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

Menage au hops

Rick Bonino

It’s tough to beat a good three-way – particularly when Fort George is involved.

For the past three years, the Astoria, Oregon brewery has made a joint 3-Way IPA with two other partners. This year’s release, in collaboration with Georgetown and Pfriem, stars in a tap takeover Friday at The Lantern Tap House.

At 5.7 percent alcohol by volume, it’s lighter in body and color than last year’s 7.2 ABV version with Boneyard and Block 15. But it still has a huge hop aroma and is full of fruity, floral flavors, along with some underlying earthiness, from a combination of Simcoe, Meridian, Citra and Equinox.

It will be joined at The Lantern, starting at 4 p.m., by seven other Fort George offerings: the lighter Optimist and bigger Vortex IPAs, 1881 Lager, Nut Red, Plazm Farmhouse and a pair of specialty stouts – the Truffle Shuffle (a tribute to Astoria-filmed “The Goonies”), brewed with black truffle mushrooms, and the salted chocolate Salt Ship #7 collaboration with the city’s Albatross restaurant.

All will be available for $4 per pint, or for four 4-ounce tasters.

The beers will continue to pour on Saturday (as available) when Fort George hosts the next installment in The Lantern’s brewery-sponsored Summer Concert Series starting at 9 p.m.

The Lantern also is serving its seasonal Summer SPF (South Perry Festival) Ale, specially brewed by Portland’s Alameda. It’s sessionable at 4.7 percent ABV (50 IBU), but nicely flavorful and lightly sweet with spicy, grassy and citrusy hop notes from Citra, Chinook, Ella and Lemon Drop.

Like the Lantern’s previous Winter PDA, also from Alameda, $1 from each pint sold goes to the Stella Fund to support a local girl diagnosed with leukemia.