Cookies & craft in CdA

After three increasingly successful Spokane outings, the area Girl Scouts organization is taking its cookies- and-beer show to Coeur d’Alene.

The Lake City’s inaugural Craft Beer & Cookie Fest , on Thursday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Midtown Bluebird bistro, 816 N. 4th, will feature six Girl Scout cookie styles paired with beers from three local breweries.

“It’s a boutique version of what we’ve done in Spokane,” says Bretta Walker, events specialist for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. “It’s a much smaller venue, a smaller atmosphere for the first year.”

Attendance at the Spokane event , which will return Oct. 22, has grown from roughly 100 people the first year to 200 in 2014 and 300 last year.

“We’ve already got a buzz about it,” Walker says. “We think Coeur d’Alene is going to keep the momentum going.”

Thursday’s pairings (with participants voting on the winner) will include:

– Caramel-and-coconut Samoas with Slate Creek’s Salmon Run Irish red.

– Peanut butter Do-Si-Dos with Mad Bomber’s All-American Amber.

– Shortbread Trefoils with Slate Creek’s 6 Weight IPA.

– Lemony Savannah Smiles with Mad Bomber’s Fatman IPA.

– The classic Thin Mints with Daft Badger’s Kahlua Porter.

– Chocolate-covered peanut butter Tagalongs with Daft Badger’s Bourbon Stout.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, which includes a tasting mug, your first four 4-ounce pours and light appetizers, along with a box of cookies to take home. Proceeds support scholarships, camperships and leadership programs for local Girl Scouts.