Spokane Craft Beer Week returns for its second year starting Monday, bigger and better than before.
The centerpiece again is a series of collaboration beers between local brewers, with more than twice as many in the lineup – 15, compared to last year’s six.
Those announced so far include an orange chocolate porter by the Steam Plant and Waddell’s; a Simcoe single-hop black IPA by Trickster’s and Twelve String; a single-hop, single-malt from Black Label and Badass using the new local malt from Palouse Pint; sours from No-Li/Orlison and Perry/River City; a tart blood orange IPA from Iron Goat and Bale Breaker; a hopped gruit (herb beer) from Bellwether and Mad Bomber; rye beers by 238/New Boundary and Slate Creek/Wallace; a Citraweizen from Northern Ales and Quartzite; and a cream ale, with variations, from downtown’s River City, Young Buck, Little Spokane, Orlison, Steam Plant and Black Label.
There also will be joint offerings from Top Frog and Whistle Punk, English Setter and Big Barn, MickDuff’s and Paradise Creek, and a group of North Idaho breweries including Daft Badger, Downdraft, Laughing Dog, Selkirk Abbey and Slate Creek.
All will pour at a collaboration festival Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. on the patio at No-Li, preceded by release parties on Monday for the black IPA at Twelve String and the downtown cream ales at River City.
Things officially kick off Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Perry Street with a party co-sponsored by Spokane7.com and the On Tap blog (stop on by and say hi). Among the other 50-plus events on the schedule:
Like last year, Twelve String will again present a vertical tasting of its past three anniversary beers (plus some barrel-aged specialties) on Tuesday, and host six guest breweries for a Meet the Brewers day on Thursday. It also will feature IPAs and two new wine barrel-aged beers Wednesday, and release its rum barrel-aged Mojito Golden Strong Ale on May 20 and Double Drop D Stout (accompanied by chocolates) May 21.
Perry Street reprises its Night of the Living Kolsch on Tuesday, and beer dinner at Durkin’s Liquor Bar on Thursday.
Orlison offers a Camp Stix benefit night for children with diabetes on Tuesday, its first firkin on Wednesday, a barrel-aged night Thursday, the finals of a homebrew contest May 20 (with the winner having their recipe on tap all summer) and an Ale Day on May 21 with 10 limited releases as it continues to expand on its lager roots.
Bellwether also has a homebrew contest Thursday through May 21, as well as a five-course beer and dessert pairing Tuesday, beer-themed trivia Wednesday, live music May 20 and a community potluck May 22.
No-Li will be featured in a limited-release tap takeover Monday at Republic Pi, and an IPA party Thursday at the Lantern Tap House.
Hopped Up releases a new Wrong Way IPA on Wednesday, a spiced rum barrel-aged strong ale and an aged sour Thursday, an English pale ale with Palouse Pint malt May 20 and a Crème Brulee Stout on May 21.
Big Barn visits the Valley Total Wine on May 20, offers military specials for Armed Forces Day on May 21 and has live music and a food truck May 22.
New Boundary’s five-kilometer Pints 4 Paws Dog Jog on May 21 in Cheney benefits SpokAnimal C.A.R.E.
Selkirk Abbey hosts a beer and cigar pairing party May 21 with eight cigars and four beers, including the return of barrel-aged Guilt imperial porter.
Bennidito’s Brewpub will have local beers and live music in a parking lot party May 22.
Black Label and the Steam Plant will offer specials all week, along with local tap takeovers at Steady Flow Growler House and Waddell’s Brewpub (with a special beer-infused food menu).
Other activities include a local IPA competition with blind tastings all week at the Area 51 Taphouses at both the downtown and North Side Onion Bar & Grill, special releases and events each day at Manito Tap House and The Blackbird, and a sour beer tasting May 21 at Huckleberry’s.
Brewery watch
The downtown brewery incubator and Steel Barrel Taproom fell short of its Kickstarter goal, but still plans to open on a limited schedule later this month.
Badass Backyard Brewing is working on a new taproom location in the Spokane Valley after learning it can’t keep serving customers at its home-based brewery without a series of costly improvements to meet code requirements.
Budge Brothers has closed its brewery and taproom on East Riverside without explanation after five years of operation, saying its equipment is “going into storage for a later day.”
Freshly tapped
River City’s Clocktower Imperial IPA (8.4, 90), a former summer seasonal sliding into the springtime slot, is strong, sweet and thick with a dry, hoppy finish.
This year’s Rhythmic RyePA (6.4, 79) at Twelve String is fairly dry with a nice rye kick balanced by fruity, earthy, spicy Simcoe, Centennial, Mosaic and Cascade hops.
Mad Bomber’s Recon IPA (6.2, 85), described as the “tougher, older brother” of the brewery’s St. Nicholas Pale, strikes similar citrusy fruit notes.
Perry Street is pouring a crisp, aromatic Session India pale lager (4.6, 45) hopped with Mosaic and Simcoe, and an intense, rich, oaky Chardonnay Tripel (11.4, 25) aged for five months in wine barrels.
Waddell’s Strong Peach Sour (8.5, 55) was naturally soured in Dry Fly whiskey barrels and finished with Brettanomyces and fresh peaches.
Black Label’s spring seasonal is a smooth, hearty Sebastian Maiboch lager (6.8, 21).
Save the date
Dogfish Head’s 60, 90 and 120 Minute IPAs will be featured in a tasting today at 5 p.m. at the North Spokane Growler Guys.
Mad Bomber has a release party for its new imperial blonde ale Saturday from noon to 4, with $4 pints and a guest appearance by Post Falls’ Up North Distillery.
The North Spokane and Spokane Valley Total Wine stores are participating in a webcast Saturday at 1 p.m. about this year’s Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Across America collaboration mix pack (which will be available for sale); tickets are $10.
Downdraft’s Spring Fling Thing kicks off Saturday at 5 with live music by Fair 2 Middlin’, Bubbadogz hot dogs and small-batch beer releases including an India red ale and huckleberry pale.
Send beer news, comments and questions to senior correspondent Rick Bonino at boninobeer@comcast.net.
