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

SCBW: Day 2

Rick Bonino

All the collabs come out to play today as the first official Spokane Craft Beer Week continues.

We’ve already told you about the four special collaboration beers that were released at various taprooms yesterday:

– JazzyWag, a Belgian golden ale with lavender and sweet orange by Twelve String and Laughing Dog.

– Barn City Flower Power, a lavender-rye IPA by Big Barn and River City.

– Steam Setter Red IPA, by the Steam Plant and English Setter (which also goes on tap at the Setter today when it reopens for the week).

– SMaSH Bock, a single-malt, single-hop lager from Waddell’s and Wallace Brewing.

They’re joined by two more today – both on the sour side – for a Collaboration Celebration on the riverfront patio at No-Li (pictured above):

Tower of Sour: Both Spokane’s Iron Goat and Pullman’s Paradise Creek have extensive barrel-aging programs ongoing, so they decided to draw on those for their contribution.

“We each brought samples and passed them around, figuring out what we needed more of and less of,” says Iron Goat’s Greg Brandt. “We spent a couple of hours coming up with a blend.”

The finished product incorporates two of Paradise Creek’s sours – the unflavored Berliner Weisse base for its Huckleberry Pucker, and a blend of two sour stouts – and two from Iron Goat, the base Brett-conditioned beer for last year’s blackberry/apricot sour (which has been aging in cabernet barrels for almost a year) and Cap’n Kidd Scotch Ale aged in Oola bourbon barrels.

It’s pleasantly tart but not overly so, Brandt says, reminiscent of a Belgian Flanders red ale, and around 6 to 7 percent alcohol by volume.

They only made a half-barrel – about 15 gallons – so the only places to try it this week are today at No-Li, and on Wednesday at Pints Alehouse, which also will be pouring all six collaborations.

Raspberry Gose: Spokane’s Ramblin’ Road and Sandpoint’s MickDuff’s teamed up for this light, sour German wheat beer, a fairly obscure style that’s making a bit of a comeback with craft brewers.

It’s brewed with 50 percent wheat, soured in the kettle with lactobacillus and fermented with a Kolsch yeast. It was infused with the berries post-fermentation and also seasoned with coriander and sea salt, as is traditional for the style.

If you miss it today, the beer goes on tap at Ramblin’ Road when it reopens for the week Wednesday and also at MickDuff's.