7 days, so much to drink

Seattle has one. Portland has one.

Now there’s an official, organized Spokane Craft Beer Week, beginning Monday, another sign that the area’s brewing scene has come of age.

Like Seattle, Spokane’s event coincides with American Craft Beer Week (Portland, staying weird, does its in June). The centerpiece is six special collaboration beers from a dozen area brewers:

• Steam Setter Red IPA, with a caramel malt boost, from the Steam Plant and English Setter (5.9 percent alcohol by volume, 63 International Bitterness Units).

• JazzyWag, a Belgian golden strong with sweet orange and lavender by Twelve String and Laughing Dog (8.2, 50).

• Barn City Flower Power, a pale ale brewed with lavender and Amarillo and Cascade hops from Big Barn and River City (6.6, 40).

• SMaSH Bock, a big single-malt, single-hop lager with rich Bonlander Munich malt and spicy Saaz hops, by Waddell’s and Wallace Brewing (6.9, 36).

• Raspberry Gose, a fruity, sour German-style wheat beer seasoned with coriander and sea salt, from Ramblin’ Road and MickDuff’s.

• Tower of Sour, a blend of five sour beers from the barrel projects at Iron Goat and Paradise Creek, from Berliner Weisse to stout aged 11 to 24 months in wine, brandy, bourbon and gin barrels.

All six will be poured in an event Tuesday at 4 p.m. at No-Li, along with another collaboration of sorts – No-Li’s Oyster Stout, made with fresh Puget Sound mollusks from Taylor Shellfish Farms – plus live music by Trailer Park Girls.

Pints Alehouse will have them all on Wednesday, and several also will be featured, with more live music, May 17 at Big Barn on Green Bluff.

But that only scratches the surface of the week’s schedule. Among the other highlights:

More collabs: Perry Street and Manito Tap House have cooked up a kumquat-infused IPA that will be available at Manito starting Monday. On May 16, The Lantern Tap House is releasing its newest seasonal collaboration with Portland’s Alameda, Summer SPF session IPA, at its second annual Whole Hog Auction for Stella Druffel, a fundraiser for a 6-year-old girl with leukemia.

Barrel rollouts: Ramblin’ Road is tapping a different barrel-aged Belgian-style beer each day, while Belgian-themed Selkirk Abbey releases a blend of Guilt coffee porter aged in burgundy and syrah barrels May 15. Twelve String will tap its tequila barrel-aged Mango Mambo on May 15, and pour several others at a “Straight Out of the Barrel Night” on May 16. That same day, No-Li is featuring a dozen barrel-aged and flavor-infused specialties in its third No Boundaries on the River small-batch festival, including Defacto, a blend of whiskey barrel-aged Jet Star imperial IPA and Wrecking Ball imperial stout that will have a limited release in 22-ounce bottles.

Tap takeovers: Local beers will be pouring all week at the Hop Shop, both Growler Guys and the Lantern, which will host Big Barn’s brewers on Wednesday and tap special firkins from River City on Tuesday and Twelve String on Thursday. River City also is featured in pint nights Monday at Pacific Avenue Pizza, Tuesday at Geno’s, Wednesday at the Checkerboard and Thursday at the Hub.

Beer dinners: Local beer and food pairings will be offered Wednesday with Perry Street at Durkin’s Liquor Bar and Orlison at Chairs, while Republic Brewing is serving a seven-course meal matching its beers with food from that city’s restaurants on May 17.

More brewery events: Black Label will serve a different flavor-infused beer from its Randall each day, and tap a firkin of a new Scotch ale on Wednesday. Hopped Up’s limited releases Wednesday through May 16 will include a Carolina Reaper hot pepper beer, fresh Cantaloupe Cream Ale, Blackberry Stout Sour and double-hopped Mad Hopper II IPA.

Twelve String is releasing its Laughing Dog collaboration Monday; pouring its three anniversary beers in a vertical tasting Tuesday; offering IPA specials including a sour version Wednesday; and featuring limited releases and brewers from Paradise Creek, No-Li, Iron Goat, Selkirk Abbey, Laughing Dog and Waddell’s on Thursday.

Perry Street is serving beer and cheese pairing flights all week, doing discount pours of its kolsch in souvenir glasses Tuesday, hosting an On Tap night in conjunction with this column’s companion blog on Thursday with beer specials, brewery tours and raffles, and bringing in bluegrass bands May 15.

And English Setter will release its Steam Plant collaboration Tuesday, feature discounts on its darker beers Thursday, offer appetizer and beer specials and brewery tours May 15 and pour IPA specials along with live music May 16.

Freshly tapped

• No-Li is putting a second beer in six-packs: Crony (5.1, 30), a sessionable brown ale featuring fruity, piney Simcoe and Azacca hops. It goes on tap today at the pub and will join Poser pale ale in stores in 12-ounce bottles.

It follows No-Li’s new summer seasonal, Brass Monkey (8, 30), a strong ale brewed with orange peel to mimic the beer cocktail of that name, a blend of malt liquor and orange juice. Look for it on tap and in 22-ounce bottles.

• Perry Street is pouring a pair of recent releases: a malty amber Vienna Lager (5.1, 21) and the latest in its series of single-hop pale ales, this one with fruity El Dorado (5, 35).

Nectar goes grain

Craft beer shares center stage at the new Nectar Wine and Beer in Kendall Yards, from the owner of the Nectar wine tasting room downtown.

There are 16 rotating taps in the bright, airy bar overlooking the Spokane River. Six are devoted to a featured regional brewery each month, beginning with lager specialist Orlison in May. Another 100 beers are offered in bottles, with discounts available through the Growler Club.

Amateur beer battle

Fifty entrants will compete in the second annual Battle of the Homebrews on May 16 at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. Admission is $20, which includes a voting card and five beer samples; winning recipes in both people’s choice and professional judging will be brewed by Waddell’s and Downdraft.