Five years in, the local brewery boom shows no signs of slowing down.
After adding three breweries in Spokane and Kootenai counties in 2011, four more in 2012, five each in 2013 and 2014 and a whopping nine last year, at least a half-dozen more are poised to come on line in 2016. The latest updates:
The newest player is V Twin, which just before Christmas signed a lease for strip mall space in Millwood along Argonne Road south of Montgomery.
Owner/brewer Barry Black hopes to open by the end of summer with an electric 3.5-barrel brewing system turning out a range of beers with motorcycle-themed names, like the brewery itself (V Twin is a type of engine).
“It will be beer for people who work hard, who put their blood and sweat into it,” Black said.
A half-mile to the north, Mill Towne Brewery is shooting for a September opening in the former Cunningham photo studio on Frederick east of Argonne.
The remodeled space will feature a 10-barrel brewhouse producing seven year-round beers plus an assortment of seasonals. A previously announced accompanying restaurant has been moved back to a potential phase two.
Like in Ireland and England, said co-owner Chuck Watkins, “People are going to adopt their local pubs. It’s where the future is going.”
Also in the Valley, Sun Mountain is remodeling its space on Greenacres Road north of Sprague and lining up a seven-barrel system with an eye toward an April/May opening.
Work continues on the downtown brewery incubator in the Luminaria Building at 154 S. Madison, which could open as soon as February. Young Buck and Little Spokane are the first participants in the project, in which up to five fledgling breweries will share a seven-barrel system with an attached taproom pouring those and other beers.
A February-March opening also is in sight for Post Falls Brewing, on Spokane Street just north of the river. The distribution-focused brewery is aiming big, with a 15-barrel brewhouse and 30-barrel fermenters.
Bombastic, in the Pandhandle Area Business Council incubator at the Hayden airport, submitted its licensing paperwork Christmas Eve and has been fine-tuning beer styles and labels. Plans call for producing small-batch specialty beers in-house, and contracting with other area breweries for more mainstream offerings.
Farther to the north, Chewelah’s two-barrel Quartzite nanobrewery will open occasionally to the public over the winter while gearing up for a grand opening this spring.
And to the south, Rants & Raves opened New Year’s Day in Moscow as a restaurant/pub and is awaiting federal licensing approval to begin brewing on its seven-barrel system. Also finishing up the permitting process is nearby, distribution-oriented Hunga Dunga, with a 15-barrel brewery and attached taproom.
Freshly tapped
Twelve String’s hearty High Note Black IPA (7.7 percent alcohol by volume, 77 International Bitterness Units) is generously hopped with Centennial, Ahtanum, Mosaic, Columbus and Nugget.
Mad Bomber’s Paveway Porter (7.1, 25) is a beefed-up seasonal variation on the brewery’s regular MK84 brown porter. (Paveway is the laser guidance system for a Mark 84 bomb.)
Perry Street’s new Barleywine (10.2, 110) is a big American-style interpretation with Centennial and Chinook hops balancing a toasty, graham cracker malt character.
Save the date
The Lantern Tap House’s third annual Winter Beer Fest starts Monday with a rotating selection of seasonals inside at the bar all week, and a heated outdoor tent Jan. 14-16 featuring a dozen breweries each night: from Washington on Thursday, Oregon on Friday and the rest of the West on Sunday (with voting for the favorite each night). Tent admission is $15, which includes a 10-ounce tasting glass and your first five tokens (4 ounces for two tokens, 10 ounces for five).
Hills’ Restaurant and Lounge downtown welcomes Bridgeport for its 37th brewer’s dinner on Jan. 17, with four courses and accompanying beers (including a steak entrée paired with Ebenezer winter warmer). Cost is $49 (includes tax and tip); call (509) 747-3946 for reservations.
Send beer news, comments and questions to senior correspondent Rick Bonino at boninobeer@comcast.net.
