Urban lagers
Orlison is officially open for business in downtown Spokane starting today.
The Airway Heights brewery is pouring a wide range of its distinctive lagers in its stylish new taproom at 1017 W. First Ave. (the former Luxe coffee shop). The grand opening begins at 3 p.m.
Fourteen of the 16 taps are filled with Orlison products, ranging from regular to seasonal to experimental. More limited tastings were previously offered in a bare-bones space at the main brewery.
“It was hard to do that in Airway Heights, and people had to drive too far,” says production manager/brewer Mark Borland.
“Now you get to see the more playful side of what (brewmaster) Bernie (Duenwald) and Mark do,” adds operations and logistics manager Kristen Silver.
Orlison’s seven standbys – Havanüther light pilsner, Clem’s Gold, Lizzie’s Red, Brünette, Pilsner 37, IPL (India pale lager) and Ünderground stout lager (on nitro) – will always be on tap.
For starters, they’re joined by four seasonals – Shut Up and Ryed rye IPL, Hops’In dry-hopped pilsner, the Asian-spiced Toasted Dragon and coffee-infused Roast House stout – along with the brewery’s first ales, a session and a standard IPA. (The latter will be replaced on Saturday by a Cascadian dark lager dubbed Suspended.)
Then there’s a brand-new experiment, of sorts: Clementine, which started out as a batch of Clem’s but took an unexpected turn. Thanks to mislabeled yeast, it has the fruity esters and spicy notes of a Belgian-style beer (and a name borrowed from a Belgian princess).
Rounding out the opening lineup are two guest handles: Time Capsule, a light, subtly funky wild ale from Seattle’s Big Al Brewing, and the dry-hopped Turncoat from hometown Liberty Ciderworks. All are available in 10-ounce pours or full pints, as well as taster trays.
They’re served in a cozy setting done up industrial-modern style, with plenty of stained butcher block wood and shiny corrugated metal. Stools are fashioned from old beer kegs, and caged trouble lights arranged into circular hanging fixtures.
A standing bar lines one wall of the narrow space, with bench seating on the other side along four tables, underneath a large distressed-metal Orlison logo sculpture.
Hours are still being determined; after today, the taproom will be open from noon to close (depending on business) for the next week except Monday, when it will be closed.
A three-block walk from River City to the west and the Steam Plant to the southeast, it’s another step toward a budding downtown brewery district. Iron Goat plans to move around the corner from River City at Second and Adams this fall, while the brewery incubator project will be a block away on Madison.