Happy Trail

After a bit of a wait, the updated Inland Northwest Ale Trail map is returning bigger than ever.

There are 41 stops – up from the previous 27 – on the 2016 map, which will be released at area breweries Saturday in conjunction with a variety of special activities (see listing at the end of this post).

“We thought it would be a good way to get everybody out visiting their local breweries,” says River City’s Emily Schwartz, who coordinates the project.

While the previous two maps were released in August of 2013 and 2014, this one was delayed in part to coordinate with an accompanying smartphone app. That’s expected to be available in April, and Ale Trail organizers hope it will help reduce the demand for, and expense of, the printed maps.

Maps are again available at Ale Trail sponsors and area hotels along with participating breweries. While the list may have grown, the rules are the same: Visit at least 12 breweries, get your map stamped at each stop and receive a souvenir 32-ounce grunt.

This year’s map continues a westward expansion. Yakima Craft Brewing signed on last time around, and five of the new additions are from Central Washington: Yakima’s Bale Breaker, Ellensburg’s Iron Horse, Kennewick’s Ice Harbor and Moses Lake’s St. Brigid’s and Ten Pin.

“There are so many in that area now, you could easily do a three-day weekend and hit all of them,” Schwartz says.

A second brewery, North Idaho Mountain, has been added on the eastern edge in Wallace. Other newcomers include 238 (Green Bluff), Badass Backyard (Millwood), Bellwether (Spokane), Bennidito’s Brewpub (Spokane), Daft Badger (Coeur d’Alene), Downdraft (Post Falls), English Setter (Spokane Valley), New Boundary (Cheney) and Quartzite (Chewelah).

Here are the Saturday specials announced so far:

238 – Selected $3 pints, barbecue brisket, bonfire.

Badass Backyard – $3 pints of Not Your Average Blonde, $6 flights of six 5-ounce tasters.

Bellwether – Beer specials, prizes on the hour starting at 3.

Big Barn – $3 pints, free hot dog with each pint purchased.

Black Label – Randalled Espresso Stout through wine-soaked oak chips, $10 growler fills.

Daft Badger – $5 taster tray of signature beers.

Hopped Up – New big-batch Pogue Mahone Irish cream stout and small-batch Razzle Dazzle Raspberry on tap, $10 growler fills of regular beers, patio bonfire (weather permitting).

Iron Goat – Two barrel-aged taps, brewery tours between 2 and 4 p.m.

Mad Bomber – New IPA (tasting/naming with the brewers noon-4) plus a bourbon barrel-aged nitro stout, $3.50 pints, guest offerings from North Idaho Cider.

No-Li – Get Lucky small batch festival (sold out).

New Boundary – Special Belgian-style dubbel release, $3 pints and $8 growler fills on most beers, free grilled hot dog with pint purchase from noon until 4 p.m.

North Idaho Mountain – $1 off pints and appetizers.

Northern Ales – Foodstock, full day of music to benefit the Kettle Falls food bank.

Orlison – $3 pints with new beers including Flaming Toasted Dragon (with Thai red pepper), Cozy Boy unfiltered white IPA, Weekend at Bernie’s IPA, Nasty Boy Session Rye IPA and Back Scratch Imperial Red; Shameless Sausages food truck at 3.

Paradise Creek – 50 percent off pitchers.

Perry Street – Flight of three 5.5-ounce beers paired with cheeses for $8, brewery tour and King of Tacos food truck at 4.

Quartzite – Guest keg of Republic Brewing’s Winter Wheat.

Republic Brewing – Sixth annual beer recipe cook-off, 6 p.m.

River City – $3 pints all day

Slate Creek – Small-batch doppelbock for third anniversary.

Steam Plant – Centennial Barleywine release in conjunction with building’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Trickster’s – $1 off pints.

Twelve String – Firkin of Spring Reverb single-hop Mosaic dry-hopped with more Mosaic.

Zythum - Special hours 2-8 p.m. (usually open second weekend of month through winter).