(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Firestone's special ales -- aka the «Proprietor's Vintage Series» -- is a weird and wonderful world, one filled with classic releases like Parabola, the anniversary series, and, of course, Sucaba (stylized as «§ucaba», but I don't have it in me to type that out).

Except… I've gone a bit sour on the series, or at least the two recent back-to-back releases. It's probably just me, and not them (or you), but XVII and Sucaba? Things are seeming oddly similar here.

And I mean that in more ways than one: the should-be-patented velvet smooth mouthfeel, the deep caramel flavors, a gentle smolder of alcohol. It is all there.

Was I to do a side by side tasting, I am sure I would note the nuances, but going a month or two between each beer… I have a hard time differentiating between XVII and Sucaba.

So, what's the big deal? They're similar, but they're both good -- technically excellent -- and as they're not on the market at the same time, is there really any need to complain?

Well, possibly not. But with prices ranging from $15 to north of $20, I guess I just expect… Not necessarily something more, but something different.

Both are, of course, brewed to be aged, but I'd assume those who pick both up would try one bottle of each before cellaring the rest. One bottle, and that's quite a few dollars you're downing.

Now, if you space tastings out, all of this might not matter. It might not matter if you don't space them out either, and good on you if that's the case. You'll be drinking some costly bombers, but, like previously mentioned, the beers are obviously expertly brewed.

I might be a man with first world problems, but it is what it is… Expecting something different is my prerogative, and I'm OK with that. I'm sure the world disagrees with me, but I'm not about to let the man keep me down.

Either way, I'm sure you will give the Sucaba a try, just like I did. All I'm saying is, don't expect much of a difference from the XVII. If you can live with that, awesome. If not, welcome to my world.

So, let's just dive into it, shall we?

First, Liquor License Stalker reveals Tamarack Public House will open in the old Nystrom+Olson downtown location at 921 W Sprague. For those not familiar with the building, it looks to be quite well suited for a restaurant.

Spiceologist -- formerly known as Savorx -- is running a «flash giveaway» today. Simply like and share their Facebook page, and you could be the winner of a Spiceologist Starter Block with spices. (Is this any better than the horrible Social Media Guru retweeting? Well, sort of, as at least you'll only see the link one time on Facebook.)

And, if you've been wanting to do another Abyss vertical -- '11-'13 -- you should check out the Elk's fifteen year birthday. Saturday, March 8th, 7pm. Fun will presumably be had by all.

Actually, Jones is doing the same tasting, too, tomorrow, 4pm.

There, short and sweet. 

Did the Social Media Gurus get one wrong? Or, as it is, did they get a second one wrong? Could it be? It couldn't, could it? With the amount of Fatburger-tweets I've seen, I can only assume the problem must lie with me.

I mean, it's not like the Social Media Rockstars get paid to tweet about these things, right? Surely Twitter's Gurus and Rock Stars would disclose if that was the case? They are, after all, what the New York Times is to a tabloid rag. A beacon of professionalism and integrity. And their enthusiasm… Oh, their enthusiasm. It is what drives them, this enthusiasm for everything they love.

Like Fatburger. Boy, do they love Fatburger. Exactly why, I don't really know. That whole «this is what's wrong with America!» phrase might be overused, but, to me, Fatburger is what's wrong with America, at least as far as food goes.

Here you don't pick your burger by style, you pick it by weight. The largest burger weighs in at a pound and a half. I kid you not. 1,850-2,050 calories -- that's more than what an average person should eat throughout the whole day.

And it's not like the burgers are worthwhile either.

Granted, I wussed out and went with a medium burger -- 1/3 lb -- so maybe I missed out on something truly magical, though I kinda doubt it. There is very little to really get here.

The meat? Flavorless. I cannot tell you what animal it came from, or if it indeed did come from an animal. With the amount of (what should have been unnecessary) stash thrown on top of it, you really can't taste the patties. If I was to draw a comparison, I'd call this a glorified Burger King sandwich. Minus the glory.

It also doesn't help that the prices are kind of ridiculous. Buy a meal, and you're within Santé territory. You'd probably be better off going with a burger from them instead.

So, I don't know what to believe anymore. I'm fairly certain I've seen literally hundreds of Fatburger tweets from a handful of Social Media Gurus. Were they wrong? Or does the problem lie with me?

Go find out for yourself. I'm just a mess of confusion right now, anyway.

Hey, a bunch of things are happening over the next few days, most of them good, but also one that could make some of you a little :~(. We give you…

«Goatörhead»! Iron Goat has teamed up with Ninkasi -- hitting the big time! -- to create a triple IPA. Again: «Goatörhead». The name itself makes it a worthwhile beer.

If you want to give it a test, you can do so at Jones Radiator, tonight, 7:30pm.

On the less than awesome side of things, Crazy G's is closing its doors. Your last chance to check them out will be this Saturday.

And tomorrow is, of course, the start of the Inlander Restaurant Week, or, as we like to call it, Inlander Restaurant Ten Days. It works pretty much like it did last year -- a bunch of restaurants offering up two three-course menus, priced at $18 and $28.

Check out their website for more info.

Finally, Nudo -- set to open downtown next to Fire -- is one step closer to becoming reality. It has a full liquor license submitted, for all your libation needs.