What's Hoppin' this Week? 4/17

Happy Easter everyone. The Easter Bunny isn't the only thing hoppin' this weekend, but first a bit of housekeeping. I just created an official 509BeerBlog Group on Facebook. Ideally, this will be a place for folks interested in local beer to share, recommend, chat and list events, big and small that sometimes get overlooked on my weekly posts. It will be community driven so the more folks that join, the better off we'll be.

On to the events...

Thursday, April 18th

- Beerocracy kicks off its four day long celebration of barrel aged beers starting at 4 pm. Every day between now and Sunday they will be releasing special, barrel-aged, beers from some of the biggest names in craft brewing. The release schedule can be found on their Facebook.

- Bottles is having a release party for Lagunitas Brewing's The Waldos' Special Ale from 6 to 9 pm. This beer is apparently very "botanical" and "dank" which could probably put you in the mood for whatever else you may be celebrating later in the weekend (possibly on Saturday?) Facebook.

- McClain's Pizzeria is hosting pint night featuring beers from Ellensburg's Iron Horse Brewing from 6 to 8 pm. Facebook.

Friday, April 19th

- Post Falls Brewing is celebrating their 3rd anniversary with a weekend-long party at their tap house starting at noon. There will be special beer releases, live music, food trucks and lots of fun. Full details can be found on Facebook.

- 12 String Brewing is celebrating the release of their very first pilsner from noon to 10 pm. Facebook.

- Badass Backyard Brewing is looking for help in naming one of their newest creations. From 2 to 9 pm, they will have this unnamed beer on tap for 4-oz samples. After you sample you will attempt to guess as many of the beers' qualities as you can. The person with the best guess wins. Facebook.

- Friday is also the start of the Spokane Home and Garden Expo, which is not something I'd normally post about, but from 5 to 8 pm they will be hosting a Barrel and Brews event. Several local breweries will be on hand your ticket gets you 5 sample tokens, a commemorative tasting glass and access to the rest of the home and garden expo. Facebook.

Saturday April 20th

- Westwood Brewing in Rathdrum, ID is having a party to celebrate their 2nd anniversary starting at 11 am. The event will feature live music, giveaways and a special menu. Facebook.

- Precious Thing Fermentation Project is the name of Spokane's newest nano brewery and they will be officially opening their doors at 2 pm. Please note that because they are so small, they are requesting that folks message them before heading over to ensure that there is room (and parking) for everyone. Facebook.

What's Hoppin' this Week? 2/6

Hi and welcome to a chilly edition of What's Hoppin' this week. The thermometer is reading 10º as I write this inside the 509BeerBlog world headquarters, but we've got some indoor events to keep you warm this weekend. Also the winter edition of the Lester Cup brew off has begun and this time the participants have all brewed strong ales which should go down very nice in this weather. I put a post together last week about it, so check that out for more info. Cheers and stay warm everyone!

Thursday, February 7th

- Speaking of strong beer, Nectar is kicking off their featured February flight which is all about barrel-aged beers. They will be pouring this flight of 4 beers fro 6 to 8 pm. Facebook.

- 12 String brewing is hosting a release event for their newest beer, the B-Side BRUTish IPA from 2 to 9 pm. Stop in to try their take on an extremely popular beer style. Facebook.

- Happy Trails to Brews is hosting the Spokane release party for Deschutes Brewing's new American style pilsner aptly named "Da Shootz!" from 5 to 10 pm. They will have the beer on tap and selling cans to go. Facebook.

Saturday, February 9th

- With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Steady Flow Growler House is hosting a singles night at both their Valley and Downtown Spokane locations. They will be offering food and beer specials all day and night, so stop in and see if you can meet a special someone to split a flight with. Facebook.

Monday February 11th

- English Setter Brewing is celebrating their 5th anniversary with special events all week long including daily releases of special 5 gallon batches beers brewed specially for the occasion. Please check out Facebook for all the details. Congrats on 5 years! 🎉 Facebook.

- Laughing Dog Brewing in Ponderay, ID is hosting a pint night to benefit Community Cancer Services. From 5 to 8 pm, $1 of every pint sold will be donated to this organization. Facebook.

Tuesday, February 12th

- Nectar will be combining it's usual Tuesday night trivia with a party to celebrate the first 12 oz can distribution of Iron Goat Brewing's Buzzsaw McThunder IPA. They will have cans available for purchase and 3 addition Iron Goat beers on tap. 7 to 9 pm. Facebook.

Wednesday, February 13th

- Steady Flow Growler House Downtown is having a special chocolate and beer pairing event. $15 gets you a special beer flight with chocolate pairings. Limited to the first 16 reservations so sign up early. Facebook.

What's Hoppin' this Week? 1/2

Happy new year everyone and welcome to the first 2019 edition of What's Hoppin' this Week. I had a great break visiting family and friends in San Francisco and Reno, and I - of course - managed to find my way to several breweries in both areas. I posted about most of them on Instagram, but it never ceases to amaze me the number of dedicated brewers and craft beer fans that make brewing a viable industry in cities both large and small. Anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season and y'all are ready to attack 2019 with both vim and vigor. On to the beer. Cheers!

Thursday, January 3rd

- Starting at 3 pm and running through Sunday, Pints Alehouse in North Spokane is holding their annual Fidy Fest featuring 5 variations of Ten Fidy Imperials Stout brewed by Colorado's Oskar Blues. This yearly release is always highly sought after so it's a good chance to sample a few different versions. Facebook.

Saturday, January 5th

- Hayden's Bombastic Brewing is opening up their brewhouse (or hangar, technically) on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm for a special release of their 2018 barrel aged beers. They will have several beers on offer and they will only be available on site on a first come, first serve basis so get there early. More info can be found here. 

- Wallace Brewing Company in Wallace, ID is celebrating 10 years in business all throughout the month of January and they are kicking it off by offering a free anniversary pint glass to anyone who buys a pint starting at 1 pm. Congrats on 10 years! Facebook.

- 12 String Brewing has declared January "customer appreciation month" so they will be offering special deals in their taproom all month long. They will be updating their deals frequently so I suggest keeping an eye on their Facebook and Instagram for full details. 

What's Hoppin' this Week? 12/19

Hey and welcome to a Christmas week edition of WHTW. There are plenty of events this weekend to enjoy a few cups of good cheer, so to speak. Just a quick programming note, this will likely be the last What's Hoppin' post of the year since I will be out of town next week, but if you follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, I will do my best to re-post events as I see them, especially anything that may be happening on New Years Eve. I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays, thanks for reading. Cheers!

Resilience IPA Releases

As many of you probably have heard, after the devastating wildfires in Northern California, Sierra Nevada Brewing, located in Chico, CA developed and brewed a special IPA with 100% of the sales of this beer being donated to fire relief efforts in Butte County. They also put out the call to craft breweries world wide to take their recipe, brew the same beer, and donate their sales as well. Well over 1,400 breweries decided to help them out, not to mention suppliers, wholesalers and retailers who have also all agreed to either donate goods or any money received as part of making this beer. It's a pretty amazing thing. Several local breweries have produced Resilience IPA and are beginning to put it out in their taprooms. Here is the list of dates each brewery is planning on releasing their version. Please stop by any of these breweries and grab a pint for a great cause:

12/18

- 12 String Brewing (Spokane Valley)

12/20

- Big Barn Brewing (Mead)

- Paradise Creek Brewing (Pullman)

- Riverport Brewing (Clarkston)

- Humble Abode Brewing (North Spokane)

12/22

- Iron Goat Brewing (Downtown Spokane)

- Hunga Dunga Brewing (Moscow) hast not set an official release date that I have seen but expected it to be ready right around this week.

- No-Li Brewing (University District) is planning on putting out their version in early January.

Thursday, December 20th

- Whistle Punk Brewing is hosting a Christmas Party from 4 to 9 pm featuring six special holiday beers and a special infused beer. Facebook.

- The Steel Barrel is also hosting a "Naughty" Christmas Party starting at 6 pm with drink specials, music and ornament decorating. Facebook.

- All weekend, Mountain Lakes Brewing is offering discounts on their favorite seasonal table blends. You can try their suggestions or invent your own. Facebook.

Friday, December 21st

- River City Brewing is celebrating the winter solstice with their annual Midnight Marmot Fest from 5 to 10 pm. They will be sampling 6+ variations of their classic Midnight Marmot Imperial Stout. Tickets are $21 and includes samples and a commemorative tulip glass if purchased online in advance. Facebook.

Saturday, December 22nd

- Community Pint will be tapping two specials kegs at noon. One is an Imperial Breakfast Stout from Portland's Great Notion Brewing Company and the other is a Sour IPA from Spokane's own Whistle Punk Brewing. Facebook.

Sunday, December 23rd

- Iron Goat is holding their 4th annual Festivus Extravaganza, featuring live music, beer and the airing of grievances. Facebook.

What's Hoppin' this Week? 12/5

Happy December everyone. Here's what we've got this week.

Thursday, December 6th

- The featured flight at Nectar this week celebrates a couple of the most popular breweries in Portland: Eliptic and Breakside. There will be flight specials and reps from both breweries will be on site to chat about beer. Facebook.

- The Blackbird is also debuting a flight of four barrel aged beers they've had in their cellar. $16 for four, 4-oz pours of these special beers. Facebook.

Friday, December 7th

- Mountain Lakes Brewing will be donating $1 of ever pint sold from 3 to 9 pm to local non-profit All Heart Infusion. Come on out and support a great cause. Facebook.

- River City Brewing is hosting their monthly garage party from 4 to 10 pm. As usual, there will be music, art and beer and the Scone Ranger Bakery will be on hand to sell delicious treats. Facebook.

- Steady Flow Growler House Downtown is hosting their very first brewery battle between Post Falls Brewing Company and Spokane's Whistle Punk Brewing. Starting at 6 pm, each brewery will be bringing two beers for folks to blind taste test and vote on and the the winner will be crowned at 8 pm. Raffles and other fun stuff will be happening throughout the evening. Facebook.

Sunday, December 9th

- Valley favorite 12 String Brewing is celebrating their 7th Anniversary with a party from noon to 5 pm. They will be releasing their newest barrel-aged imperial IPA and offering special appetizers for the occasion. Head on down and congratulate them on 7 great years. Facebook.

- Bellwether is getting into the Christmas Spirit by hosting photos with Old World Santa to benefit Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary. They will also be hosting a holiday shop with specials on beer, mead, crafts and other goodies. Facebook.

Monday, December 10th

- Perry Street Brewing is partnering with their Friends at Casper Fry restaurant for their 4th annual Winter Jubilee dinner and beer pairing. Six courses from Casper Fry paired with six PSB beers. Tickets are $65 and should be purchased in advance. Details can be found on Instagram.

What's Hoppin' this Week? 11/7

Hey everybody and welcome to What's Hoppin' this Week? I am heading to Las Vegas this weekend for one last warm-weather adventure before settling in for a long winter up here, but there are a few events in the area this weekend that I'm already bummed to be missing out on. As always, please reach out on social media (@509BeerBlog) if you know of anything I've missed or just want to keep me posted about stuff that may be upcoming. On to the events.

Thursday, November 8th

- Sandpoint's newest brewery, Matchwood, is hosting a fundraiser for several conservation-focused non-profit organizations in Idaho that they are calling "Wild Night for Wilderness" from 4:30 to 8pm. Come out and enjoy beer, live music, raffles and an art auction. Facebook.

- Bellwether is celebrating Saint Leonard with this weeks "Sainted" beer release. The beer they are releasing is a wine-barrel aged beer "similar to a Flanders Red." Pouring from 3 to 9 pm. Facebook.

- Perry Street Brewing is kicking off their annual "Pray for Snow" party from 6 to 10 pm. They will be celebrating all things winter sports with beer, raffles, local vendors classic ski movies and more. Wearing your best "vintage" ski attire is highly recommended. Facebook.

Friday, November 9th

- The Inlander is holding day one of their annual Winter Party from 4 to 9 pm at the downtown Spokane Convention Center. This is a ski-swap and demo showcase, but also features one of my personal favorite brewfests of the year, PowderKeg. The event features about 20 breweries and cideries mostly pouring winter beers. $10 gets you in the door and includes free lift ticket to 49 Degrees North (first 2000 attendees each day.) Beer tokens and sampler packs must be purchased separately once inside. Full details can be found on the event's website.

Saturday, November 10th

- Day 2 of the Inlander's Winter Party runs from 10 am to 7 pm.

- MickDuff's Brewing in Sandpoint is also holding their 3rd annual "Pray for Snow" party from 3 to 11 pm. Beer, games, live music raffles and demos. They are also holding a canned food drive, bring 1 can get a raffle ticket; bring 5 cans get 5 tickets and half off your first pint. This event is all ages till 7 pm and 21+ after that. Facebook.

- 12 String Brewing in the Spokane Valley is holding their annual Barrelfest from noon to 8 pm in their taproom. They will be featuring about 20 different barrel aged beers including some never before released varieties. Facebook.

Sunday, November 11th

- Barrelfest at 12 String continues from 11 am to 5 pm. 

What's Hoppin' this Week? 10/24

Welcome to What's Hoppin' everybody. Time to dig out your favorite costume and get all dressed up to celebrate Halloween at your favorite beer spots this weekend, so let's not waste any time.

Thursday, October 25th

- Community Pint is beginning a 3 night celebration of the some darker, barrel-aged beers that can warm you up as the temperatures start to drop. They'll be tapping 5 barrel-aged beers and a 6th, hazy IPA. They'll be offering a taster flight special from Thursday to Saturday. Facebook.

Friday, October 26th

- Whistle Punk Brewing is hosting their second annual Punktoberfest from 3 to 11 pm at their downtown Spokane taproom. The event will feature nine special release, German-style beers, a special German themed menu from the fine folks at Heritage Bar and Kitchen, music, stein holding contests and other fun stuff. Facebook.

- Downdraft Brewing in Post Falls is holding a "Fright Night Fundraiser" from 6 to 9 pm. A dollar from every pint sold will be donated to Coeur d'Alene-based non profit, Help Every Little Paw, which provides assistance for vet bills for those in need. The event will feature a costume contest, seasonal beer releases, a food truck, karaoke and more. Facebook. 

- Iron Goat Brewing is also celebrating Halloween with a costume party and live music from 7 to 11 pm. Facebook. 

- Bottles, in Millwood, is celebrating the official grand opening of their newly expanded shop/bar with a Fremont Brewing tap takeover starting at 5 pm. Facebook.

Saturday, October 27th

- Whistle Punk continues their Punktoberfest festivities from 3 to 11 pm. 

- Nectar in Kendall Yards is throwing a "I love the 90's" party from 6 to 9 pm. They will be featuring 15 taps of beer from breweries that were around in the 90's, as well as a 90's themed costume contest, a DJ playing all your favorite 90's hits and more. Facebook.

- V-Twin Brewing in the Spokane Valley is celebrating their 2nd anniversary all week and it culminates with a birthday/Halloween bash from 1 to 6 pm. Show up in a costume or V-Twin merchandise and get $1 off pints. It will also be a good opportunity to sample some of the small batch releases they've been putting out to celebrate turning 2. Congrats! Facebook. 

- Black Label Brewing is hosting a Halloween party and costume contest from 7 to 10 pm. There will be live music, raffles, and the best costume wins a free 2019 mug club membership. Facebook.

- Hayden's Mad Bomber Brewing is also getting into the spirit with a Halloween celebration from 8 to midnight. They will be having costume and pumpkin carving contests, giveaways, beer specials and live music. Facebook.

Sunday, October 28th

- Iron Goat and Inland Brewers Unite, Spokane's largest home brew club, are holding their first annual swap meet at Iron Goat's brewhouse from 11 am to 3 pm. Any home brewers are welcome to come down with any equipment they are looking to trade or sell. Iron Goat will also be releasing a special beer they co-brewed with the winner of this years IBU Challenge. Facebook. 

Wednesday, October 31st

- Badass Backyard Brewing is celebrating Halloween on the day with beer specials and a costume contest with several categories. Party starts at 5 pm and costume judging begins around 6. Facebook.

- 12 String Brewing is hosting Halloween-themed trivia and a costume contest from 7 to 9 pm. Best costume will win a $50 gift certificate. Facebook. 

What's Hoppin' This Week? 6/27

An abbreviated version of WHTW. I'm still out of town and it looks to be fairly quiet on the event front overall. Must be everyone prepping for the July 4th Holiday. I'll keep an eye out throughout the rest of the weekend and make additions as I see them, but we don't need a reason to get out and support our favorite local breweries, do we? Drink well.

Wednesday, June 27th

- Slate Creek is hosting this months CDA Full Moon Bike Ride. This coincides with a tap takeover featuring seven beers from Kellogg's Radio Brewing Company. There will be pre-ride food, music and $3 pints throughout the night. Event starts at 7:30 the ride takes off at 9. Instagram.

Thursday, June 28th

- Bellwether is releasing the latest of their "Sainted" beers. This one, named after St. Benno, is a spiced apple ale. This small batch is expected to go quickly, so get down there from 3-9 pm. Facebook.

Saturday, June 30th

- Several Spokane Valley breweries are hosting a brewery bike crawl in association with Mojo Cyclery. Riders will meet at Badass Backyard Brewing's taproom around 5 pm then the group will ride to Hopped Up Brewing, 12 String Brewing, Millwood Brewing and V-Twin Brewing before finishing back up at Badass. Overall the ride is about 2 miles. Instagram.