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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

On Tap: Help teen mothers with local beer, Longhorn Barbecue

With the weather warming, more beer events are sprouting around the area:

• Regional breweries Big Barn, Hopped Up, No-Li, Orlison, Paradise Creek, Ramblin’ Road, Republic, River City, Steam Plant, Twelve String, Wallace and Waddell’s, plus Pullman’s Whiskey Barrel Cider Company, are participating in this year’s Micros For Mamas.

The beer tasting, Longhorn Barbecue dinner and silent auction starts Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Western Aviation hangar at Felts Field, 5505 E. Rutter Ave.

Admission is $45 per person, or $80 per couple; proceeds benefit Spokane YoungLives, which supports local teen mothers ( www.micros formamas.blogspot.com).

• No-Li’s No Boundaries on the River Small Batch Beer Festival features a dozen versions of both the brewery’s regular lineup and some specialties, many barrel-aged, dry-hopped and/or infused with such ingredients as vanilla beans and cacao nibs.

It runs Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at the brewery, 1003 E. Trent Ave. Cost is $15 for a commemorative taster glass and five 4-ounce samples (additional samples $2 each) (noboundariesbeerfest. eventbrite.com)

• The next Girls’ Pint Out gathering in Spokane visits Ramblin’ Road, 730 N. Columbus St., on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. For $15, you get five samples and your first pint.

Meanwhile, the Idaho chapter meets Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Culinary Stone, 2129 N. Main St. in Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone development, to taste regional beers and cured meats and cheeses.

Cost is $20, with $5 going to Special Olympics Idaho (girlsbeerblog.com)

• Mad Bomber, the Hayden brewery owned by current and former Army bomb squad members, will observe this year’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Memorial activities May 3 from noon to 5 p.m.

The names of bomb squad technicians from all service branches who died on duty over the past year will be added to the memorial wall at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and to the replica at Mad Bomber, 9265 N. Government Way.

One dollar from every pint sold will benefit the EOD Warrior Foundation. (208-762-7343)

• Deschutes is the featured brewery for the Mexican-themed 34th brewer’s dinner at Hills’ Restaurant & Lounge, 401 W. Main Ave., on May 4 at 6 p.m.

The beer lineup includes a couple of rarities: Black Butte XXII imperial porter, which wasn’t publicly released, and the new Mirror Mirror barley wine, last released in 2009. Cost is $49, including tax and tip. (www.hillsrestaurantand lounge.com/reservations/ brewers-dinner.html)

Freshly tapped

• A lightly spicy, crisp-finishing Farmhouse French Saison (6.1 percent alcohol by volume, 30 International Bitterness Units) is the latest specialty offering from Iron Goat.

• Perry Street is pouring a big Belgian Tripel (10 percent ABV), to be followed shortly by a dubbel and a Scotch ale, then a German-style Kolsch.

• Ramblin’ Road has issued a sessionable Single Hop Pale (4.7, 50) made with Northern Brewer hops, known for their minty, evergreen character.

• River City has been serving a One Too Many India pale lager along with its regular IPA and an experimental version; all three are $2 per pint at the taproom through April.

Brewery watch

Three more Spokane-area breweries are shooting for June openings:

• Black Label, one of several specialty businesses going into the former Merlyn’s comic book shop space at 19 W. Main Ave. (next to Saranac Public House), hopes to be operating by Hoopfest.

The four-barrel nanobrewery will focus on organic and homegrown hops, honey and malts, and sustainable practices.

• Also on the east end of downtown, Young Buck will occupy the space at 32 W. Second Ave. that was formerly home to Sun People Dry Goods, adjoining the now-defunct Spokane Public Market.

• Green Bluff will be getting its second brewery, 238 Brewing Company (named after the area’s phone prefix) at Legacy Farm, joining Big Barn.

• And in Sandpoint, MickDuff’s, which expanded its brewery operation into the former Pend d’Oreille Winery last summer, is using some of that extra capacity to start shipping kegs of Lake Paddler Pale Ale and NOHO IPA to Spokane.

It also plans to open a tasting room adjoining the brewery this summer, in addition to the original full-service pub, and hopes to expand again with a bigger brewing system by year’s end.

Send beer news, comments and questions to senior correspondent Rick Bonino at boninobeer@ comcast.net.