Stretching his boundaries
Shane Noblin’s first brew day on his five-barrel system at New Boundary Brewing lasted 22 hours.
On Friday, he started to see that work pay off as he poured 600 pints for thirsty patrons on opening day of Cheney’s first brewery since 1910.
After an almost as busy Saturday during the town’s annual Mayfest celebration, Noblin is looking forward to finding out what the first full week of operation brings.
The longtime homebrewer is still dialing things in on the bigger system. The first beers turned out to be lower in alcohol than expected, and carbonation levels have been an issue.
Temperature control is part of it, says Noblin, who previously ran a homebrew supply store in Alaska and moved to Cheney last fall with his wife, Melanie.
“It gets hot here,” he says. “That’s something I didn’t anticipate.”
His initial lineup includes a relatively dry, fruity pale ale (5 percent alcohol by volume, 38 International Bitterness Units) hopped with Amarillo and Cascade; a lightly smoky-sweet Scottish ale (5.5, 13); and a porter with the requisite chocolate and coffee notes (5, 30).
Though his glassware is printed, those are served in plastic cups for now while he sorts out his state health certificate.
Noblin will be brewing a cream ale next, followed by an orange creamsicle blonde. With some 200 recipes in hand from his homebrewing days, he says, “There’s a lot out there to explore. There’s no point putting yourself in a box.”
The cozy taproom, in a renovated former lube shop and equipment rental business, is done up in mustard walls with dark brown woodwork. Distressed copper-coated steel covers the main bar and another along the front window, while tables are topped with a spray-on chalkboard coating that allows for creative doodling.
An outside seating area was popular in last weekend’s warmer weather, and likely will be expanded. Food delivery is available from nearby Rokko’s Teriyaki and BBQ along with the in-house snack mix.
Hours are Tuesday-Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m., Friday from 4 to 9 and Saturday from 2 to 9.
* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "On Tap." Read all stories from this blog