Breweries, wineries, and distilleries are popping up around like... nice looking weeds?... and bars all of a sudden are falling over themselves to put the latest limited edition beers on tap. Yes, times are good for booze hounds, so let's just kick this off with Best Brewery...
| 1 | · | Iron Goat Brewing Company |
| 2 | (4) | No-Li |
| 3 | (1) | Laughing Dog Brewing |
| 4 | · | Selkirk Abbey |
| 5 | (3) | 12 String Brewing Co. |
| 6 | (2) | Budge Brothers |
And Iron Goat hits the top spot with a bullet, something they well deserve. Their Impaler Impaler IPA has already turned into a local favorite, and we expect to hear a lot more from this brewery over the next year.
No-Li has of course made a huge comeback this year, and some impressive marketing apparently has caught the minds and hearts of the voters, enough so that two time Best of... winner Laughing Dog was sent down to #3, closely followed by fellow North Idaho brewery Selkirk Abbey. With 12 String and Budge Brothers rounding out the top six, we're pretty impressed with the whole list. As with coffee, beer culture is starting to take root in Spokane.
| 1 | - | Jones Radiator |
| 1 | (3) | Bon Bon |
| 3 | (4) | The Lantern Tavern |
| 4 | · | Manito Tap House |
| 5 | · | Boots Bakery & Lounge |
| 6 | (2) | The Hop Shop |
Jones took this one home by a tiny fraction, so we decided fair is fair, and named both it and Bon Bon number one. One is better known for a great beer selection, the other for classic cocktails. In fact, it's interesting to see Jones, Lantern, Manito, and Hop Shop doing so well here -- a lot of people have opinions on which is the spot for beer in town, and as close as the vote was here, there really wasn't a clear answer. Had we kept the poll open for another week, the result could have looked different.
Finally, Boots hit another list with a bullet. Very impressive seeing they've only been open for a few months.
Next up: Best winery and coffee roaster.