Your weekly roundup
Catching up with more news from the past week in local craft beer:
– It’s fresh hop season, and area brewers are busy bringing you the results of this year’s harvest.
Paradise Creek, Perry Street and Trickster’s all snagged Simcoe during the week for their offerings, while Twelve String will brew a Simcoe on Wednesday and a Mosaic red later, and Orlison has one on the way with Centennial. Laughing Dog will mix commercial Amarillo with random hops collected from customers, MickDuff's and Slate Creek also are looking for local hops and Iron Goat has the picking party next Saturday for its annual community Spo-Hop.
The earliest regional arrival, from Seattle’s Two Beers, has been showing up at such spots as Manito Tap House and Waddell’s Neighborhood Pub.
– Beers from Bend’s much-ballyhooed Boneyard have made their way to the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area courtesy of Click Distributing East. Along with the flagship RPM IPA, look for Skin N Bones session IPA, Hop Venom double IPA, Bone-A-Fide pale and Diablo Rojo red on draft at select accounts.
– The Washington Beer Commission’s Inland Northwest Craft Beer Festival, coming to Avista Stadium Sept. 23-24, is again welcoming North Idaho breweries into the mix. Coeur d’Alene’s Daft Badger and Moscow’s Rants & Raves are among the 40 breweries on the list, up from last year's 30.
– Speaking of Daft Badger, its 22-ounce bottled lineup – which now includes Scotchy Scotch along with the Badger’s Bounty and Summer Envy IPAs and Josiah’s Revenge stout – are available these days at Enoteca in Post Falls as well as at the taproom.
– Coeur d’Alene’s Crafted Tap House has opened a sister establishment next door, Victory Sports Hall, which also offers 50 taps and a gastropub menu along with two 165-inch LED video walls for game action.
– Downdraft in Post Falls, now open seven days a week with extended hours, is adding a happy hour Monday-Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. with $1 off pints.
– Finally, congratulations to Todd Grove, who moves up to head brewer at River City with Moose Sanders’ departure to explore new adventures. Grove, also a longtime Manito Tap House staff member, is one of the few certified Cicerones around the area and eager to expand River City’s roster with more experimental styles; stay tuned.