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

Your weekend planner

Rick Bonino

Everything from gourds to Girl Scout cookies to more of the fall’s fresh hops are on this weekend’s local craft beer agenda. A recap of your options:

– The Steel Barrel kicks off its Pumptoberfest weekend today from 5 to 11 with a local taste of Elysian’s Great Pumpkin Beer Festival.

In the tap lineup are four familiar pumpkin offerings from the Seattle brewery – the standard Night Owl, imperial Great Pumpkin, Dark O' the Moon stout and coffee-spiked Punkuccino – plus four more rare specialties: the cinnamon-forward Blight, sessionable Steamy Hollow (a California common-style lager), big Ben's Old Fashioned and bigger Old Gourdfather barleywine.

The Steel Barrel crew is even hollowing out actual pumpkins to serve as pitchers (procured from Big Barn Brewing’s parent farm on Green Bluff, Bodacious Berries Fruits and Brews).

Activities continue Saturday with an Oktoberfest celebration featuring German music, bratwurst, drinking games, a costume contest (with beer prizes) and the requisite 20-ounce mugs ($15 each, first fill is free).

Things wrap up Sunday with more pumpkin beers from Elysian and Uinta plus other seasonals, rotating Randall-infused offerings and fall-themed cocktails.

– Local craft beer again meets its sugary match at the fourth annual Craft Beer & Cookie Fest, Saturday from 4 to 7 at the area Girl Scouts program center, 1404 N. Ash.

Attendance has grown each year so far from roughly 100 people to 200 to 300. The brewery count also continues to increase, up to nine this year: Alaskan, Badass, Black Label, English Setter, Iron Goat, Lagunitas, New Boundary, River City and Waddell’s.

Unlike previous events, this year’s beer and cookie pairings aren’t being revealed ahead of time.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, which includes three 4-ounce beer samples and accompanying cookies plus a bratwurst sandwich from Nick’s Shameless Sausages. A limited number of VIP tickets, featuring five pours plus a souvenir glass, are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

– The Lantern Tap House’s annual Freshtival – delayed a week because of last weekend’s windy conditions – runs today from 4 to 10 and Saturday from 2 to 10 in the outdoor tent.

Fourteen fresh hop beers will be on tap each day, from Oregon and southern Idaho today, and Washington and North Idaho tomorrow (see our previous post for details). Participants will vote for their favorite each day.

Admission is $10, which includes a tasting glass and five drink tokens (6-ounce pour for two tokens, full pint for five); extra tokens are $1 each.

– A fresh-hop offering also will be featured for New Boundary’s Oktoberfest celebration, Saturday starting at 6 p.m. in the Cheney taproom.

The rye pale ale, clocking in around 6 percent alcohol by volume and 40 International Bitterness Units, was brewed with locally grown Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Columbus hops contributed by customers.

The itinerary also includes prize giveaways, bobbing for apples, live music, happy hour pricing (limited-release 20-ounce mugs available) and German sausage and barbecue from Hungry Hound.