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? 10/31

Happy Halloween everybody. We've got a few events as we begin our march towards the holiday season, so let's get right to it.

Thursday, November 1st

- Pints Alehouse is hosting their 5th annual Barrel-Aged Beer event featuring beers from Colorado's Avery Brewing starting today and running through Sunday. They will be offering 10+ barrel-aged beers. Facebook.

Friday, November 2nd

- River City is holding their monthly, first Friday Garage Party. As usual, they will be serving up some special beers, live music and bringing a food truck. 4 to 10 pm and all ages are welcome. Facebook. 

- The Rocket Market on Spokane's South Hill is having another beer class this time focusing on "Beer to keep you warm." Atendees will be learning about and sampling several winter beers, including a some rare barrel-aged beers. The event is from 7 to 9 pm and tickets are $25. This event is limited to 30 people so reservations are suggested. Facebook.

Saturday, November 3rd

- Hayden's Mad Bomber Brewing is celebrating their 5th anniversary with an all day party starting at 11 am and a special anniversary beer release. There will be giveaways, games, food and all sorts of other fun. Happy anniversary! 🎉 Facebook. 

- Big Barn Brewing in Mead is celebrating the end of their harvest season with a party and fundraiser for local non-profit Spokane Edible Tree Project. $1 from each pour all day will be donated to this great cause and there will be food and games. Facebook.

- The Hidden Mother Brewing Company in Liberty Lake is hosting a tap takeover at The Rocket Market from 5 to 8 pm. You will have a chance to sample several of their beers all in one place, which is good because they don't yet have a taproom. Facebook.

Sunday, November 4th

- Westwood Brewing in Rathdrum, ID has been open as a restaurant for a while now, but they are finally ready to release their first two house-brewed beers and they are throwing a party to celebrate. Starting at 11 am they are releasing a scotch ale and a hazy IPA and pints will be just $2 until the first keg of each is gone, so get there early. Facebook.

Tuesday, November 6th

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Wednesday, November 7th

- River City is hosting several local breweries for the first "Experience Pale Invitational" from 5 to 8 pm in their brewery. River City, Whistle Punk, Iron Goat, and Perry Street will all be bringing specially brewed pale ales and they will all be available in flights. Tickets are $15 and should be purchased in advance because it is limited to 50 people. I've already got my tickets, so I apologize in advance if next week's edition of WHTW is a bit delayed. Facebook.

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? 10/17

Hello and thanks for visiting as always. I've got no extra wisdom to impart today, so let's get right to the events so we can all enjoy this unseasonably warm weather. Cheers!

Thursday, October 17th

- If you're looking for a way to drink beer and do some needed volunteer work, Second Harvest Food Bank is holding their October "Volunbeer" event with Fremont Brewing. The event/fundraiser starts goes from 5:30 to 8 pm. The first hour will be spent helping to sort food in the volunteer center and during the second half of the event, a member of the Fremont Brewing team will be on site pouring samples of several of their beers and after sampling, you get a full pour of your favorite. There will also be light appetizers. The event is $25 and space is limited so you can register on the Second Harvest website.

- Nectar's flight of the week features beers from Seattle's Holy Mountain brewery. Considered by many to be one of the best breweries in the state, their beer is not yet easy to find east of the Cascades, so it's a great opportunity to check them out. 6 to 8 pm. Facebook.

- Bellwether is hosting a pint night benefit for the local non-profit Spokane Edible Tree Project. $1 from every pint sold from 5 to 8 will be donated. Facebook.

Friday, October 18th

- Post Falls Brewing is hosting another Pie and Pints night. As usual they'll be paring their beers with hand-pies from Bean and Pie. You can shoot them a Facebook message to reserve mini pies or whole pies that you can pick up at the event. 5 to 7 pm. Facebook.

Saturday, October 20th

- Northern Idaho's newest brewery, Matchwood Brewing Company is holding their grand opening celebration from 2 to 10 pm at their new Sandpoint brewhouse. In addition to all the new beer, there will be food, music and a community fundraiser. Cheers to everyone involved. I can't wait to get out that way. Facebook.

- Also in Sandpoint on Saturday, Utara Brewing is holding their first annual Harvest Fest. They have invited several local breweries to pour their various Fall beers at the event and there will be a food truck on site to get everyone fed. Facebook.

- Legendary downtown Spokane watering hole, The Viking, is holding their "OktoBeerFest" starting at 5 pm. They will be featuring specialty Oktoberfest and pumpkin beers, as well as German food, tavern games and live music. $5 cover or bring a new or lightly used coat to donate to Coats4Kids and get in free. Facebook. 

Tuesday, October 23rd

- Fresh hop season is coming to a close 😢 and Community Pint is holding a "kill the keg" event starting at 5 pm featuring their remaining fresh hop beers. For every fresh hop pint sold, they will be donating $2 to local Spokane non-profit, The Lands Council. Facebook.

Wednesday, October 24th

- Reps from Portland's Gigantic Brewing will be at Nectar from 6 to 9 pm for a tap takeover. They will be pouring pints and chatting about their beer. Facebook.

What's Hoppin' this Week? 10/10

Welcome to WHTW. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you likely saw that I spent last weekend in Boise, ID for the Hoptober Freshtival hosted by Boise Brewing. Being my first trip to Boise, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The festival had 20-30 breweries mostly from Southern Idaho and Oregon, so it was a great chance to try a lot of breweries I'd never even heard of before. After the event, we explored the area and sampled all the breweries (and tap-houses) downtown Boise had to offer. All told, we hit eight or nine breweries and a couple other beer bars and had a blast. It's just an hour flight from Spokane, so if you're looking for a weekend trip to a good beer town, it's a solid option.

On to the events. Cheers everyone!

Thursday, October 11th

- Bellwether's Sainted beer release this week is their "Gru-it Ourselves" which features fresh hops and fresh botanicals supplied by friends and patrons of Bellwether. They'll be pouring from 3 to 9. Facebook.

Friday, October 12th

- The Lantern Tap House is kicking off day one of their Fresh Hop Festival by featuring fresh hop beers from Oregon. Starting at 4 pm, they'll have a tent set up and will be pouring 14 different fresh hop beers. The $15 ticket package gets you a tasting glass and your first pint. Extra tickets are available for $1 each. For a full beer list, check out their Facebook.

Saturday, October 13th

- Community Pint is having reps from Seattle's Fremont Brewing in for a fresh hop workshop from 1 to 3. The event will be part tasting and part lesson. The reps will be bringing several of Fremont's fresh hop beers and talking about everything that goes in to making them. The event is limited to only 25 people and last I heard there were just a small number of tickets still available, so don't wait, because they may already be gone. Facebook.

- Day two of the Lantern Fresh Hop Festival starts at 2 pm and features beers from all over Washington. Facebook.

- Daft Badger Brewing in CD'A is hosting their Fresh Hop Harvest Fest party from 2 to 8 pm. They'll be release two new Fresh Hop Beers and a special Oktoberfest Märzen. Live music and special food from their excellent kitchen will be available. Facebook.

- Post Falls Parks and Rec is holding a "Shoes and Brews 5k Fun Run" at Kiwanis Park in Post Falls from 2 to 5 pm. The run is non-competitive and self-timed and they will be giving out prizes for the best costume. Your 21+ registration includes two, post race drink tickets from the on-site beer garden, but the run is all ages. Registration info can be found on Facebook.

- The Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho are holding their 6th annual Craft Beer and Cookie Fest fundraiser from 4 to 7 pm at 1404 N. Ash St. in Spokane. They will be paring local beers with all your favorite Girl Scout cookies and you get to vote on your favorite combo. They will also have live music, food trucks and and games. Tickets are $25. 21+ only. Facebook.

- Badass Backyard Brewing is again working with Mojo Cyclery to host another Valley Brewery Bike Crawl. Participants should meet at Badass no later than 5:30 pm and the route will be determined based on numbers and the weather. Facebook.

- Steady Flow Growler House Downtown is celebrating the end of the road construction in front of their shop by throwing a party from 6 to 8 pm. The event will feature bar games, live music and Kill the Keg pricing on some of their beers. Facebook.

What's Hoppin' this Week? 10/3

Another week, another addition of WHTW. There is quite a bit going on in town this weekend, but I'm heading down to Boise for the "Hoptober Freshtival." It'll be my first time in Boise, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the city (and mostly the local breweries) have to offer. If you know of any must-visits while I'm there, please get at me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Cheers everybody!

Thursday, October 4th

- Steel Barrel and Zona Blanca are hosting a "Send off to Summer Party" from 5 to 8 pm. They will be pairing the last of the summer beers from Golden Road Brewing with some special ceviche from chef Chad White. Limited to the first 24 people through the door. Facebook.

- Nectar in Kendall Yards is serving up their bi-monthly featured flight starting at 6 pm. The flight will include beers specifically from craft breweries that have been around since the 90's. This will kick off an entire month of 90's themed celebrations, so keep an eye out for more. 

- The Filling Station on 5th in CD'A is having a party to celebrate being the first spot in Idaho to have beer from Delaware's Dogfish Head Brewing on tap. They've got several special kegs lined up and will be giving out swag all night. 5 to 9 pm. Facebook. 

Friday, October 5th

- River City Brewing is hosting their monthly First Friday Garage Party From 4 to 10:30. Beer, food, live music and art. Halloween costumes are, of course, encouraged. Facebook.

- The Growler Guys in CD'A will be pouring the last three annual releases of Deschutes Black Butte Reserve. It's an 80's-themed event to honor Deschutes 1988 founding, so feel free to dress the part. Facebook.

- The Steel Barrel is hosting Fremont Brewing for their traveling fresh hop fest from 5 to 11 pm. They'll be featuring all three of "Field to Ferment" Fresh Hop Pale Ales and some other special beers. Facebook.

Saturday, October 6th

- The Manito Tap House is holding a 7th anniversary party and fresh hop event featuring 22+ fresh hop beers as well as food specials, live music and giveaways. Facebook.

- Also with reason to celebrate, Steady Flow Growler House in the Spokane Valley is turning 3 this weekend and is will be hosting a parking lot party from 1 to 6 pm. There will be several special beers on tap, games and giveaways all day. Facebook.

- Arbor Crest Cellars and their in-house brewery, Square Wheel, are having an Oktoberfest party from noon to 5 pm. Beer, games and live music are all in store. Facebook.

- Veterans Community Response, a local non-profit that supports combat veterans as they return home, is holding an Oktoberfest fundraiser from 6 pm to midnight. The event will feature several local beers, food, music, a silent auction and more. More details can be found on their Facebook page.

Sunday, October 7th

- Oktoberfest celebrations continue at Arbor Crest from noon to 5 pm. Facebook.

What's Hoppin' this Week? 9/26

Hey and welcome to What's Hoppin' this week. I hope everyone that made it out to the beer festival at Avista stadium last weekend had a great time. Judging by the way I felt sunday, I probably had a little too much fun, but it was an awesome event as always and thanks to all the brewers who made it out there, and to WABL for keeping everything organized.

 We've got lots of great events this weekend, especially if you own a good pair of lederhosen. Oktoberfest celebrations have arrived. As always, hit me up with any thoughts, omissions, praise, etc. either here or on FB, Twitter and Instagram. Prost, folks!

Thursday, September 27th

- Iron Goat Brewing has been celebrating Oktoberfest all week and the festivities run all the way through Sunday. They've released two Oktoberfest beers, a märzen and a bock, and are doing a special menu featuring German-inspired fare. I stopped by last night and I can confirm it was delicious. Facebook.

- Perry Street Brewing is celebrating both Oktoberfest and fresh hop season this weekend with their annual Hoptoberfest celebration. The event kicks off at 2 pm, runs through Friday night, and will feature special release beers, German food and other fun. Facebook.

- Bellwether has two different, pilsen-inspired lagers as part of their "Sainted" release this week honoring St. Wenceslas and St. Matthew. Facebook.

- Big Barn Brewing in Mead is holding a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Spokane County from 4 to 8 pm out in their, uh, big barn. The all-ages event will feature food from Big Gun BBQ as well as music, games and raffle prizes. Facebook. 

- The Pacific Northwest chapter of the American Water Works Association, a non-profit organization that works to improve water quality and supply in the Northwest and all over the world, is hosting their 4th annual "No Water No Beer" event at Overbluff Cellars in downtown Spokane from 6 to 9 pm. Several local breweries will be pouring and there will be food from the always great Santé restaurant group. The event also features a silent auction and other opportunities to help this organization. Tickets are $45. Facebook.

Friday, September 28th

- Bellwether is turning 3 years old this weekend and is celebrating with even more special beer releases. Starting at 3, they will be pouring 5 different variation of the same base beer with each one containing different ingredients from their own backyard gardens. Congrats on three years! Facebook.

- If you're still looking for Oktoberfest celebrations in the area, Spokane Centerplace Event Center in the Spokane Valley is holding a weekend-long celebration featuring beer, food, two stages of music, even wiener dog races. The event kicks off at 4 and runs through Sunday. Facebook.

- Boise's Payette Brewing is having at tap takeover at the Newport Growler Guys starting at 6 pm. Instagram.

- Riverfront Park is hosting the final Friday Night Flight event of season and it features cider this time, from One Tree Cider House. Facebook.

Saturday, September 29th

- Bellwether is having their official 3 year anniversary party with a special release of their flagship Braggot, Seawolf, that has been aged in Gin Barrels from Dry Fly. There will be march giveaways throughout the day and other fun activities. 1 to 10 pm. Facebook. 

- MickDuff's Brewing in Sandpoint is hosting their own Hoptoberfest starting at 11 am and it will feature flights of both fresh hop and Oktoberfest beers, live music and food trucks. 21+ after 7 pm. Facebook.

Sunday, September 30th

- The 3rd annual "Boobs n' Beer 5k Fun Run" sponsored by 7B Women and MickDuff's Brewing is taking place starting at 11 am in Sandpoint. This event will raise money for cancer charities in the area. The run will take place along the Sand Creek Trail and will finish with a family friendly Oktoberfest at MickDuff's Brewing that will includes food trucks and games for kids. Early registration is $40 for adults (includes the run and a beer) and $10 for kids 12 and under. Facebook. 

What's Hoppin' this Week? 9/19

Welcome to What's Hoppin' this Week. I hope you've had a chance to go fresh hop hunting this past week. There have been a lot of very good ones already released and more are on the way. If you need something to read, The Seattle Times put out an amazing multi-media story about the fresh hop process. It's well worth your time. Anyway, let's get to it. Cheers!

Thursday, September 20th

- Mountain Lakes Brewing is celebrating the beginning of the WABL Inland NW Craft Beer Festival with $3 pints from 3 to 6 pm. Just a heads up that their the tap room will be closed on Friday and Saturday while the boys are out pouring at the festival.

Friday, September 21st

- As I mentioned above, this weekend is the Washington Beer Lovers Association's Inland NW Craft Beer Festival at Avista Stadium. This is one of the largest beer festivals in the area, with 42 breweries pouring over 180 beers. There will be a lot of heavy hitters from the West Side making their way over here for the event, so you'll get a chance to sample a lot of stuff that may only be around once a year. Check out the beer list, it's... large. Tickets are $20 in advance (more at the door) and include a commemorative sample glass and six, 5-oz tasters. The event runs on Friday from 4 to 9 pm. Please note that this event is 21 and over on Friday night. For more info and tickets check out Facebook.

Also, while you're there, I highly recommend signing up to join the Washington Beer Lovers Association. Paid members will get extra sample tokens and access to a members only beer. I'm a huge fan of their passport program which lets you check-in at craft breweries across the State and earn rewards for the more you visit. WABL reps will be on hand to answer questions.

- Downtown Coeur d'Alene is hosting an Oktoberfest from 4 to 9 pm. There will be 30+ beers and ciders on tap, live music, food and fun. Tickets are $25 and include a commemorative glass and eight, 4-oz tasters or two full beers. Keep in mind you can dress up in a lederhosen or dirndl and receive a free meal ticket. Facebook.

- Friday Night Flights in back from 5 to 8 pm in Riverfront Park and features beers from both Iron Goat and No-Li this week. Facebook.

Saturday, September 22

- The Inland NW Craft Beer Festival continues from noon to 6 pm. In addition to the beer, Saturday is an all-ages event and there will be a special kids area with games and attractions. Facebook.

- Oktoberfest in downtown CD'A is also back from noon to 9 pm. Facebook.

- Badass Backyard Brewing is hosting Sour Saturday, featuring 5 sour beers in their tap room from noon to 9 pm. Facebook. 

- Top Frog Brewing in Newport is holding an "End of Summer Bash" starting at 2 pm, featuring beer, and live music. They've got some artists scheduled to perform but are also encouraging any musicians who want to play to come on out. Facebook.

- Today is also the first day of the Green Bluff Harvest Festival which runs through October 28th. In addition to the festivities, there are several great places to check out and sample while you're in the area, including 238 Brewing, Big Barn Brewing and Hierophant Meadery. They may be hosting special events throughout the 5 weeks of the festival (I'll be keeping an eye on it) but even if they aren't, they are definitely worth the trip. 

What's Hoppin' this Week? 9/12

The hop harvest is in full swing and breweries all across the region a busily prepping their fresh hop beers. Several local spots, including 12 String, River City and Whistle Punk have already put out fresh hop IPAs this season and that number will only continue to rise. In light of this, I thought that a brief intro to fresh hops would be in order. For more info, talk to your friendly neighborhood brewer.

For those interested, this article provides a pretty good rundown of what the terms mean, but essentially because the Yakima Valley is the top producer of hops in the US, the Pacific and Inland Northwest breweries have the best access to right off the vine hop cones. These fresh hops can either be used "wet" - i.e. right off the vine, or kiln-dried. Either way, they expire very quickly and need to go from vine to brew within 24 hours. Fresh hops are less concentrated than traditional hop pellets, so more are needed in the brewing process and they generally have more grassy, floral notes and less bitterness than most traditional IPAs. Even if you aren't generally an IPA enthusiast, I suggest tracking down a fresh hop beer and giving it a shot because you really can taste the freshness and it's a wholly different experience than a traditional "hoppy" beer. These beers are only around while the harvest is going, so you'll see a lot of them between September and Mid-October.

I'll be re-posting any info I see from local breweries about their fresh-hop releases, so keep an eye on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, all of our favorite local beer bars and bottle shops are working hard to bring in fresh hop beers from around the region, so be sure to visit them as well.

Anyway, enough beer-nerd stuff. Here's what's hoppin' this week.

Thursday, September 13th

- The Lantern Tap House in the Perry district is kicking off their annual Sour-Fest by featuring several specialty, bottled, sours. Starting at 4 pm. You can purchase a $10 package, good for every day of the festival that includes a custom tasting glass and your first beer. For more info, including a beer list, check out their Facebook.

- Perry District brewery and bakery, The Grain Shed, is having a release party for their first fresh hop beer, a version of their Baronesse Pilsner brewed with Willamette fresh hops. The brewers and the farmers who grew both the grains and the hops will be there to hangout and answer questions. Everything kicks off at 5 pm. Facebook.

- The Bellwether "Sainted" beer release is a "very" dry-hopped IPA to honor the patron saint of hop growers, St. Hildegard of Bingen. Get down to taste it from 3 to 9 pm. Facebook.

Friday, September 14th

- Sour Fest brings the party to The Lantern's outdoor beer garden and will be sampling 11 different sour beers from 4 to 10 and will also feature live music. Facebook.

- Post Falls Brewing is doing a tap takeover at the CD'A Growler Guys. The brewers will be on hand and the event page promises "shenanigans." Facebook. 

- This week's Friday Night Flights in Riverfront Park features beer from Iron Goat. There are only a few weeks left of this event for the year, so get out there if you haven't checked it out. Facebook.

Saturday, September 15th

- The final day of Sour Fest features 11 additional sours for you to sample and live music. Facebook.

- Post Falls Brewing is hosting their Oktoberfest celebration all day in their tap room. They'll be releasing four new beers, live music all day and a couple food trucks. Facebook. 

- Iron Goat is hosting their 8th annual SPO HOP event where they are asking people to bring in their homegrown brewing hops and people who want to pick them. All donators and pickers will receive 50% off their SPO HOP pints in the tap room. Facebook.

- The Monroe Street Business District is celebrating the grand reopening of the street with a car show and block party. Bellwether is getting in on the fun and releasing a new beer to celebrate the reopening and the beginning of Fall. Facebook.

Lester Cup Winner Announced

Congratulations to Mountain Lakes Brewing for winning the first annual Lester Cup brew off. They will be back next year to defend their title and I've heard that the hope is to have even more breweries participating next time, so the competition while only get more fierce (or as fierce as brewing competitions can get.) Don't forget to save your completed voting stubs to get access to the awards party (details TBD).

What's Hoppin' this Week? 9/5

Happy September everyone and welcome to What's Hoppin' this Week. Let's get right to it.

Thursday, September 6th

- Nectar in Kendall Yards is celebrating fresh hop season all month and are kicking it off with a special flight of IPAs. Flights are pouring from 6 to 8 pm and are $10 each or $5 for beer club members. Full details including a full beer list can be found on Facebook.

- Bellwether has been celebrating the opening of their stretch of Monroe by releasing a new beer Tuesday through Friday this week from 3 to 6 pm. All beers are available in limited quantities, so if you really want to try something, get down there on the day it's released. All the particulars can be found on their Facebook. 

Friday, September 7th

- River City is hosting another garage party for First Friday. The events kicks off at 4 pm and as usual, will feature beer specials, art and live music. Bardic Brewing will be there serving up pizza. Facebook.

- Post Falls Brewing is hosting another Pie + Pints night with beer and hand pies from Bean and Pie. 5 to 7 pm. Facebook.

- Local Spokane non-profit Beyond Pink is hosting a beer fest fundraiser from 4 to 10 pm on 3rd Ave. between Jefferson and Madison in downtown Spokane. The event will feature beers from several local breweries, as well as food, crafts and live music. All proceeds go right back into the local community. No cover charge and if you wear something pink, you get $1 off a pint. Facebook.

- The Lands Council, another local non-profit, is also hosting their annual Brewftop Party to raise money and awareness of their work in preserving natural habitats in the Inland NW. Food, beer and music will all be available. It all takes place from 5 to 9 pm in Kendall Yards. Facebook.

- This week's Friday Night Flights and Trivia event in Riverfront Park features beer from River City. 5 to 8 pm. Facebook.

Saturday, September 8th

- Steady Flow Growler House is holding the official grand opening party for their new Downtown Spokane location. The main party is from 4 to 8 and will feature a tap takeover from their building co-tenant River City. Raffles and other fun stuff will be happening throughout the day, and the first 100 people through the door starting at noon will receive a free branded glass growler. Congrats on getting open. Facebook.