On Tap: Area brewers celebrate August anniversaries

Apparently August means “anniversary” in the local craft beer community, with four such celebrations on tap for this weekend:

Badass Backyard celebrates its second anniversary from 2 to 11 p.m. Friday at its taproom, 1415 N. Argonne Road, with new releases – including a coffee stout, a shandy and an IPA brewed with hop powder. The One Night Stand BBQ truck will be on hand, with food also available from neighboring Chan Bistro.

To kick off year three, Badass is scheduled to open a North Idaho tasting room Sept. 9 in the back room of the Coeur d’Alene Fresh retail complex, 317 E. Coeur d’Alene Ave.

Steady Flow Growler House, 328 N. Sullivan Road, has a two-day party to mark its second birthday, starting at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday. There will be giveaways for the first 25 people through the door each day and growler fill discounts for everyone. Friday features a Crux pint night with limited releases while a parking lot party Saturday will include a special Paradise Creek beer release along with games and prizes.

Orlison’s taproom at 1017 W. First Ave. turns two with a celebration from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, including new beer releases, prize raffles, cornhole games and the Shameless Sausages truck.

Laughing Dog, 805 Schweitzer Plaza Drive, marks 12 years on Saturday with a party from noon to 8 p.m. featuring an anniversary nut brown ale, the Old Tin Can burger truck, music by Harold’s IGA and a bicycle raffle to benefit Panhandle Animal Shelter.

The art (and music) of beer

Hopped Up’s fifth annual Art, Music and Beer Festival runs from 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot at its taproom, 10421 E. Sprague Ave. Look for an assortment of arts and crafts vendors and food from the Mustard’s Last Stand and Monte’s trucks. There’s music by Random Generation at 2, Sean Behrens and Nick Nelson at 4, Slightly Committed at 6 and Dreamtime (accompanied by belly dancers) at 8. The event is all-ages. Admission is free.

Freshly tapped

Iron Goat is pouring a pair of hoppy collaborations: Goat in a Boat (6.6 percent alcohol by volume, 72 International Bitterness Units), a passion fruit IPA jointly brewed with Bellingham’s Boundary Bay, and a Blood Orange IPL (India pale lager, 4.7, 65) with Lisa Wagner, the winner of a recipe contest through the Inland Brewers Unite homebrew club.

River City has released its seasonal Inconceivable Imperial Pilsner (7, 34), a strong lager that’s mildly sweet with spicy, fruity hop notes and a crisp, dry finish.

The Steel Barrel taproom is serving two big beers by its original house breweries – Young Buck’s Hyperdrive Imperial IPA (9,90) and Little Spokane’s Bull Moose Imperial Stout (10,100) – along with a lighter Big Headlights Blonde (5, 17) from its newest tenant, TT’s Old Iron.

TT’s also has a hazy, fruity New England-style Community IPA (6.1, 42) as the house specialty at Community Pint, a beer bar/growler station/bottle shop that recently opened in the former Jones Radiator at 120 E. Sprague Ave.

Whistle Punk is pouring a single-hop Mosaic IPA with lupulin powder (7.6, 45) and a guava saison (6.2, 19).

Brewery watch

Perry Street last week brewed a collaboration with Seattle’s Georgetown. BodhiLite IPL is a combination of two gold medal winners at last fall’s Great American Beer Festival: Perry’s Session IPL and Georgetown’s Bodhizafa IPA. Keep an eye out for the announcement of a release party.

Daft Badger is preparing to put its popular Blood Orange IPA, which won the people’s choice award at last weekend’s Ales for the Trail, into four-packs of 16-ounce cans. Those should roll out late next month through the Coeur d’Alene taproom, 1710 N. Second St.

Post Falls Brewing, 112 N Spokane St., has become the new taproom for Coeur d’Alene’s Summit Cider, with a launch party from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday featuring food from Jupiter Jane Traveling Café and music by Devon Wade.

No-Li’s Frost Fest small-batch beer festival returns big-time on Dec. 9, moving from the brewery to the Spokane Arena concourse, with a winter carnival atmosphere – including ice carving. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance through TicketsWest; cost is $30, which includes your first five 4-ounce tasters and a T-shirt.

Save the date

The Inland Northwest Home Brewers Conference from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Coeur d’Alene’s Elk Point event center, 4176 E. Potlatch Hill Road, will feature presentations by professional and amateur brewers, local beers for sale and live music; admission is $10.

More than 100 regional beers and ciders will pour Sept. 1-4 for the annual Fall Fest at Sandpoint’s Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Tasting packages range from $15 to $40 (plus fees) at www.schweitzer.com/event/fall-fest-2017.