Green Bluff is calling

Things are blooming again on Green Bluff, from its fields to its breweries.

The 14th annual Blooms on the Bluff this Mother’s Day weekend kicks off the visitor season with activities across the agricultural area north of Spokane, including Big Barn and 238 Brewing:

– Big Barn presents a concert by bluegrass favorites Kevin Brown & The Beloved Country tonight at 7, with the Tacos Tijuana food truck on hand; admission is $8 at the door.

And it follows up Sunday with Art on the Bluff starting at noon, featuring works by eight arts and crafts vendors from handcrafted cards to candles to wooden utensils, music by singer/songwriter Frankie Ghee and food by Big Gun BBQ.

Big Barn, which operated over the winter out of the large barn that houses its seven-barrel brewing system, last weekend opened its smaller, separate (and uninsulated) taproom for the season. Beer will be served out of both spaces for special events.

There will be music most Sunday afternoons during the summer and occasionally other times, like tonight and the Winona Forever show May 27.

As always, seasonal beers will include ingredients from the bluff. Miss Maggie’s Lavender IPA returned last week, joining an Apricot Wit using frozen fruit from last season. The Strawberry Blonde will be back later next month.

And two more acres are being added to the onsite hop yard, up from its previous quarter-acre, to provide homegrown hops for the flagship Dunn Day IPA (named after the intersection of roads leading to the brewery).    

Owner/brewer Craig Deitz also has his big Black Dog Stout aging in wine barrels, and plans to procure rum, brandy and bourbon barrels for future experiments.     

Brewery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

– At 238, mothers will get $1 off their beers both Saturday and Sunday as part of Mugs for Mom. Family Pitmasters barbecue will be on hand Saturday, and there will be special surprises for mothers on Sunday.

And hang in there, dads: Pints for Papas is planned for June 17, the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend, with a return visit by Family Pitmasters and music by Nate Corning. (There’s always a 20 percent military discount.)

The brewery reopened last month after closing for winter at the beginning of the year. Hours are Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6, which will be extended when the weather warms.

There’s still some of the Citra single-hop, single-malt Ice Breaker IPA that was tapped for the April opener. Other new beers are in the works, with brewing capacity being doubled to a four-barrel system.

The deck around the cozy alehouse also has been expanded, and will be semi-enclosed for three-season use. Look for cornhole tournaments later this summer.