New Pourings From Pend Oreille

Given Sandpoint’s increasingly sophisticated beer scene - an admirable array of microbrew selections at first Bugatti’s, and more recently Eichardt’s - it was only a matter of time before someone in town started making beer themselves.

The Pend Oreille Brewing Co. is doing just that, and if its early efforts are any indication, it’s a welcome addition indeed.

Pend Oreille beers are available at a handful of locations in North Idaho, with Spokane distribution scheduled to start in May. An attached pub at the brewery at Third and Cedar, just down the street from Eichardt’s, will open about the same time.

Eichardt’s and Bugatti’s set the stage, says Ken Jackson, Pend Oreille’s vice president for marketing.

“They’ve done so much to educate people’s palates here,” Jackson says. “We benefit from that, and in turn, we give them some new styles to serve.”

Pend Oreille has produced four beers so far. The most distinctive is a rich, golden pilsner, full of spicy Saaz hops, that brewmaster Chris Campbell coos over like a proud papa.

“This is one of the most difficult styles to make,” says Campbell, who previously brewed in Salt Lake City. “If there are any flaws, it will exhibit them.”

A true lager, it’s also time-consuming to make - 40 days of brewing and conditioning time - which is why most microbreweries stick to the faster-maturing ales.

Pend Oreille’s other offerings include City Beach Blonde, an unfiltered wheat beer (hefeweizen) in the southern German style with pronounced notes of banana and cloves; Rapid Lightning Red, an amber ale with a dry, clean finish; and Hoodoo Porter, also dry and slightly roasty with a slow-developing, chocolatey/sweet aftertaste.

All are relatively lighter-bodied and drinkable, although Campbell plans to beef up the amber a bit. And while there are plenty of hops in the pilsner and, to a lesser extent, the amber, Campbell says Sandpoint’s soft water creates more of a rounded hoppiness than a harsh bitterness.

Along with Campbell and Jackson, Sandpoint attorney Terry Jensen rounds out the Pend Oreille partnership. They recently brought in brewer Sean Donnelly, whose last stop was Eugene, Ore.’s, Steelhead brewery, and his wife, Jennifer, who has restaurant experience and is developing the menu.

Food selections will run to simple soups, salads and sandwiches, along with daily specials, prepared with the freshest ingredients available. “Nothing will be frozen or packaged,” Sean Donnelly says.

In a town known for its fine dining, the beer will clearly remain at center stage. “People say, ‘You’ve got to be crazy to open a restaurant in Sandpoint,”’ says Campbell. “But we’re not a restaurant. We’re a brewpub.”

For a taste of what Pend Oreille is all about, check out the special brewery night coming up at Capone’s in Coeur d’Alene on April 19.

Pub hopping

Spokane’s newest brewpub, Solicitor’s Corner at Francis and Division, should have its first beers ready to pour by the time you read this. A wheat beer and pale, amber and brown ales will be on tap for starters, followed shortly by a porter and a stout. Look for a full report next month. …

If you haven’t checked out the Fort Spokane Brewery since its recent remodeling, be prepared for a pleasant surprise. The lighter, brighter look, featuring new carpet, paint and furnishings, is a long-overdue breath of fresh air, as is the expanded non-smoking section (although the butts are back after 8 p.m.). …

Speaking of fresh air, The Birkebeiner Brewing Co. is among six winners of the first Spokane Smoke-Free Business Awards, sponsored by the Tobacco Free Washington Coalition and Project ASSIST, an anti-smoking program through the state Department of Health.

“They’ve really made it fun to be smoke-free,” said Dian Kiser, director of the local Project Assist office. …

And if you’re planning to check out the Seattle beer scene, a review of the rainy city’s brewpubs (by yours truly) will appear in Sunday’s Outdoors & Travel section.

, DataTimes MEMO: On Tap is a monthly feature of IN Food. Rick Bonino welcomes reader questions and comments about beer. Write to: On Tap, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446; fax 459-5098.