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

Avista preview: Rest of the fest

Rick Bonino

This is the fourth and final in a series of posts exploring the beer lineup for this weekend’s Inland Northwest Craft Beer Festival.

So far, we’ve told you about the fall seasonals, hoppy beers and fruit/sour selections scheduled for the Inland Northwest Craft Beer Festival this weekend.

But that’s only the beginning. Among the other styles being served at Avista Stadium on Friday and Saturday (not counting, of course, all the surprises brewers bring that aren't in the official program):

– Crisp, clean Kolsch ale/lager hybrids are coming from Bennidito’s (Sigrid’s), Fremont (Boat, with custom Skagit Valley malt) and Paradise Creek (Kugar).

– Pouring Pilsners are 7 Seas (253), Boundary Bay (also with Skagit Valley malt) and Icicle (Crosscut).

– More lagers are on the way from Everybody’s (Local Logger), Orlison (Clem’s Gold) and Schooner Exact (Pale Lager).

– Rants & Raves’ Common Punk is in the California common (aka steam beer) style, with lager yeast fermented at ale temperatures.

– Georgetown’s Gusto Crema cream ale is made with oats, Munich malt and medium roast coffee beans.

– Lighter ales include Black Label’s Honey Blonde, Daft Badger’s Final Mile Golden, Diamond Knot Blonde and Paradise Creek’s bigger (6.5 ABV)  Pokerface Blonde.

– Pale ales are arriving in both American styles – Bennidito’s Checkerboard, Fish’s Beyond the Pale and Twelve String’s Arpeggio – and more malt-forward British-influenced interpretations including Paradise Creek J-Dub’s (still with plenty of Northwest hops), English Setter’s Busted ESB, Rants & Raves’ Earl of Idaho and Young Buck’s Old English, aged on French oak chunks and Tahitian vanilla beans.

– Among ambers and reds, look for Badass Backyard’s 5050 Amber, English Setter’s Chukar Nose and Red Setter Retriever, a Randalled River City Red, Silver City’s Ridgetop Red, Top Frog’s coffee-Randalled Espresso Red and Twelve String’s Red Guitar.

– Orlison is bringing both its standard seasonal Boulder Garden Brown and a hazelnut-infused version, while Top Frog features a brown ale fermented in a merlot barrel with locally grown buckwheat.

– Hearty Scotch ales are well-represented by Daft Badger’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch, Laht Neppur’s Piper Canyon, Northern’s Okanogan Highlander, Silver City’s Fat Scotch and Bellwether’s Wind on Sea, brewed with a healthy dose of spruce buds and aged for six months.

– Bigger Belgian styles include Young Buck’s Abbey Dubbel, Republic’s Flying Cloud Tripel and Perry Street’s barrel-aged Chardonnay Tripel.

– Republic also has its smoky Wildfire German rauchbier, while Rants & Raves offers a honeyed Norse-style Aegir’s Grog braggot brewed with ginger and juniper berries.

– Porters pouring are English Setter’s lighter Llewellin, Fremont’s Proletariat, Georgetown (formerly 9LB), Republic’s Big Mischief, Big Barn’s Blackberry, Hopped Up’s infused Orange Vanilla and Icicle’s coconut-accented Dark Persuasion German Chocolate Cake.

– For standard stouts, there’s Iron Goat’s Goatmeal, Paradise Creek’s Invective, Puyallup River’s Mud Mountain Milk Stout and Ten Pin’s Snake Eye, while imperials include Paradise Creek’s rye-spiked Ruskie Juice, Top Frog’s Fallen Frog on nitro, Waddell’s Imperial Alligator Oatmeal Stout, River City’s Midnight Marmot conditioned over raspberries or whiskey-soaked oak chips, and Fish’s huge (13 ABV) Cocoa Nib with licorice and molasses (tapping at 6 p.m. Friday).

– Coffee lovers can look for Black Label’s Espresso Stout, No-Li’s spiced Chai Latte Rise & Grind and Whistle Punk’s barrel-aged Espresso Milk Stout with vanilla.

– For other barrel-aged offerings, check out Big Barn’s Black Dog in Patit Creek syrah barrels; Twelve String’s syrah barrel Blackberry Stout and Double Chocolate Stout aged in Woodford bourbon barrels; and Fremont’s bourbon Dark Star imperial oatmeal stout, on tap Friday from 7 to 9 and Saturday from 4 to 6, followed by a coffee-infused version.

– Finally, if cider is more your style, Fish is serving the Dark & Dry from sister business Spire Mountain (a bourbon barrel-aged rendition is tapping Saturday at 3) and Two Beers is pouring Seattle Cider’s Pumpkin Spice.