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

Paragon’s premiere pale

Rick Bonino

Paragon Brewing is beginning to live up to its name.

The Coeur d’Alene pub on Saturday will tap its first house beer, Hiawatha Pale, with growler specials in honor of the debut.

“We’re pretty excited. We’re happy with how it came out,” says Chris Kieres, who owns the business with his wife, Kerry. “It’s a nice, easy-drinking Northwest pale ale.”

At 5.6 percent alcohol by volume and 40 International Bitterness Units, he says, it gets papaya and pear notes from a combination of Warrior, Calypso and Equinox hops.

“You still get some citrus aroma and flavor, but it really pushes more of the bright stone fruit,” Kieres says. “And it has a nice peppery finish to it.”

While they’re working on plans for their own full-scale brewery next to the pub, the Kiereses are brewing seven-barrel batches using the system at MickDuff’s in Sandpoint. More styles will follow, says Chris Kieres, who expects to have three or four Paragon beers on tap by the end of the year.

Paragon previously brewed a collaboration Maibock with Trickster’s in Coeur d’Alene for Craft Beer Week in May.