from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 31 at its tasting room at 19231 36th Ave W.“We are super excited to finally launch our gin into the world,” said Temple Distilling owner AJ Temple.

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So, you’ve just purchased a growler full of glorious grog and it hits you: you rode your bike to the brewery. What to do? Well, the folks at Growler Cage have you covered. Growler cages can be affixed to bikes where usually water bottle cages would go — who drinks water anymore? — or on the front forks. Each growler cage holds a 64-ounce growler bottle. What goes in the bottle is up to you.

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"Would you like to see some science?" asked one of the staff of San Juan Island Distillery to the small crowd gathered around him.

Everyone answered in the affirmative.

"Wait a minute. You don't have a drink. You need a drink for science," he said to a woman standing near me. She laughed and turned to get a sample. She came back with a drink and the two men behind the table got started.

They were one of many distillers who...

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Events

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The fifth annual Snohomish Brewfest is this weekend and it features some great Snohomish County breweries pouring some of their best beers.

The brewfest will be held at the Snohomish Event Center, 1011 Second Street, Snohomish, and will have three sessions, starting at 6 p.m. Oct. 23. Two more sessions will be the following day from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.

General admission tickets are $30 or VIP tickets, which include admission to all three sessions, are...

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Last month, Jeff Alworth’s “The Beer Bible” was released. His newest book takes a look at another part of the craft beverage industry that has made a meteoric rise over the past few years.

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