Trick Is Finding More Bars With Good Microbrews
Say “beer bar” around these parts, and everybody knows what you’re talking about: The Viking, The Elk and the Blue Spark in Spokane, Moon Time and Capone’s in Coeur d’Alene.
But there are a few places serving up some interesting brews that don’t get quite so much attention.
Take the Trent N’ Dale Pub, at 8721 E. Trent in Millwood. A few noteworthy micros typically are among its 12 tap handles. Earlier this week, the selections included Deschutes’ tasty Quail Springs IPA, Leavenworth’s Blind Pig Dunkel Weizen (dark wheat beer) and Redhook’s coffee-infused Double Black Stout.
“If a new brewery comes along, we’ll try it,” says co-owner Penny Rechkoff. “These kids are savvy nowadays. You’ve got to keep them entertained.”
For the more traditional tavern crowd, Lucky and Oly stubbies are a mere 50 cents every Thursday. And there’s a courtesy van every day for those who overimbibe — an idea well worth imitating.
With On Tap moving to the Weekend section, we’ll be keeping an eye out for places like Trent N’ Dale. If you have a favorite watering hole that serves up distinctive drafts, let us know. We’ll share the word in future columns.
Pub crawl
Among those better-known beer bars, the Blue Spark is serving an easy-drinking Spaten helles (light) bock, while The Viking offers a trio of intriguing imports: smooth, nitro-tap Tetley’s English ale, the spicy-fruity Aventinus wheat doppelbock from Germany, and a rich Maredsous 8 from Belgium.
The Elk is pouring Perseus Porter from Seattle’s Elysian Brewing — a rare treat, since Elysian doesn’t distribute around here (the Elk crew crosses the mountains to pick it up). Local loyalists can get their dark-beer fix with a special version of Northern Lights’ Chocolate Dunkle that’s dosed with nitrogen in the keg for extra creaminess (“almost like a bitter milkshake,” as The Elk’s Mike Stone puts it).
Moon Time, The Elk’s sister to the east, is serving a cask-conditioned Leavenworth IPA and Sierra Nevada’s seldom-seen brown ale; hurry in and you might still get a sip of Pyramid’s holiday-season Snow Cap.
And Capone’s still has a few cold-weather beers on tap — Sierra’s Celebration and Bigfoot barley wine and Northern Lights’ Winter Ale, all of which are aging nicely — as well as Rogue’s supercharged Imperial Pilsner.
Ay-yi-IPA!
On the brewpub scene, The Ram and C.I. Shenanigan’s will be duking it out with dueling IPAs. Brewers at each of the sister establishments are making hoppy India pale ales that will be served at both places, with customers receiving ballots to vote for their favorite. The fun should start sometime in early June.
Meanwhile, warm up with the mild-mannered Smokestack IPA at the Steam Plant Grill, low on bitterness but dry-hopped with Chinooks and Cascades for extra aroma. If it sells well, it could become Coeur d’Alene Brewing’s summer seasonal.
Solicitor’s Corner plans to join the crowd with an IPA in mid-June.