(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

"Lagunitas sucks" did, indeed, cross my mind when I heard they cancelend this year's Brown Shugha', one of my all time favorites. I mean, really. What kind of sicko would do that?

Lagunitas Sucks is the replacement, one that comes with a "Brown Shugga' Substitute" tagline which seems apt. This isn't a million miles away from Brown Shugga', though it's certainly hoppier and a bit less flavorful. The ABV is a good 2.5% lower too, which probably isn't a bad thing.

So let's pour a bit out for our fallen comrade and just concentrate on Lagunitas Sucks for a while.

It pours a golden color with about a finger's worth of white head. Sniff, and you'll pick up on a citric hop profile straight away, with just a hint of pine. Very seasonal.

Flavorwise, it's surprisingly mild. Granted, we might be grading on a scale here, as this is a hoppy beer, but not a hop-bomb. A mix of orange, grapefruit, and pineapple really hits toward the middle, and while the flavor in and of itself is bold, it's not in the territory I expected. The bitterness factor seems to meld well with the sweet fruitiness of it.

In fact, this is a very good sipping beer, one where you can really enjoy the variety of flavors. 

I like Lagunitas Sucks. I wish I didn't, just so I could rant about missing out on Brown Shuga' this year. Really, though, it's clearly possible to miss something old and enjoy something new. And enjoy Lagunitas Sucks I did.

It's a common question: Where can I find the Abyss on tap?! Or, What does the Lantern have on tap right now?! Hey, it's all fair, and luckily there are better ways to figure these things out than browsing through establishments' Facebook pages -- good heavens, is that thing still around?! -- or random Bing-ing. TAPLiSTER has it covered, or at least kind of.

What exactly is TAPLiSTER? It's simply a site and iPhone app that lists the current beers on tap from a selection of bars and restaurants around the region (or, indeed, other regions). Said selection isn't huge here yet, but you have ten bars to peruse, with heavy hitters like Jones, Flying Goat, and Manito Tap House representing.

You can view beers per bar or bars per beer, making browsing a cinch. Granted, neither the site nor the app (in particular) will win many awards for design, but the functionality is sound.

Check out the site or download the iPhone app. And, more importantly, log in and post your beers if you're a bar. It's a good way to attract customers.

Oh, we're very very clever, just keep reading.

Most have heard of Sante's kitchen-fire by now and how the downtown spot won't be able to offer full service dinners for at least a few weeks. This is sad in many ways, but you can't keep a good restaurant down. If you haven't already, you need to check out Sante's current offerings of sandwiches, soups, and charcuterie, because, frankly, limited cooking options aside, the kitchen is currently serving up some of their best meals to date.

Hyperbole? Not at all.

The beef stew we recently tried was sublime, and that's coming from someone who really don't love stews. This one had a beautiful depth of hearty flavors, making it feel like we were drinking a good glass of red wine as much as eating an actual stew. It might have been the best brunch dish we have ever had at Sante.

Not to say that the sandwiches are playing second fiddle. Build your own with the best cured meats in town and you might just end up hoping the option will stay on the menu after the kitchen re-opens.

Cheesy post-title aside, Sante really is on fire. It is impressive how they faced this setback and turned it into an opportunity. Go pay them a visit and give them the support they deserve. Heck, the "support" part is secondary; go pay them a visit just to eat an amazing meal. Why wouldn't you treat yourself to that?

First, for the sake of disclosure, we got our can of GOOD COFFEE from the Riverkeeper, possibly as a bribe to make us stop following the time-honored Spokane tradition of using the river as a landfill.

That aside, the initial stand-out thing here is the can, one which really is beautifully designed with the artwork and all. Nice work by SpiceaWAR winner Chris Dreyer.

The content of the can might even be better.

Open it, and the aroma hits the nose with a teasing slap of chocolate. I mean, really, if you're in the "well, coffee smells like coffee"-camp, just go and sniff this blindly, and you'll end up craving a dark chocolate bar.

We AeroPressed the coffee, sampling it neat, con leche-style, and with water.

Neat, you obviously get the full coffee experience. The "fact sheet" describes the body as "buttery" and I can't think of a better tasting note than that. Here the coffee almost literally melts around your tongue, letting a nutty chocolate-y flavor delicately massage your mouth. Yes, I am suggesting GOOD COFFEE is a mouth-massager.

DOMA's Santa's Little Helper was quite good this year, and also quite pungent. In my mind GOOD COFFEE is probably a bit smoother with less of a flavor kick, and a couple of AeroPressed scoops with milk is quite a relaxing affair. Plus, you get to feel really continental when drinking it that way.

In all senses we enjoyed GOOD COFFEE a lot. It's both smooth and flavorful, and we kinda want to try it with a nice dark chocolate next time.

Bonus points to those who are hardcore and brew the coffee with water from the Spokane River. 

You can order the coffee from the Riverkeeper.