The darkest of days

In case you missed it, today is International Stout Day.

And while that’s just as contrived as all those other “special” days – from IPA Day to Pie Day to Pi Day (yes, that’s a thing) – it is an excuse to drink a most appropriate beer style now that the days are growing shorter and darker.

Several local happenings are part of the celebration, as such:

– The Lantern Tap House is offering $3 pints of a trio of stouts: the homegrown Iron Goat Goatmeal Stout, and a pair of Oregon offerings, Pelican Brewing Tsunami Stout and Alameda Black Bear Stout.

– Enoteca in Post Falls is doing discount growler fills on River City’s recently released seasonal Midnight Marmot Imperial Stout and Sierra Nevada’s gnarly Narwhal Imperial Stout, plus Midnight Sun Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter. (Stout, after all, started out as “stout porter” back in the day in Britain.)

– Spokane's Growler Guys outlet is featuring four stouts: No-Li's Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout, Paradise Creek's Sacred Cow Espresso Milk Stout, Pike's XXXXX Extra Stout and Ballast Point's Sea Monster Imperial Stout.  

– The area Girls’ Pint Out chapter is planning an informal Stout Day get-together starting at 6 p.m. at the Black Diamond in Spokane Valley.

– Sandpoint-area Laughing Dog has just tapped the latest version of its limited-release Bourbon Barrel Dogfather Imperial Stout.

– By coincidence, No-Li yesterday put on a single quarter-barrel keg of its Blackfill, a blend of the brewery’s Wrecking Ball aged in Dry Fly triticale and wheat whiskey barrels – which won a gold medal last weekend at Belgium’s Brussels Beer Challenge. That will go fast, so get it while you can.

And there are plenty of other stouts out there at area breweries just waiting to be honored, including the latest, the rich, smooth Black Beryl Stout at newly opened Downdraft Brewing in Post Falls.