There’s a rich history of grape growing and winemaking in the Lewis-Clark Valley that can be traced back to 1872. Alas, history was all that was left in the wake of Prohibition until a couple of decades ago.

Forget green beer – if you want to imbibe in true Irish fashion this St. Patrick’s Day, keep it black.

Thomas Croskrey is taking his Old World brewing approach into a new venture. Bellwether’s founding brewer is leaving after almost four years to launch his own brewery, which will continue to produce a mixture of modern and historical styles on a smaller scale.

Work is about to begin on The Hidden Mother’s new brewery and taproom at Washington Street and Sharp Avenue following federal permitting delays during the government shutdown

Among the noble varieties of wine grapes, perhaps the most revered is pinot noir. In its native Burgundy in France, it produces some of the world’s most cherished and expensive wines. In California, pinot noir has adapted well, resulting in wines of grace and depth from such regions as Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Carneros and in Santa Barbara County (made famous in the film “Sideways”).

The winter Lester Cup competition is in full swing, featuring five big bone-warming beers from Spokane breweries: Bellwether’s Remembrance Russian imperial stout (10.5 percent ABV), cellared several months in kegs for extra smoothness. Bellwether is at 2019 N. Monroe St.

The downtown eatery has revamped its cocktail menu, hiring a new bar manager with international experience to update and reinvigorate the bar program.

Bellwether’s third annual GruitFest on Friday features more than a dozen gruit ales, an ancient style brewed with herbs and usually no hops.

Nobody wants to pay too much for wine. The sweet spot is a wine that wins multiple awards yet still costs less than $20.

Pisco is a clear grape brandy that carries protected status, like Champagne. It is the national drink of both Chile and Peru. The spirit has a rich, centuries-old heritage in each country. But rules vary.

The Lantern Tap House’s sixth annual festival runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

It doesn’t really matter how you feel about tomato juice. It’s going to be doctored up, anyway.

Palencia long has been recognized as one of the brightest rising stars in Washington wine country, but his showing in Wine Press Northwest magazine’s most recent Platinum Judging shows he’s a star in this corner of the continent.

Leavenworth, Washington state’s Bavarian-themed town on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, is a perfect example of wineries taking advantage of an existing tourism base to sell wine directly to consumers while also creating a wine culture that didn’t exist.