Silver City Celebrates 75 Years of Beer

In December 1933, Prohibition was overturned with the passing of the 21st Amendment. In honor of its 75th Anniversary, 2008 has seen many beer-related celebrations across the country. Starting tomorrow, Silverdale's Silver City Brewery marks the occasion with the release of a special beer.

In brewing a beer for the celebration, SC head brewer Don Spencer decided to honor not only 75 years of legal beer in the United States, but also the heritage of brewing in Kitsap County. In unveiling the Silver Springs DeLuxe Malt Liquor, Spencer pays tribute to Silver Springs Brewing, Kitsap's first post-Prohibition brewery.

According to an article in the North Kitsap Herald, the history of the brewery can be traced back to 1934, when it began as Kitsap Brewing Company and was locally-controlled by businessman from Port Orchard and Bremerton. Ownership was soon taken over by the Silver Springs group from Seattle and, for a short time, the brewery thrived. Unfortunately, by 1946, things had gone downhill and Silver Springs was bought out by Tacoma's Columbia Brewing and the brewing equipment was moved there. That left a void in Kitsap's brewing history that lasted until 1996, when Silver City and Hood Canal Brewery were founded.

The Silver Springs Deluxe is described as a "6.5-percent alcohol, light-bodied, smooth-finishing, corn-and-hop-flavored" lager. Sounds dangerous in the same way that Big Time's Ave Rat was a few months ago. In addition to Spencer's tribute to Silver Springs Brewery, Silver City will have their regular lineup of beers available (including their award-winning Fat Scotch Ale) and, from August 15-24, will feature old-school food specials such as Oysters Rockefeller and a Monte Cristo.