Celebrating 50 Years of Protected Rivers: The Wild & Scenic IPA
2018 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Passed in 1968, this legislation protects our nation’s last, best, free-flowing rivers. Wild rivers give us clean water, world-class recreation and unmatched opportunities for inspiration and solitude. They bring jobs and economic benefits to local communities and they provide critical habitat for salmon, steelhead, and other fish and wildlife. Wild and Scenic designations — the strongest protection a river can receive — ensure that the free-flowing character, water quality, and outstanding values of these rivers are protected for generations to come.
Come celebrate on April 14th at the release party of the charity collaboration brew between Peddler Brewing Company and Counterbalance Brewing Company in benefit of Washington Wild! We’ll be relishing in the delicious Wild & Scenic IPA brewed with malt donated by Skagit Valley Malting in honor of one of Washington’s own Wild & Scenic Rivers – the Skagit River! $1 of every pint will go to Washington Wild to support protecting public lands in Washington.
“Protecting rivers is protecting clean water – an absolute priority for our business. We need clean water to make the high-quality beer we provide in our taproom. It just makes sense.” – Haley Keller, co-owner of Peddler Brewing Company,
Peddler and Counterbalance will tap the first kegs when they open on Saturday. Brewery staff and friends will be biking a keg of the special brew from Peddler to Counterbalance at 3pm and all are welcome to join the ride. A full keg weighs 160 pounds so it will be a leisurely pace.
“Being a part of this collaboration is a great way to spread awareness to our community about the innate connection between clean water and great craft beer. We’re proud to represent an organization that works to protect Washington’s clean water.” Frank Lawrence, co-owner and head brewer at Counterbalance Brewing Company.
In 2008, Washington Wild led an effort to organize local Wilderness advocates on the opportunity to protect Wild & Scenic Rivers as part of ongoing and future campaigns to designate new Wilderness areas. At that time, Washington had only 200 designated Wild & Scenic Rivers compared to Oregon’s 2,000 miles. This river renaissance resulted in the designation of more than 50 miles of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers and Illabot Creek in 2014 as part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Designations. Currently the Wild Olympic Proposal in Congress includes more than 450 miles of proposed Wild & Scenic Rivers as part of the Wilderness Proposal, featuring iconic rivers like the Elwha, Sol Duc and the Dungeness Rivers.
Peddler Brewing Company and Counterbalance Brewing Company will have the special beer on tap for the month of April. Both breweries are part of the Washington Wild Brewshed® Alliance, an outreach initiative designed to highlight the overlapping interests between the conservation and beer communities. The program works with over 50 breweries to protect upper watersheds that lead to clean water for the superior beer we have in Washington State.
We hope you can join us and celebrate 50 years of protected rivers, clean water and great beer!
