A new dawn for local beer?

This year’s Inland NW Craft Beer Festival is history, after a showing that seems to have solidified its future.

It was a make or break year for the festival, which had lost money each of the previous four years for the sponsoring Washington Beer Commission.

The event found new energy at its new home, Avista Stadium. Following record attendance Friday night, the place was packed again Saturday for a beautiful early fall day that ended with a spectacular sunset (captured by our friend Michelle Pingree in the photo above).

“Thank you to everyone who made this Inland NW Beer Festival the best yet!” the Beer Commission posted on its Facebook page. “Great weather, amazing beer and a ton of Washington beer lovers.”

We’d like to thank everyone who stopped by our On Tap booth to chat, and to enter our drawing for gift certificates to local bottle shops (the winners will be selected Monday). We hope you’re reading this blog today, and will continue to keep reading and let us know what you think.

Big thanks also to the area brewers who kicked it up a few notches. There was a dizzying range of specialty offerings this year, from barrels to sours to Randalls.

If you weren’t able to make it to Avista, several new beers that were poured there have just been tapped at brewery tasting rooms or will be soon, including:

– Big Barn’s Golden Pumpkin Ale, with a fresh, natural flavor from caramelized pumpkins grown on the Green Bluff farm, and subtle spice and vanilla accents.

– Ramblin’ Road’s rich, lightly floral Lavender Tripel, brewed with lavender grown on Green Bluff.

– The seasonal Roundabout Confusion from Twelve String, in a new recipe this year with raisiny dark malt notes balanced by a grape-like fruitiness from Nelson Sauvin hops.

– Both the Simcoe Citra and community Spohop fresh hop IPAs from Iron Goat, as well as the nicely balanced Easy Green Fresh Hop Pale (made with Simcoe and Cascade) jointly brewed by River City and Waddell’s.     

– The Steam Plant’s annual Pumpkin Ale and Oktoberfest.

– No-Li’s slightly tart cranberry-pumpkin Krumpkin. And a barrel-aged version of the Green Bluff Sour Cherry introduced at the festival will return in limited bottles and draft in time for Christmas.