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

Your weekly roundup

Rick Bonino

Catching up with more news from the week in local craft beer:

Snow Eater, a new brewery planned for Liberty Lake, on Friday took delivery of its 10-barrel brewing system.

Owners Richard and Erin Whitney originally intended to open in the Tri-Cities but couldn't find a suitable location. They now plan to build in the McKenzie Business Park, off Knox Avenue west of the Quality Inn, and hope to open by year's end if they obtain permits in time to pour concrete this fall.

Snow Eater, named after the Native American term for spring Chinook winds, will produce a range of stronger beers (6 to 10 percent alcohol by volume) that often will include experimental ingredients.

Bellwether on Thursday received two 3.5-barrel fermenters and a bright tank as part of its upgrade from the current 1.5-barrel brewing system. Those will be used in a pilot brewing setup for experiments and blending, with a new main 10-barrel system scheduled for installation in mid-November.

Bellwether is buying its building at 2019 N. Monroe and moving production into the space next to the current brewery, along with an expanded taproom (and possibly a small kitchen), outdoor beer garden and parking.

• An early heads-up on a pair of events next week: Perry Street will release its BodhizafaLite collaboration with Georgetown on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The beer is a mashup of Perry's Session IPL and Georgetown's Bodhizafa IPA, both of which won gold medals at last year's Great American Beer Festival.

And the Inland Northwest Beer Choir is resuming its monthly gatherings starting Monday from 6:30 to 8 at Black Label; come prepared to drink and sing.

• No-Li has announced the first two beers for its FrostFest small-batch festival Dec. 9 at the Spokane Arena: a spiced 'Tis the Saison red saison and a Tritamorphosis Barley Wine brewed with locally grown and malted triticale. Tickets (which must be purchased in advance) are $30 through TicketsWest

• Bombastic is taking online orders for a limited bottle release of its Murder imperial stout, brewed with vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, Ancho chilies and cayenne; bottles will be available for pickup at the Hayden brewery next Saturday.  

• Finally, Daft Badger received a nice mention in a New York Times travel piece about an Inland Northwest fishing trip, which singled out the Coeur d'Alene brewpub's popular Blood Orange IPA.