Three Magnets brews special IPA in hopes of bringing back Procession of the Species in 2023

There will be no Procession of the Species this year, but there will be a Procession beer.

Three Magnets Brewing Co.’s Procession Pale Ale launches Saturday, April 23 — the day that the celebration of flora, fauna and human creativity would have filled downtown streets, had COVID-19 not complicated matters.

The limited-edition ale — a fundraiser for Earthbound Productions, which puts on the Procession — honors the walking, rolling and dancing celebration with cans depicting past species, including a peacock, a spider, a mosquito and a stalk of broccoli.

“The idea was to create a virtual Procession,” said Three Magnets owner Nate Reilly, who took the 12 photos featured on the cans — and hundreds of others — during Processions past.

“The Procession is a true representation of the community that we have in Olympia,” said Reilly, who owns the brewery and restaurant with his wife, Sara Reilly. “So many people’s hearts go into it. You can see it in people’s faces and their smiles and the care they put into the costumes and the puppets. … It’s heartbreaking that it’s not there.”

The spirit of the Procession, an Earth Day-inspired event that aims to remind people of their innate connection to the world around them, is reflected not only on the cans — which bear the motto “Imagine. Create. Share” — but also in the ale itself.

The hazy IPA was brewed with salmon-safe malt from Mainstem Malt of Walla Walla and upcycled hops left from a previous brew. As far as brewer Aaron Blonden knows, Three Magnets is the only Northwest brewery using upcycled hops, a method pioneered in Japan.

The environmentally conscious way the ale was made — along with the fact that this batch was canned on April 20 — are what inspired Three Magnets to name the brew for the Procession of the Species and to debut it on April 23. It will be available on tap and in four-packs only at Three Magnets in downtown Olympia.

Blonden suggested the name, and Reilly decided to take things a step further by partnering with Earthbound on the concept and giving the organization part of the proceeds.

It’s too soon to say whether the Procession as South Sound knew it will return, but the beer can be a part of keeping the event’s spirit strong, said Earthbound’s Eli Sterling, who shepherded species of all sorts through downtown streets for 25 years before the coronavirus intervened.

“For me, carrying forward the mythology of the Procession is as important as actually producing another Procession,” Sterling told The Olympian. “The Procession reminds us that we can all be a part of what is good in this world — including toasting to each other’s health over a good beer.”

Procession Pale Ale release party

• What: Three Magnets Brewing Co. is hosting an outdoor gathering to celebrate the release of its new IPA, which celebrates the Procession of the Species and is a fundraiser for Earthbound Productions.
• When: 3-5 p.m. Saturday, April 23
• Where: Three Magnets Pubhouse, 600 Franklin St. SE, Olympia

This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.