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

Fill up on Fremont

Rick Bonino

Fremont takes center stage Saturday as Coeur d’Alene’s Filling Station on 5th celebrates its second anniversary.

Eleven beers from the Seattle brewery will pour for the all-day party beginning at 11 a.m. at the combination growler house/gastropub, most at pint prices of $5 or less.

“It’s been a great year. It’s been fun,” owner Keith Carpenter says. “We want to give back to everybody.”

The lineup includes some of the usual suspects: Summer Ale, Wandering Wheat, Session Pale and The Sister imperial IPA.

Then things get really interesting. There’s also Summer Ale infused with blackberries and mint, Wandering Wheat with pineapple and coconut, and Interurban IPA with Thai basil, ginger and lime.

Toss in a pair of cask-conditioned firkins: the newer Lush IPA with Citra and Mosaic, tapping at noon, followed by Interurban dry-hopped with Chinook at 3 p.m.

And for good measure, add both the 2015 and 2016 vintages of Coffee Cinnamon B-Bomb barrel-aged winter ale.

“I don’t know how I’m going to make it all day,” Carpenter jokes. “I’ll have to take a break and go hike around Tubbs Hill.”

There also will be prize giveaways including special Fremont bottle packs for the customers who kill the firkins. Blow the Interurban and get the 2013 and 2015 First Nail imperial stout with licorice and smoked barley, and this year’s barrel-aged Rusty Nail version; the Lush slayer receives last year’s bourbon barrel-aged Dark Star imperial oatmeal stout plus its coffee and Spice Wars variants.

Most of the action will take place up front in the adjoining Collective Kitchen restaurant, with live music by Gabe Green from 6 to 8.     

The headline for Year Two was the doubling of the beer and cider tap count to 50 in March, with 25 added in Collective Kitchen (operated by Carpenter’s half-brother, Jason Rex) in addition to the original row in the back bar.

A cooler was added around the same time for sour and barrel-aged bottles, to drink there or to go. Each Thursday, four selected bottles are featured at 20 percent off; with any bottle purchase during the following week, you get a raffle ticket for a free bottle drawing the next Thursday.