Big plans are brewing for fourth annual Spokane Craft Beer Week

It’s time to mark your calendars and brace your livers for the fourth annual Spokane Craft Beer Week coming May 14-20.

Things again get rolling with our On Tap kickoff party that Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Perry Street Brewing, with yours truly in attendance. Get a raffle ticket for prizes with every pint purchased; $1 from each sale also supports the Grant Elementary parent-teacher organization.

The centerpiece again is a collaboration festival featuring cooperative beers by area brewers. That’s happening earlier in the week this time, on May 15 from 4 to 8 p.m. at a new location, Bellwether.

Collaborations in the works include a tart orange/mango/guava Berliner Weisse by River City and Waddell’s; a sour by Iron Goat and Quartzite; a strawberry hefeweizen from Orlison and Whistle Punk; eight different sours, saisons and IPAs off a single base brew by Four-Eyed Guys, Young Buck and Whistle Punk; and a Brett saison by Iron Goat, the Good Brews podcast and Community Pint, which will host that release.

Among the other events announced so far at local breweries:

Twelve String features several variations on its recently released French saison collaboration with Badass Backyard on May 14, a tasting of its last four anniversary beers Tuesday, IPA Day on May 16and a joint Valley Brewery Day on May 17.

Iron Goat has its own beer dinner May 14 (five courses for $60, RSVP to tasha@irongoatbrewing.com), another at the North Side Onion Bar & Grill on May 16 and tap takeovers at The Observatory on May 18 and Logan Tavern on Saturday. Also look for $2 off crowler cans to go from the taproom Tuesday, a run club pub crawl May 16 and a ’70s disco dance party May 18.

Perry Street reprises its Night of the Living Pils pilsner fest on May 17 and Firk-Off cask competition with Fremont on May 18, along with discounted drinks and tacos May 15 and beer/charcuterie/cheese pairings May 16.

Badass Backyard releases a Watermelon Wheat on May 14 accompanied by a dart competition; Burton Kolsch on May 15 with trivia; a Palouse Pint Marzen on May 16, with a beer off-flavor training class at noon and bingo that evening; a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout May 19, and Whitewater IPA on May 20 with yoga. There’s also a spring/summer homebrew competition May 17 and a firkin tapping May 18.

Hopped Up has special beers throughout the week including a Bloody Mary Pickled Jalapeño ale May 16, Coffee Blaster pale May 17, Wild Red sour cherry May 18 and Bananas Foster imperial stout May 19.

The Steel Barrel’s three house breweries – Little Spokane, TT’s Old Iron and Young Buck – release new offerings May 18 including a collaboration tripel.

Millwood Brewing offers specials for beer service industry workers May 14, first responders May 15, charitable organizations May 16, teachers and coaches May 17, the military May 18 and the Millwood community May 19.

Big Barn has a country music night May 18 and live music on the lawn May 20.

We’ll have more details about the week’s activities in our next newspaper column May 16. In the meantime, check out spokanecraftbeerweek.com and follow our On Tap blog at Spokane7.com for full info.

Sweet three for Nectar

Nectar Wine and Beer in Kendall Yards kicks off its third anniversary celebration Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. with six special beers on tap: a German hefeweizen from Seattle’s Seapine, Boneyard’s Loose Ends IPL collaboration with Cloudburst, Crux’s Bubble Wrap Hazy IPA, Fremont’s Trial By Haze IPA, Matchless On the Lash Irish dry stout and The Bruery’s Terreux Frucht raspberry sour. Get a flight for $10.

And for the anniversary party May 12, all 16 taps will be devoted to rarities from the likes of Holy Mountain, Urban Family and Three Magnets along with local offerings including a collaboration brew with Whistle Punk. Several of those will be featured in a special flight the following week for Spokane Craft Beer Week.

Freshly tapped

River City’s seasonal Kung Fu Death Monkey imperial IPA (8.1 percent alcohol by volume, 72 International Bitterness Units) has returned a bit lower in alcohol but with a richer malt base and a fruity, floral, earthy hop character from a combination of Palisade, Amarillo, Simcoe and Mosaic.

Iron Goat has tapped a malty, dry-finishing Bob’s Your Uncle Robust Porter (7.4, 25) and also added the recently released Buzzsaw McThunder Juicy IPA to its lineup of 22-ounce bottles.

Black Label is pouring a Peach Mango Sour (5, 19) brewed with locally produced Palouse Pint malt.

The easy-drinking Reverse Pedal Pale (6, 42) from TT’s Old Iron is hopped with Centennial and Comet.

Look for a toasty Black Snout Stout (6.2, 54) at English Setter.

Save the date

River City’s monthly First Friday brewery party from 4 to 10 p.m. features $4 beers along with the Couple of Chefs food truck and music by Ragtag Romantics.

The Inland Brewers Unite (IBU) club celebrates National Homebrew Day on Saturday with group brewing demonstrations starting at 11 a.m. at Nu Home Brew, plus a potluck.

Mad Bomber’s annual EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Memorial Fundraiser starting at 11 will include a special beer release, bomb suit beer pong (winner gets a free beer each day for a year), music, food and a gun raffle; a portion of proceeds benefits the EOD Warrior Foundation.