Bottle Bay sets sail

Bottle Bay Brewing is making a small splash on the Spokane beer scene.

The home-based brewery’s first offering – a more malt-forward, well-balanced IPA – is pouring at the Rocket Market on the South Hill, where owner/brewer Marco Plastino works.

The rich amber-hued beer checks in at around 6.5 percent alcohol by volume and 65 International  Bitterness Units. A light malt sweetness meets moderate citrus notes up front, followed by a spicy, piney finish from a combination of Warrior, Cascade and Chinook. With a fairly soft mouthfeel, it’s flavorful yet easy-drinking.

(Plastino also is a visual artist; while you’re at the Rocket, check out his large, layered mixed-media piece on the patio wall, “Earth Landing Through Time and Space,” a rather cosmic take on a world map.)

Plastino says he’s still getting his single-barrel system dialed in while beginning to ramp up production. The IPA and an accompanying pale ale should start showing up in a few weeks at other places around town, with growler sales at farmers’ markets also in the plans.

“I’ve got three or four accounts lined up and will go from there,” he says. “We’ll see where this takes me.”