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

2017: The year in beer

Rick Bonino

Clockwise from top left: Hayden's Bombastic was one of a handful of breweries to launch in Spokane and Kootenai counties; Millwood Brewing looks to become the first newcomer of 2018; Orlison brewer Rachel Nalley receives a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival; the local brewing community was shocked by the untimely death of Iron Goat co-founder Paul Edminster.

The past year in local craft beer saw more breweries opening and in progress (along with a few closures), some new approaches to brewing and continued recognition regionally and nationally:

• The number of breweries nationwide soared past the 6,000 mark, and Spokane and Kootenai counties chipped in with a handful of newcomers – though none followed the traditional stand-alone taproom model.

TT’s Old Iron became the third brewer sharing space in Spokane’s downtown brewery incubator and adjoining Steel Barrel bar. Genus launched as the in-house small-batch brewery at the Nu Home Brew supply shop in Spokane Valley.

Beers by another pair of smaller new Spokane breweries, Four-Eyed Guys and Bottle Bay, are available only at select bars and restaurants on an occasional basis.

And in North Idaho, Hayden-based Bombastic introduced its creative lineup through limited distribution and bottle releases while launching a membership-based barrel-aged series.

• New breweries haven’t abandoned taprooms. After more than a year of distribution to build its brand, Whistle Punk opened its downtown Spokane location in May, and more are on the way for 2018.

Millwood Brewing aims to open sometime next month in the former Cunningham photo studio just west of Argonne on Frederick, while Mountain Lakes looks to launch by March downtown at Riverside and Browne.

Grain Shed also plans a March opening as part of a bakery/brewery complex in the South Perry District using locally grown grains. Snow Eater is shooting to open by summer in Liberty Lake.

In North Idaho, Rathdrum’s Westwood Brewing plans to add a brewery to its current restaurant operation next spring, while work continues on home-based Bent Tree in Athol. And two new breweries, Matchwood and Utara, are taking shape in Sandpoint.

• While  the number of breweries keeps climbing, the growth in craft beer sales is slowing down – leading to predictions of a shakeout as competition increases and the market tightens.

Since mid-October, three area breweries have closed their doors for various reasons: Slate Creek in Coeur d’Alene, Downdraft in Post Falls and New Boundary in Cheney (though Downdraft is teasing an apparent reopening).

River City announced it will close its downtown taproom at year’s end to focus on distributing its beer and beginning to bottle. But while taproom traffic was down, the brewery says, overall sales are stronger than ever.