Libations: It's what keeps us going. Does that mean we all have drinking problems? Maybe, but who are we to judge?! As for your votes...
Best Brewery came in as somewhat of a surprise, or at least it did to me. With all the new breweries that have opened lately, your top four was identical to last year. Though that does kind of make sense, doesn't it? Iron Goat on top, with No-Li and Laughing Dog right behind. Selkirk wasn't far off either.
| Best Brewery | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | Iron Goat Brewing Company |
| 2 | - | No-Li |
| 3 | - | Laughing Dog Brewing |
| 4 | - | Selkirk Abbey |
| 5 | · | Orlison Brewing Co. |
| 6 | · | Wallace Brewing |
Those four have the perfect combination of a fairly wide distribution network and high quality beer. Will the picture be the same next year? Possibly not: Slate Creek and Republic both received high average scores, but not enough votes to make it into the top six. That could very well change soon. (For what it's worth: We're fans of Slate Creek.)
Orlison and Wallace both hit the list with bullets, and good for them. Orlison goes after a different market than the top four, and they do it well. Wallace? Well. Maybe they got better since we checked them out last?
As for wineries...
| Best Winery | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | Barrister Winery |
| 2 | - | Robert Karl Cellars |
| 3 | - | Townshend Cellar |
| 4 | (5) | Arbor Crest |
| 5 | · | Overbluff Winery |
| 6 | (4) | Mountain Dome Winery |
... we saw little change. People like Barrister. They like Robert Karl. They like Townshend, albeit to a lesser degree. And why not? I can't remember spitting out any of their wines.
Arbor Crest made a small jump up, and Mountain Dome a short one down. Overbluff was the only new entry to the list. Some could say that's boring, other can say the Spokane libation scene has stabilized.
At least for now.
As far as breweries go, we wouldn't be surprised to see a change to what is considered local favorites when more beers are distributed more widely.
But that is a tale to be told next year.
Tomorrow: Best Bar and Best Pizza.