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

Slate Creek runs dry

Rick Bonino

Slate Creek is closing, just days after being publicly put up for sale.

The Coeur d’Alene brewery has posted a “Last Call” for Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m., pouring pints and filling growlers of the Norse Nectar juniper pale ale and High Route Hefeweizen for the final time.

Slate Creek has been quietly offered for sale by word of mouth for the past several months. Last Thursday, a Facebook post made that public with a “last chance” pitch to cash buyers.

The entire operation – main 15-barrel and pilot two-barrel brewing systems, recipes, taproom etc. – was listed for $310,000. Two lesser options were offered for $120,000: a majority partnership interest in the whole business, or the taproom and two-barrel system only.

Brothers Jason and Ryan Wing opened the brewery, named after their favorite fishing and kayaking spot off the St. Joe River, in March 2013.

It’s the fifth area brewery to close in the past four years, following BiPlane (Post Falls) in 2013, Ramblin’ Road (Spokane) in 2015, and Budge Brothers (Spokane) and Zythum (Fairfield) last year. Moscow Brewing also closed in 2016, but recently reopened under new ownership.

There still are 33 operating breweries in Spokane and Kootenai Counties, with at least nine more in various stages of progress.