On Tap: Hidden Mother gets more visibility
The Hidden Mother is finishing its first year with some big steps forward.
The Liberty Lake brewery just signed a lease for space at Washington Street and Sharp Avenue to house a larger brewing system and a taproom. And next month, it heads to the San Francisco Bay area for collaborations with a pair of well-regarded breweries and an appearance on the Brewing Network online radio station.
“I can’t believe it’s moving at the rate that it is,” said owner/brewer Mike Detar. “It’s pretty exciting.”
The Hidden Mother launched in February with a focus on barrel-aged wild ales, which can take years to produce. In the meantime, it began limited distribution of more mainstream but still creative styles to pay the bills.
Beers fermented with wild yeasts remain the top priority, Detar said. The original five-barrel brewing system in Liberty Lake will be devoted to those.
The new location, which Detar expects to have up and running early next year, will contain a 15-barrel brewhouse and two 60-barrel fermenters for starters. He hopes to produce some 3,600 barrels of beer there the first year – about 10 times what he’ll make this year – and grow that to 6,000 barrels the following year, with distribution expanding to Oregon and Montana as well as Washington and Idaho.
Detar won both gold and silver medals in the experimental category at this year’s Washington Beer Awards (for Pine Tree Peppercorn Saison and Morel Mushroom Red) and poured at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.
He made contact with the Brewing Network there. The Hidden Mother will be featured on the Concord, California-based network’s main show, The Session, airing live Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. and available as a podcast afterward.
Detar, who formerly lived in the Bay Area, also will brew collaborations while he’s there with Heretic (Norwegian-style farmhouse ale with Thai basil and peppercorns) and Drake’s (to be announced).
By continuing to raise the brewery’s profile, Detar said, “When you’re talking with distributors, these are all selling points.”
Brewery birthdays
Two of the area’s longest-running breweries mark anniversaries next month.
Trickster’s, the oldest brewery in Coeur d’Alene, celebrates Dec. 1, six years to the day since it opened in 2012. Iverson’s Smokin Pig BBQ will be on hand, with a limited number of sliders free with beer purchases. The seasonal Soul Warmer Porter probably won’t be ready in time, though it should be out sometime the first week in December.
And Twelve String’s seventh anniversary party expands to a two-day affair this year (like its recent Barrelfest) on Dec. 8-9. The featured beer this time is an imperial IPA aged in bourbon barrels.
Frosty the beer-man
No-Li is pouring three specialty beers each week in December as part of its Get Frosted celebration. For starters, look for a chocolaty Peanut Butter Porter Cup, an unfiltered, dry-hopped Jet Juice imperial IPA and a golden Apple Pie Ale; buy a pint and keep the souvenir glass.
A holiday ornament will be sold for $10, with proceeds going to SpokAnimal. It’s the latest charitable outreach by No-Li, which recently received a Community Impact Award from the Spokane Chapter of the Washington Hospitality Association.
Fighting fire with IPA
Twelve String and Pullman’s Paradise Creek are among almost 600 breweries joining Northern California’s Sierra Nevada in brewing a beer to benefit victims of that region’s devastating Camp Fire.
Resilience Butte County Proud IPA was brewed across the country this week on Giving Tuesday for mid-December release, with all sales being donated to the Camp Fire Relief Fund.
Freshly tapped
The seasonal Goatnik imperial stout (9.6 percent alcohol by volume, 90 International Bitterness Units) has returned at Iron Goat along with a Battle Goat black IPA variation (7.3, 51) hopped with Chinook and Topaz.
Mountain Lakes’ Winter R.V. milk stout (7.6, 35) is a seasonal variation on its original raspberry/vanilla cream ale.
The Steam Plant has brought back its robust, malty Stack Frost Winter Ale (7.5, 24).
A peanut butter/chocolate Reece’s Puffed Porter at English Setter (after owner/brewer Reece Carlson, 7.2, 23) was brewed with the namesake cereal.
The second in Whistle Punk’s “sherbet” fruit sour series (5.6) blends apricots with vanilla, lactose and oats.
The crisp, slightly fruity Perry Street Bitter (5.5, 32) was made with British malts and Northwest hops.
Mad Bomber’s Detonation ESB (6.6, 80) is hopped with Chinook, Liberty and Northern Brewer.
Twelve String on Friday releases a Blood Orange Stout.
Save the date
Beers from San Diego’s acclaimed Modern Times are featured at Community Pint through Sunday.
Bellwether’s Year of the Sainted Brewers series continues Thursday with a grape juice ale honoring anti-alcoholism St. Martin of Tours.
Badass Backyard releases a dozen daily specialty beers starting Saturday for its 12 Beers of Christmas.
Barrel-aged beers by Firestone Walker, Fremont and pFriem will pour Dec. 5 for Republic Pi’s Stoked on Oak.
River City’s First Friday party Dec. 7 will include an art display, live acoustic music and food from the Scone Ranger.
Bellwether hosts a holiday market of local crafts Dec. 8, followed by Old World Santa photos Dec. 9 to benefit Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary.