great weekend..

Aidan was in town this weekend from UW. Good to be with him. My brother was also in town. He is getting to be a Spokane regular. Maybe he will move back. I worked on Friday and missed Terrain which was a bummer. Next year!

Sarah, my brother and I did a bus and walking tour of the local breweries on Saturday. We hit River City (tasting at The Rocket), Iron Goat, Budge Brothers, Steam Plant, and ate dinner at Benniditos. Was going to do NoLi and Ramblin' Road, but RR hasn't opened yet for tasting, according to their phone message, and we seem to go to NoLi a lot.

How about adding 12 Strings (although it's in the Valley),  and the breweries on the north side and the one up on Perry, when they are up and running? That would be epic! How about bicycles instead of the bus and walking? Even better. Still, a $3.50 all day bus pass buys you a lot of time and adventure.

The end of the weekend featured the traditional goat cheese open house in Chattaroy. I can see why Ben Stuckart wants a goat.

Opened up the first bottle of the recently brewed all grain pale ale. I think it's my best beer in years!

Beer!

Bottled my pale ale this week. This is my first batch of all-grain brewed beer in about 20 years. It turned out great!

So, what's next? Well, I have a plum-infused mead/melomel that will be ready to bottle soon and I will be making some apple cider in the next week or so. But, the next beer-centric event is definitely the Inland Northwest Craft Beer Festival. I've been going to this since its inception. Back then, it was called "Oktoberfest." Yes, now it is called the "Inland NW Craft Beer Festival." Rolls off your tongue doesn't it?

Newspaper articles have been making a big deal of how this year's festival will no longer be Oktoberfestish. However, last year there was no German food or music, and worse yet, no fräuleins in dirndls. and I think maybe the year before was like this, as well. No matter what it's called, my first move, when I go to this event, is to upgrade to the collectible mug.

Spokane's brewery scene is exploding. And having been homebrewing for about 25 years and watching the microbrewery booms and busts during this time, I think if you don't get out there and partake in what local micro (make that "craft") breweries are up to right now, you will regret it. Sarah and I were on the west side recently, trying out their offerings. Spokane's are just as good, sometimes better and the diversity of our beer and ale styles are much more pronounced.

So, come rain or shine, I plan on being at the festival tomorrow. Maybe I will see you there! If you plan on going, buy your ticket at the festival website and save $5.