Brewer taps in to Cheney

In 1910, the residents of Cheney voted to go dry, putting an end to the town’s second and then-final brewery, Bavaria. Now an Alaskan transplant is bringing fresh beer back to what has become a more bustling college community.

Shane Noblin launched New Boundary Brewing late last month, just in time for Cheney’s annual Mayfest celebration. The name, he said, reflects both his own new beginnings and his hopes of expanding tastes in his adopted hometown.

“I’d like to see people who typically drink BMC (Budweiser/Miller/Coors) step out of their comfort zones and try something new,” Noblin said.

Thanks largely to the Eastern Washington University crowd, he said, “There’s a thirst for craft beer here. (Nearby pizza place) Zentropa does a good job keeping some on tap, but it’s just not the same as having a brewery. People like to see the equipment, come in and talk to the brewers.”

Oregon native Noblin, 40, who’s been brewing nearly half his life, worked as a newspaper pressman and in Alaska’s oil fields before opening a print shop with an attached homebrew supply store on the Kenai Peninsula.

He wanted to start his own brewery, but since there were already three in his community of 10,000, decided to look elsewhere. With his wife, Melanie, he flew to Seattle three years ago, rented a car and drove across the state scouting locations.

They settled on Cheney and made the move last fall, eventually establishing the brewery in a former lube shop and equipment rental business on the main drag, First Street.

The cozy taproom is done up in mustard walls with dark brown woodwork. Distressed copper-coated steel covers the main bar and another along the front window, while tables are topped with a spray-on chalkboard coating that allows for creative doodling. A popular outside seating area already has been expanded.

There’s free in-house snack mix, and delivery is available from nearby Rokko’s Teriyaki and BBQ, with food trucks also in the works.

Noblin is still getting his five-barrel brew system dialed in, with the initial beers turning out lower in alcohol than expected.

The opening lineup featured a relatively dry, fruity pale ale (5 percent alcohol by volume, 38 International Bitterness Units) hopped with Amarillo and Cascade; a lightly smoky-sweet Scotch ale (5.5, 13); and a porter with the requisite chocolate and coffee notes (5, 30).

An IPA is up next, with an orange creamsicle blonde to follow. Future offerings will include Rattler Red, a strong, malty imperial flavored with serrano chilies.

With some 200 recipes in hand from his homebrewing days, Noblin said, “There’s a lot out there to explore. There’s no point putting yourself in a box.”

He plans to keep five of his nine taps filled with his own offerings, and also pour guest beers along with wine, cider and maybe mead.

While Noblin’s not sure exactly what to expect, he’s encouraged by the reception so far. “Everybody has been really friendly and supportive,” he said. “We’re excited to become part of the community.”

All-star suds

No-Li is teaming up with the Spokane Indians for a special beer celebrating the inaugural Northwest League/Pioneer League All-Star Game at Avista Stadium on Aug. 4.

All-Star Game Golden Ale (5 percent alcohol by volume, 15 International Bitterness Units) is scheduled to roll out in a limited release of 22-ounce bottles next week, just in time for the Indians’ opener on Thursday. It also will be on tap at the brewery and at Avista for the big game.

Brewery watch

• Daft Badger in Coeur d’Alene has started serving small-batch specialties each Wednesday. Initial offerings have included an imperial IPA and an American wheat.

• The planned nanobrewery on North Monroe Street has changed its name to Bellwether from the former Modern Monk, to avoid confusion with the existing Modern Monks brewery in Nebraska. It hopes to open by the end of summer.

Freshly tapped

• English Setter is pouring a Citrus Setter pale (5.6 ABV, 50 IBU) brewed with orange and grapefruit peel and hopped with Centennial and Cascade.

• The spicy Saint Augustine rye saison (6, 34) has returned for the spring at Selkirk Abbey, and will be distributed more widely this year in both bottles and draft.

• The latest and final (for now) single-hop pale ale (5.2, 34) at Perry Street uses Mosaic hops, with a big tropical/citrus fruit nose followed by a more herbal, earthy body.

Save the date

• Iron Goat, No-Li, Orlison, Paradise Creek, Twelve String and Waddell’s are among the 105 breweries scheduled for the Washington Brewers Festival on June 19-21 at Marymoor Park in Redmond. For full details, see www.washingtonbeer.com.

• Hopped Up celebrates its second anniversary June 20 with the release of a hearty Valley Pilsner (6.5, 50), along with live music by Spokane Dan and the Blues Blazers, the Tacos El Guero food truck, door prizes and raffles.

• Orlison’s lagers will be featured in a six-course Dad’s Day dinner June 23 at Clover. Cost is $60 per person; call (509) 487-2937 for reservations.

• Eight local breweries will be featured in Hopfest at Hoopfest, a new event June 26 as part of the practice round for the downtown street basketball tournament that weekend. The beer garden and practice courts will be set up along Post Street next to City Hall, across from Riverfront Park’s Gondola Meadow, where Hoopfest check-in takes place. Admission is $10, which includes your first two drink tickets.

Honor roll

• Six Inland Northwest breweries brought home medals from last weekend’s North American Beer Awards in Idaho Falls: Wallace Brewing, gold, 1910 Black Lager and bronze, Wallace Strong old ale; Paradise Creek, gold, Culture Shock Sour Imperial Stout; MickDuff’s, silver, Mashing Pumpkins and bronze, Irish Redhead; Laughing Dog, silver, Benny’s Pale Ale; Selkirk Abbey, bronze, Deacon Pale Ale; and Trickster’s, bronze, Bear Trap Brown.

• No-Li took bronze for its Mosh Pit tart cherry ale and Rise & Grind oatmeal/coffee/milk stout at the Australian International Beer Awards, the brewery’s 15th and 16th international medals.