Beyond the backyard

Badass Backyard Brewing has gotten the green light to open its new taproom today.

With final inspections passed, a grand opening party is set from noon to 8 at 1415 N. Argonne, next to Chan’s Bistro in the Argonne Mission Center. Regular hours will be Thursday through Saturday from 4 to 8.

But Badass still will live up to its name. As always, the beer will be brewed in a detached shed at Charlene Honcik and Kendra Wiiest’s house nearby in Millwood.

The brewery, which opened in August 2015, didn’t plan on an external taproom quite this soon. But it faced costly improvements to bring its original home-based taproom up to code, and had limited parking – which is plentiful at the new location, just a block south of Interstate 90.

With their clientele growing, Wiiest said, “We just realized it was time to go somewhere where we could accommodate more customers and be open more often.”

The new space, a former Good Feet store, is styled after the home taproom, which was only open on Saturdays. Corrugated metal fronts the long, winding bar, the wall behind is done up in brick and an opposite wall is covered with wood from pallets at the old place.

“One of the biggest requests from our customers is that we have the same atmosphere,” Wiiest said.

Along with the six standard beers – Daring Diva Razzberry Wheat, Not Your Average Blonde, 50/50 Amber, Adrenaline Seeker IPA, Board Breaker Brown and Big Air Black Stout – Wiiest has been brewing several small-batch specialties that will be on tap for the opening.

Those include a pilsner, pumpkin ale, an IPA made with locally produced Palouse Pint malt, a fresh-hop double IPA with homegrown Willamette and Centennial, a huckleberry session stout and a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. Cider and wine also will be served.

“I’ve been brewing like crazy,” Wiiest said.  “Every single keg we have is completely full.”

She’s been making the main beers on a borrowed one-barrel (30-gallon) system, which almost doubles the previous capacity but still is tiny. Plans call for further expansion as the taproom business grows.

“We’re still focused on building from the ground up,” Wiiest said, without bank loans. “Everything we’re putting into this, we’re doing ourselves.”