Rare, Special, Varied Pours
The Blackbird is inviting seven of its favorite breweries – and you – to a party on Saturday.
The inaugural Blackbird Invitational from 3 to 7 p.m. will feature specialty beers by Cascade, Deschutes, Firestone Walker, Fremont, Grand Teton, pFriem and Young Buck. Each will pour four selections, including:
Cascade: Sour offerings Sang Noir (imperial spiced red ale blend aged in bourbon and wine barrels with Bing cherries), One Way or Another (Bruery Terreux collaboration blend of tripels aged in oak wine barrels with marionberries and Meyer lemons), Vlad the Imp Aler (oak and bourbon barrel-aged blonde quads and tripels blended with spiced blondes) and 2015 Cranberry (wheat beer aged in wine barrels on cranberries, orange peel and cinnamon).
Deschutes: 2017 Cultivateur sour saison aged in oak barrels with Brett, 2015 Jubel barrel-aged imperial winter ale, 2014 Not the Stoic barrel-aged quad and Chasin’ Freshies fresh-hop IPA.
Firestone Walker: 2017 bourbon barrel-aged Pacific Gravity Weizenbock, 2016 Feral One barrel-aged blend, 2014 Parabola barrel-aged Russian imperial stout and 2012 Double DBA barrel-aged imperial special bitter.
Fremont: Brew 2000 barrel-aged barleywine, 2014 bourbon barrel-aged B-Bomb winter ale, Sour Weisse and Cowiche Canyon organic fresh-hop blend.
Grand Teton: Bittercreek Cuvee barrel-aged wild ale, Good Fences Oud Bruin sour brown, Black Cauldron imperial stout and bourbon barrel-aged Double Vision Doppelbock.
pFriem: Pruim barrel-aged Lambic-inspired sour with plums, Pilsner, Brett IPA and Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout.
Young Buck: Cab Savvy barrel-aged sour saison with apricot puree, Oud Bruin sour brown, a Biere de Table Vinifera blended barrel-aged sour with homegrown grapes and Warp 4 partially fresh-hopped IPA.
The beers will be accompanied by a series of small plates from the Blackbird kitchen. Tickets are $50, which includes a Silipint silicone pint glass and 15 drink tokens (each good for 2 or 4 ounces, depending on the beer); they must be purchased online in advance.
Blackbird owner Patrick McPherson says the event is inspired by the Firestone Walker Invitational hosted by the California brewery each year, one of his favorite festivals.
“We’re trying to give a really good value this year so people are excited for next year,” he says. “If we get a good response, we’ll put up a tent in the parking lot and do it even bigger next time.”