(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

It's hard to beat good mugs or cups for serving your coffee, but they're not exactly portable. In other words, if you, like us, tend to make your coffee at home in the morning, you will need some sort of vessel to transport the coffee in if you're driving, walking, or bicycling to work.

There are some options: An old fashioned thermos is great, but more optimal for larger quantities. There's the mason jar, but it's not exactly practical, even with a Cuppow (our Cuppow review: Not as good of an idea as it looks; it kinda sucks.) And as far as paper cups go, well, save a tree and all that.

Our favorite solution thus far is the KeepCup. These cups were developed by a pair of Australian baristi who found that most commuter mug were bulky, ugly, and of non standard sizes. The latter was a problem, as the cups didn't fit under espresso machines, and it was hard to get a proper coffee to milk ratio. 

Their solution, the KeepCup, is a set of cups that are nicely designed, aesthetically speaking, and that are very usable. The food-grade plastic is lightweight and holds the heat of the coffee without being too hot to the touch. More importantly, the lid sits on the cup tightly, and a plug seals the sipper hole well. When you drink, you can put the plug into a blind hole, and it's neatly tucked away.

In other words, the KeepCup does the simple task of keeping you coffee warm until you're ready to drink it. (Within reason, mind you -- this isn't a thermos.) Like all well designed products it does its job without getting in the way -- that is often easier said than done.

You can get the cups in 4, 8, 12, and 16 ounce varieties, with personalized colors. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, and fit in most standard cup holders. The two smaller sizes should fit with most espresso machines.

As far as an on-the-go travel mug goes, the KeepCup is a well-designed, well-executed product. You should probably give it a consideration for your traveling coffee needs.

Update: Open registration is closed for now -- show up for May 17th in your most dapper red, white, and blue uniform to fight to the death for a chance to claim the final spot.

You smell that? That's the scent of the remnants of #SpoBREW, last year's homebrewing event which spawned the follow-up charity brew-off, SpoBREWING for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We might have called the latter #SpoBREW2, but really, it was more #SpoBREW1.5. How do we know? Because, holy crap, mark your calendars, #SpoBREW2 is happening on August 25th!

So what all will go down? Well, most nothing but the date is set in stone, but we already have nine teams signed up after yesterday's pre-announcement. Seeing that we want to keep the number of contestants relatively low, we urge you to sign up right now, if you have any interest in competing. Send a mail to team@spocool.com and we'll add you to the list as long as there is space.

But where will the event be held? Will there be a beer-art contest this year? How will this all work? Etc.?!

These are all good questions, and while we have most of the answers somewhere in the back of our minds, we will have a #SpoBREW2 planning meeting on Thursday, May 17th, 6:30pm, at Jones Radiator. Stop by, and we'll see if we can't make some plans in the type of harmonious unity where we reserve the right to have a despot-style final say.

And yes, May 17th is Norway's Constitution Day, so we will celebrate that too. It's a win-win meet-up. Preferential treatment will be given to those who dress as Norwegian as possible, preferably in red, white, and blue.

So to sum up:

E-mail team@spocool.com right now if you want to brew in the contest.

Show up at Jones Radiator on May 17th, 6:30pm, if you'd like to help plan some contest details.

Have your beer ready for August 25th, when #SpoBREW2 goes down.

#SpoBREW2: This time it's personal.

We ventured into the deep bowels of the Valley to check out Twelve String Brewing Co's taproom. And we're fairly literal when we say "deep": This spot is located within a stripmall in an industrial part of the Valley that, somewhat strangely, also houses a winery and a chocolate store. Go figure.

Anyway, the interiors of the taproom are quite inviting, and the space looks pretty much like a taproom should look like. Lots of wood, a fairly large bar, and some high tables scattered around. Not super fancy, but then again why would it be?

About half a dozen of their beers are featured on tap, alongside a "guest handle", and a cider. There are some nuts and stuff on the menu too, but let's be honest: This is a taproom, not a brewpub. Stop by for the beer. 

The best way to judge a taproom is, not surprisingly, to try their product, and here are a few of them:

C#7#5 IPA: Not a shabby IPA at all. Round flavors, with a smooth, citric touch. Really, one of the better local IPAs we've had.

Drop D Stout: Kind of a disappointing stout. Thin, with a vaguely Alka-Seltzer like aftertaste. Avoid the Drop D.

Roundabout Confusion: This one is a lot better. We've seen it classified as a "harvest ale", but in my mind it had more hints of a Scotch ale. Big flavors, based around some sweet maltiness makes the Roundabout Confusion a winner.

Really, you should just stop by Twelve String if you like beer. It's a promising brewery, and the taproom has a nice feel to it. We like it.

The one arena I find Big Sky doing very well in is the seasonal/limited release one. I'm sure they do well in others too, but as far as my personal preference goes, that's the one that sticks out for me.

Their Heavy Horse is a good example of a Big Sky limited release. It's a relatively strong 6.7% ABV Scotch ale, one which is refreshing, yet with a bit of depth to it.

It pours a dark amber with a lightly tanned head, about a finger's worth. Give it a whiff, and you'll be smacked on the nose by the malts, followed by the caress of a gentle, sweet caramel scent. It's not a scent-bomb, really, but the nose is balanced.

Flavor-wise this is very drinkable. The light, creamy mouthfeel gives off flavor of malts and chocolate over a sweet base. Much like the nose, this is not a flavor-bomb, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Heavy Horse is one of those ales that beer nerds and those just getting into the stuff can enjoy. It's refreshing, yet nicely textured.

Go grab a six-pack of Heavy Horse -- it might just make for a good porch type ale, should the weather permit it. You can find it at these fine locations.