Barn in a bottle

Big Barn Brewing is getting into the bottling game.

The Green Bluff brewery is selling its first bottled beer – 22-ounce bombers of Black Dog Stout, named after farm mascot Nandi – starting today at the Fairwood Flea & Farmers Market .

They also will be available at the South Perry market on Thursday, and likely at the brewery as well.

“We’re ready to jump into that next little stage of life,” says owner/brewer Craig Deitz, who has resigned his teaching position at Mt. Spokane High School to focus on brewing and farming full-time.

He’s hand-filling single bottles for now, but soon will be switching to a four-head bottling machine built by his brother-in-law.

Several other styles are planned for bottling – including the Honey Lager, Peone Wheat and Dunn Day IPA – but the stout was submitted for federal label approval first. “That’s a token of our farm, so it’s a good way to start out,” Deitz says.

He also plans to self-distribute the beers to area stores, beginning with Total Wine.