The entire Northbank region of SW Washington is in the midst of a dark beer celebration! It's called Beyond The Darkness and it's a week-long effort to support local breweries and taprooms while spotlighting the vast array of dark beers. Beer aficionados may pick up a free passport at any participating brewery or taproom from February 15th through 21st. Prizes may be won for those who turn in their passport with any number of venues checked off. The prizes for visiting local businesses are headlined by beer packages that include hotel stays at Adrift Hotel in Long Beach, WA and The Heathman Lodge and Hilton Hotel in Vancouver, WA.

This effort was spearheaded by Kimberly G. Johnson of Final Draft Taphouse and (full disclosure its me) Michael Perozzo of ZZeppelin & The New School. As Johnson and I discussed the need to promote the region's breweries and taphouses as they emerge from Covid restrictions into Washington's Phase 2 of the Safe Start Plan, the idea for Beyond The Darkness came to mean much more than enjoying dark beers. While the timing coincides with the Brewers Association's Stout Month and begins just after many beer lovers would be returning from Fort George's Festival of Dark Arts, this event aims to make an impact and mark a turning point for SW Washington beer.

The Northbank's beer spots have been hit hard by so all of the same elements that have affected the entire Pacific NW. Challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have been compounded by wildfires, new outdoor seating requirements, open air seating adjustments and finally an ice/snowstorm that took down many outdoor seating areas just this past weekend.

Johnson and I received immediate support from the Northbank Brewers Alliance and Visit Vancouver USA to launch the effort to create an event (as much as events can be during the pandemic) to bring hope, excitement and support. Here's what you can look forward to this week.

From the official event announcement:

We've all been through a lot in 2020 and have missed out on some of our favorite craft beer events. Your local SW Washington breweries and taprooms have been also been through some dark times in 2020 and are still facing a long road ahead. There is hope though and you can help! Together, let's celebrate and explore dark beers and show some love to your local craft breweries and taprooms to help them push through Beyond The Darkness!

In celebration of the Brewers Association's Stout Month across the US, the Northbank Brewers Alliance, Final Draft Taphouse, Visit Vancouver USA & ZZeppelin are proud to present a weeklong celebration of dark beers! From toasty to roasty, from decadent to easy-drinking, from rich to subtle... dark beers take on a wide range of flavors worthy of being explored in-depth.

Pick up a passport at any participating SW Washington brewery or taproom (full list at this website)Then visit your favorite breweries and pubs for their dark beers and get a stamp or sign-off on your card! You'll earn entries for some AMAZING prizes with exponential multipliers for the more venues you visit!

Passport holders can earn raffles at an exponential rate. 4 visits means 4 raffle tickets. However, 8 tickets will result in 16 entries and 12 visits results in a whopping 48 entries. A challenge one should undertake with a designated driver or a ride-share app, to be sure.

Those who submit a checked-off passport via the contactless Northbank Beer website form can look forward to a live-streaming event with Johnson, Perozzo and representatives from Visit Vancouver USA and the Northbank Brewers Alliance on February 22nd at 6PM. Follow Northbank Brewers Alliance on Facebook or on Instagram at @northbank_brewers for the live feed.

Cheers to deep, dark Northbank Beers and a bright future ahead... Beyond The Darkness.