Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cheer for the cherry

Rick Bonino

We all knew this Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball season would be special, with their loaded lineup. And now No-Li Brewhouse, just down the street from the GU campus, is trying to kick that up a notch.

Starting with tonight’s 8 p.m. game versus St. Joseph’s, No-Li is tapping a specialty beer that will only be available between tipoff and the final buzzer.

First up is the Sour Cherry (10.1 percent alcohol by volume) that some of you might remember from September’s Inland NW Craft Beer Festival at Avista Stadium. That was brewed with hand-picked cherries from Green Bluff and soured in the kettle with pediococcus bacteria.

Tonight is likely the last chance to get any of it, but cherry lovers have a couple more No-Li releases to look forward to on the horizon.

Mosh Pit (7.5 percent ABV, 15 International Bitterness Units) is a dry cherry-cranberry beer that gets its tartness solely from the fruit (no bacteria or other souring agents added). It’s scheduled to roll out on draft and in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles early next month.

And a barrel-aged version of the Sour Cherry – dubbed Van Lambert, after the two varieties involved – will be available in limited 22-ounce bottles and draft around mid-December. That was further soured with Brettanomyces yeast in Townshend Cellar sangiovese, merlot and cabernet barrels, then blended for the finished beer.