41 breweries lined up for craft festival

Fall seasonals? Check. Fruit beers and sours? Check. IPAs? Check, check and more check.

With a record 41breweries in the lineup, this year’s Inland Northwest Craft Beer Festival at minor league baseball’s Avista Stadium more than covers the bases for beer lovers of all varieties.

Among the specialty offerings announced so far by brewers both local and beyond:

No-Li is pouring a supercharged (11.5 percent alcohol by volume), dry-hopped version of its Jet Star imperial IPA, a cucumber and honey-infused Switch Hitter golden ale, and chai latte Rise & Grind coffee stout.

Among Twelve String’s 10 offerings are a bourbon barrel-aged chocolate double stout, whiskey barrel-aged barleywine, rum barrel-aged imperial pumpkin porter and syrah barrel-aged blackberry stout.

From Seattle, perennial crowd favorite Fremont is featuring nine full-time selections – including its annual organic Cowiche Canyon fresh hop along with new Centennial and Simcoe versions, a ginger-lime Moscow Mule Interurban IPA and cucumber sour – plus a rotating tap with variations on B-Bomb barrel-aged Abominable winter ale and bourbon Dark Star imperial stout.

Spokane newcomer Young Buck’s roster includes a mimosa gose sour, wine barrel-aged sour saison, Belgian-style dubbel, and Old English Pale Ale aged on oak chunks and vanilla beans.

Newman Lake’s limited distribution Whistle Punk is pouring a homegrown fresh hop, a hazy, juicy New England-style IPA, and a bourbon barrel-aged espresso milk stout with vanilla.

Other fresh hop ales are on the way from Iron Goat, Paradise Creek, Perry Street, Republic, Schooner Exact and Two Beers.

Look for more sours from Boundary Bay (Citraweiss), Everybody’s (Sprinkles hibiscus), Iron Goat (Blackberry Apricot), Paradise Creek (Huckleberry Pucker), Perry Street (Blackberry Tart Saison), Schooner Exact (Jawja Peach), Steam Plant (Wild Strawberry), Twelve String (Passionfruit Gose) and Waddell’s (The Black Berry).

Pumpkin ales are coming from Big Barn, Elysian, Puyallup River, Steam Plant and Two Beers, and traditional Oktoberfest lagers from Perry Street, Silver City, Steam Plant and Waddell’s.

Fruit fans will go for the likes of Badass Backyard’s Daring Diva raspberry wheat, Big Barn’s Peach Wit, Daft Badger’s Huckleberry Hound, English Setter’s Belton Orange, Hopped Up’s Watermelon Cream and pineapple, pina colada-influenced Wicked Wa-Hi-Ni, Laht Neppur’s Strawberry Cream, Orlison’s Orangelicious, River City’s wine barrel-aged huckleberry, Steam Plant’s Blood Orange, and Ten Pin’s Groove Pineapple Wheat.

River City is serving raspberry and whiskey chip versions of its Midnight Marmot imperial stout along with a dry-hopped, fruit-aged firkin of Girlfriend Golden.

Bellwether is bringing its spruce-spiked Wind on Sea Scotch ale, seasonal Higgelstein hybrid of Oktoberfest lager and session IPA, Honey Hop braggot IPA and a smoky peat-malted IPA.

Orlison offers a hazelnut-accented take on its new seasonal Boulder Garden brown ale.

Pullman’s Paradise Creek debuts its Ruskie Juice imperial Russian rye stout.

Newport’s Top Frog is featuring a brown ale fermented in a merlot barrel with locally grown buckwheat.

There’s more to the event than just beer. The live music stage at second base will play host to Marshall McLean (solo) at 5:30 and Folkinception (a stripped-down “light” version) at 7 on Friday, and Rain City Time Machine at 3 and Dimestore Prophets at 5 on Saturday.

Food will be provided by the Meltz Extreme Grilled Cheese, Veraci Pizza and 3 Ninjas trucks along the left field line. And look for children’s activities in short right field on Saturday including a slide, bouncy house, obstacle course and toddler zone.

Brewery watch

Business is booming in Millwood, with Badass Backyard Brewing set to open its new taproom in the Argonne Mission Center on Oct. 1 and V Twin planning an Oct. 21 grand opening a half-mile north at 2302 N. Argonne Road.

Another newcomer, Four-Eyed Guys, is in the final licensing stages for its distribution-only warehouse location at 3023 E. Trent Ave.

Freshly tapped

The revamped double IPA at Perry Street Brewing, Citra Dust (9 percent alcohol by volume, 90 International Bitterness Units), gets a big aroma and bright flavors from the addition of hop powder.

The latest entry in the single-hop series at Bennidito’s Brewpub is a fruity Red Citra (6.4, 67).

No-Li’s new fall/winter seasonal is an easy-drinking, Citra-hopped Red White & No-Li Pale (6.1, 35); look for it now in 22-ounce bottles and later in 12-ounce cans.

Twelve String’s seasonal Roundabout Confusion harvest ale (7.1, 69) returns with a new hop variety, Amarillo, balancing its big caramel malt body.

Hopped Up’s Raspberry Sour (6, 15) cuts its tartness with fresh berries added during secondary fermentation.

On the fresh hop front, Simcoe IPAs are pouring at Iron Goat (a soured version), Perry Street, Trickster’s and Twelve String, with Amarillos to come at Perry and River City, a Mosaic red at Twelve String and a Mosaic Citra at Iron Goat.

Save the date

Coeur d’Alene’s Oktoberfest on Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 8 features beers from Beck’s, Downdraft, Elysian, Epic, Firestone Walker, Goose Island, Grand Teton, Hoegaarden, Iron Horse, Ninkasi, Odell, River City, Spaten and 10 Barrel at eight downtown venues plus live music and German food. Tickets are $25 at the door, which includes a commemorative glass and six 4-ounce pours.

River City will be featured in the inaugural brewer’s dinner at David’s Pizza on Sunday starting at 6 p.m. Tickets for the four-course meal are $25; call (509) 483-7460.

Bellwether marks its first anniversary Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 with food specials, live music and beer releases including an imperial IPA and aged year-old Seawolf braggot.

Post Falls Brewing’s Oktoberfest Oct. 7-9 will feature food trucks, live music and a special beer for the occasion.

Pioneering Coeur d’Alene alehouse Capone’s celebrates its 25th anniversary Oct. 7, while Spokane’s trendsetting Manito Tap House has its fifth birthday party Oct. 8.

Send beer news, comments and questions to senior correspondent Rick Bonino at boninobeer@comcast.net.