Pouring into 2015

Area brewers are gradually getting back into gear with the holidays in the rear-view. Among today’s developments:

- River City just tapped the latest in its Experimental Series of pilot recipes, this time a single-hop Palisade Pilsner (6 percent alcohol by volume, 40 International Bitterness Units).  

Palisade hops, known for fruity, floral notes along with an herbal, grassy character, also were used along with Citra in the first three experimental releases, a series of IPAs. These are quarter-barrel batches, or about 8 gallons, so be warned – they don’t last long.

- After two months of operation, Downdraft Brewing is expanding its business hours starting this week.

The Post Falls brewery now will be pouring Tuesdays and Wednesdays, along with Thursdays, from 4 to 9 p.m. And it will be open an hour later on Fridays, from 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturdays, from 1 to 10 p.m.

- Twelve String has put together its latest barrel-aged creation (as pictured above): Harmony Honey Wheat in a tequila barrel along with grapefruit and lactobacillus, a bacteria used to produce sour beers.

The summery-sounding concoction should be ready by May or June, by which time all this fog and slush will just be a distant memory.