Marc Aparicio pours in the bittering hops as he and brother Mitch work on creating their first IPA. (Photos courtesy Penn Cove Brewing Company)
Mitch Aparicio stirs things up.
The Aparicio boys, hanging out with the pros at the Bastion Brewing Company in Anacortes.
The boys have been busy, brewing up a surprise or two for everyone.
Marc and Mitch Aparicio, Coupeville athletic legends turned high-flying business owners, are about to hit their one-year anniversary with The Penn Cove Brewing Company.
The brothers timed the opening of the business’s physical location, The Penn Cove Taproom (103 S. Main) to last year’s Penn Cove Mussel Fest and will be going big for this year’s event.
They’ll have different bands performing Mar. 3-5 (during the kick-off Friday and the two days of the weekend-long fest itself), while offering their patented mix of tasty brews and snacks.
The outside seating will be open (as locals bargain with the weather Gods for a snow-less fest) and the place will be hoppin’.
But that hoppin’ actually gets going a couple of days earlier, when the Aparicios debut their first original craft beer Mar. 1 at 6 PM.
Brewed in conjunction with Bastion Brewing Company in Anacortes, “Madrona Way IPA” is rumored to be the taste sensation that’s gonna be sweepin’ the nation.
Desribed by Marc Aparicio as “a nice, full-bodied IPA, just a little bitter but delicious, a true Northwest taste,” the new brew is the first in what the brothers hope will be a long line of locally-created product.
The Aparicios would like to be able to brew in Coupeville sooner rather than later, but, for their first venture, hooked up with Bastion, a newer company which is already earning a solid rep in the business.
Marc and Mitch worked hands-on in the process, learning the art of brewing first-hand from Bastion’s pros.
The finished product, which combines Columbus, Citra and Simcoe hops, comes in at 6.5% ABV (alcohol by volume) and 75 IBU (International Bitterness Units).
Rumors that a line has begun to form outside The Taproom to be first to try the “Madrona Way IPA” could be true. You’ll have to go see for yourself.
Might want to go get in the car now, just to be safe.
For more info on the Bastion Brewing Company:
http://bastionbrewingcompany.com/
For more info on the Penn Cove Brewing Company:
http://www.penncovebrewing.com/
**Full disclosure: While The Penn Cove Brewing Company has advertised with me in the past, I received no money or beer for writing this article.**
Coupeville Sports 