A wee bit of a bash

MickDuff’s is celebrating its ninth birthday amid a major growth spurt.

Back in June 2013, the Sandpoint brewery moved production from its brewpub to the former Pend d’Oreille Winery space around the corner to allow for expansion.

It started distributing beer around North Idaho (and later Eastern Washington) at the beginning of last year, and in June opened a taproom, the Beer Hall, at the newer space.

Now MickDuff’s is in the finishing stages of upgrading its brewing system from the original seven barrels to 20 barrels, which will allow it to distribute more beers on draft and possibly begin bottling or canning.

“There’s always something going on around here,” says sales and marketing manager Mack Deibel. “We’re just trying to continue our growth.”

As Beer Hall manager, as well as assistant brewer, Deibel also is in charge of Saturday’s ninth anniversary celebration there starting at noon. (MickDuff’s first opened its doors on St. Patrick’s Day in 2006.)

Look for a few special beer offerings, including bourbon barrel-aged versions of the Irish Redhead, NOHO imperial IPA and Knot Tree Porter. There will be happy hour prices all day, and if you buy a pint glass to take home, you get half off your first beer.

Cedar & Boyer and Harold’s IGA will provide live music from 5 to 9 p.m. In addition to popcorn, the Beer Hall has started serving warm pretzels with both beer-cheese sauce and porter mustard.

More special events are planned for the space, such as tonight’s sold-out Irish beer dinner. At the main pub, Deibel says, “we have to turn away our regular crowd to do special events. Here, we can do them.”

And tomorrow will see the first test run for the new mash tun that head brewer/co-owner Mickey Mahoney fashioned from a 700-gallon dairy tank. Once that’s working, MickDuff’s can take possession of the 20-barrel brew kettle waiting at LaBreck Stainless Works in Hayden.

If everything goes smoothly, all of the pieces should be put together by mid-April, Deibel says.

The extra production capacity will allow three more MickDuff’s beers – the blonde, Irish Redhead and a summer session IPA – to be distributed on draft along with the current Lake Paddler Pale, NOHO and Knot Tree.

It also will pave the way for eventual packaged beers in bottles or cans. “That’s definitely our goal,” says Deibel. “We just need to figure out what makes economic sense.”