Latona Times 12/11
Elliott Ryan
Happy December, folks!
First off, sincere apologies for not gracing you with a November edition of the Latona Times. Between the election, Thanksgiving, and gallivanting around Vancouver, WA with Bob, it was a whirlwind of a month.
Speaking of Vancouver, Washington, there is a surprising amount of high quality beer happening there, and an incredibly tight-knit local scene. All of the brewers that we visited—Loowit, Heathen, Fortside, Ghost Runners, and Trap Door—were incredibly gracious hosts, and each of them had a little something different going on. It’s a helluva great beer town, and you should definitely stop through on your next trip to or from Portland.
As December sneaks up on us, so does winter—and if last night’s snowfall was any indication, we may be in for an actual winter this year.
I’ve made it painfully aware to all of you by now that I grew up on the East coast. While 12 years of slogging to my above-ground Brooklyn Q-line subway stop in 3 feet of snow may have erased any fond memories of a white Christmas, one thing I do love about the holiday season is that it can bring out the best in people. In that spirit, our sister pub, the Fiddler’s Inn, just raised over $5,000 for Northwest Harvest, an organization that supplies food to those in need. The unfortunate homeless situation in Seattle is no secret, and winter is a tough time of the year for a lot of folks. Remember to give where you can!
Here’s something to look forward to—the Latona Winter Beer Series kicks off on Monday, December 19th, when 7 Seas Brewing releases Gertie The Winter Beer! We’ll be doing our customary Brewer’s Dinner up in the loft at 6:30pm with head brewer Travis Guterson on hand, and tickets are currently available at the pub or by phone for $40. It’s a slammin’ deal—4 beers, 3 courses—and it’s a great way to learn about some of the awesome beers that Travis is making.
Outside of the 7 Seas, there’s something fun going every Tuesday this month. We just raised a few pints with the fine folks from Portland’s Ecliptic Brewing—you’ll want to stop in and get a taste of their Filament Winter IPA before it’s all gone. Breakside is hosting an Ugly Sweater Contest on the 13th (that’s this coming Tuesday, so—suit up) at 7pm. After that, you definitely do not want to miss Reuben’s Brews presenting an entire day of awesome holiday films at the Latona—and yes, Die Hard counts as a holiday film. We’ll be kicking that off around opening, so stay tuned for the movie lineup!
So with all of that, it looks to be a pretty fun December at the Latona—and of course, we’ll keep you stocked in delicious winter beers while Chef Geoff keeps serving up the best comfort food the neighborhood has to offer.
As always, thanks for making the Latona your home, and happy holidays!
Matt