Bright forecast for Bellwether

Bellwether Brewing turns two this weekend amid a major growth spurt.

The North Monroe brewery is preparing to upgrade to a 10-barrel system to meet taproom demand and begin distributing more beer in Spokane and beyond.

“I’m excited for the future,” says co-owner Dave Musser. “Seeing our overall growth patterns, this is kind of a no-brainer.”

But first, there’s a party to throw on Friday and Saturday – and some special beers to pour.

Friday from 3 to 10 p.m. will mark the debut of Gru-It Ourselves, an herbed beer (gruit) brewed with contributions from customers’ gardens.

“The herbs came through really nice,” says co-owner/brewer Thomas Croskrey, with catnip and lemon balm leading the way and accents of chamomile. At 5.5 percent alcohol by volume, he says, it’s dark brown but not particularly malty, with a mild bitterness from hops and some of the herbs.

There also will be some Seawolf braggot, a 7.9 ABV honey beer, that was brewed when Bellwether first got its license and has been aging for more than two years. Half the keg was poured for last year’s anniversary party, with the rest saved for this time.

Croskrey says he hasn’t tasted it since last year, when it came off a bit richer but not thicker, with a more pronounced honey character.

Those will be joined on Saturday from 1 to 10 by a fresh hop beer dubbed Luposlipaphobia (after an old Far Side cartoon ), brewed with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook from the farm at Big Barn Brewing (where it also will pour for Saturday’s fresh hop festival ). It’s 6.2 percent with a reddish tint from Red X and Crystal Rye malts.

The weekend also will include treats, raffle drawings and the launch of this year’s Pint Club; for a $35 fee, you get a metal, double-walled imperial pint glass (20 ounces), fills for the year at regular pint prices and access to special events.

It all caps another busy year at Bellwether, which specializes in Old World styles like braggots and gruits along with more familiar offerings (including its Fernweh Baltic porter, which won a gold medal at this year’s Washington Beer Awards ).

While outside distribution has been limited so far, the beers should start showing up at more bars and restaurants once the new brewing system is in place, expected by year’s end if not sooner.

It will produce about 50 barrels of beer per month – up from a typical 10 to 12 with the current 1.5-barrel system – with room for expansion beyond the initial three fermenters. Bellwether is buying the other half of the building it occupies to house the new system plus another 3.5-barrel setup for smaller specialty and taproom-only releases.

The brewery has signed with Woodinville-based distributor Cru Selections , which mostly sells wine throughout Washington and Idaho but also represents Bellingham’s well-regarded Wander Brewing.

“There’s going to be slow growth into it,” Musser says of the distribution plans. But eventually, he says, “You’ll be seeing us a lot more around Spokane.”

There’s also interest from Seattle-area accounts in the gruits and braggots, which have been a harder sell around here, says Croskrey. “We’ve had (West side) beer bars coming over here wanting those old styles and we’ve had to turn them down,” he says.

Bellwether, which has become known for a steady series of events, showcased those beers with a Gruitfest in February and a Braggotfest in June. It also promoted a pair of ancient grains grown by Palouse Heritage – Purple Egyptian and Scots Bere barleys – with special small-batch beer releases.

More beers brewed with those grains will be featured in another event Nov. 11, with offerings from Bellwether, Black Label, Genus (Nu Home Brew), Palouse Pint, Young Buck and Snohomish’s Lost Canoe (co-owned by Croskrey’s cousin), plus a collaboration.

“It’s been fun being part of the bigger community (of brewers),” Musser says.