Celebrate National Beer Lovers Day with one of these popular local brews

If you missed the chance to celebrate National Beer Day on April 7 or International Beer Day on Aug. 7, have no fear: Monday is National Beer Lovers Day.

COVID-19 may have dampened your plans to spend summer evenings with friends at your local hangout, but with area breweries reopened for dine-in and takeout, now is a great chance to taste a new-to-you brew or reacquaint yourself with an old favorite.

Here are current favorites from a few Spokane breweries to get you started. Of course, wear a mask, socially distance, and follow any other coronavirus-related rules the breweries have in place. Also, be sure to tip well.

And you may have a new go-to by the time it comes to celebrate National Drink Beer Day on Sept. 28, National American Beer Day on Oct. 27 and International Stout Day on Nov. 7.

No-Li Brewhouse

Manager Kim Loberg said customers are reaching for the Cascade Fog, an imperial hazy IPA. As per the No-Li website, the brew features Citra and Mosaic hops, which give it notes of citrus and tropical fruit aromas, with sweetness and subtle hop. It has an ABV of 7.5%.

“We recently got all-new can branding, so we finally got that one canned,” she said. “It’s been super popular, really cute design.”

No-Li customers also have been clamoring for the brewery’s seltzer slushies, aka slushies made with Day Fade black cherry, mango and huckleberry hard seltzers.

“It’s been very random, but the slushies are a super hit, especially in these hot times,” Loberg said.

No-Li Brewhouse (1003 E. Trent Ave. #170) is open noon-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Brick West Brewing Co.

Brick West Brewing Co. bartender Madison Throop isn’t surprised the brewery’s flagship beer is quite popular among patrons.

“Generally, since Spokane is seemingly pretty fond of the IPAs, our Brick by Brick West Coast IPA is definitely very popular,” she said.

The brew, with an ABV of 7.1%, boasts citrus aromatics, a moderate bitterness and a dry finish.

But Brick by Brick has got some competition. Throop said the Brickwest Pilsner is a top choice, as well. The German pilsner is crisp, with herbal hopping, a dry finish and an ABV of 5.1%.

Throop said Brick West’s German-style beers put a spin on a typical West Coast IPA and make for an authentic pilsner.

“We’re really thorough, and we have a really high-quality beer,” she said.

Brick West Brewing Co. (1318 W. First Ave.) is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Bellwether Brewing Co.

Bellwether Brewing bartender Ty Johnson said IPAs are always popular no matter where you go.

But thanks to the August heat, Bellwether customers are ordering refreshing drinks like Clippity Clop, a coconut cream ale with an ABV of 4.8%, and Seed of the Sun, an apricot witbier with an ABV of 5.5.%.

A new favorite is the Agua Madhu. It’s a braggot, which Johnson said historically comes out of Viking brewing tradition.

“It’s a beer brewed with honey,” he said. “Specifically, it’s a light-bodied lager brewed with honey from the bees we raise on the roof of the brewery.”

Bellwether Brewing Co. (2019 N. Monroe St.) is open 3-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 3-10 p.m. Fridays, 1-10 p.m. Saturdays and 1-7 p.m. Sundays.

For the Love of God Brewing

It’s an easy question for For the Love of God Brewing owner Steve Moss to answer: “Sours have been king lately.” More specifically, fruited sours.

Customers have been drawn to the Raspberry Cheesecake (5% ABV), a Berliner Weisse which is brewed with raspberry, graham cracker, vanilla beans, milk sugar and cream cheese.

The Guava Guava, an Imperial sour with an ABV of 8%, also is popular. The beer is brewed with 44 pounds of guava and a “double dose” of vanilla beans per barrel.

For the Love of God Brewing (2617 W. Northwest Blvd.) is open 3-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 3-10 p.m. Fridays and noon-10 p.m. Saturdays.