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

Striking a slightly sour note

Rick Bonino

Twelve String is turning to the tart and dark side for its fifth birthday party.

For its first three anniversary beers, the Spokane Valley brewery issued imperial IPAs – regular, black and red – before branching out with a barrel-aged barleywine last year.

It’s pushing the boundaries again for this year’s celebration, Sunday from noon to 5, with an imperial porter that was kettle soured and aged for three months in Woodinville Whiskey bourbon barrels.

Before barreling, owner Terry Hackler says, “It was so light and drinkable that you never would guess it was an 8.3 percent beer, or even a porter, but it was good.”

Subsequent samplings have shown that it mellowed from the wood without picking up big bourbon notes, he says.

One of the four barrels will pour for Sunday’s party, with the others kept in reserve for future events. (Hackler did the same thing with last year’s barleywine, and plans a vertical tasting of that beer after having spent six, 12, 18 and 24 months in the barrel.)

There again will be free sliders and sides from O’Doherty’s Irish Pub & BBQ, and the Seahawks game will be on the tube.

Twelve String’s seasonal High Note black IPA is scheduled to return around the first of the year, and likely will be followed by a single-hop offering featuring the new Idaho 7 varietal later in January.

The brewery’s biggest news over the past year was the August release of five beers in 22-ounce bottles: Mango Mambo hefeweizen, Red Guitar Red, Batch 201 IPA, Electric Slide imperial IPA and Drop D Stout.

Distribution continues to grow, Hackler says, with Total Wine just coming on board. The Arpeggio Pale, G String Blonde and Jam Session IPA could be added to the lineup by summer.

But his main focus for next year is relocating the taproom and eventually the brewery into a larger location about two miles away, on Pines Road north of Sprague, a former Waste Management office building that Hackler bought two summers ago.

He’s finished gutting the space and this week started putting on a new roof, which will be finished over the winter as weather allows. Hackler hopes to have the new taproom open sometime next summer, with a kitchen to follow.

“I’ll keep working on it when have the time and the money,” the former contractor says. “When it’s done, it’s done, and we don’t owe anybody anything.”