(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

The Bulldog has entered its 2.0 phase with its barbecue, but how do the hot wings stack up? Pretty well, actually, and the Gonzaga bar should be a stop for any wing afficianado, even though near-by Northern Lights is in a different class. This is above average bar-wings at least.

I'm getting tired of just having Frank's thrown over some chicken -- it takes about a minute to do that at home -- so points to the Bulldog for a sauce that goes with their barbecue theme. It's smokey and sweet with a bit of a kick to it. Not too much heat, and there's no spiciness rating either, but enough kick to give a mild tickle in the back of the throat.

I like the flavor of the sauce. You will recognize it immediately if you've ever had the Bulldog's barbecue before. It has a nice depth to it, and would probably go equally well on ribs as on chicken. It gets a bit sweet toward the end, however.

In that sense the wings should probably be shared. Not because they're too spicy, just a bit too sweet.

Sadly, too, the wings are served with ranch dressing. I do not get this obsession the Northwest seems to have with ranch. It's the ketchup of the dressing world.

But yes, overall I like these wings, although they wouldn't be my first choice from the Bulldog's menu. Try 'em out if you're a wings-head.

Coffee infused beer is a fickle friend. Often the flavors don't meld properly and you feel like you're drinking beer mixed with Folgers, which is not pleasant. I'm sure the brewing process plays a large part here, but I also suspect the coffee used is often of less than stellar quality.

Conspiracy theories aside, BridgePort's Cafe Negro isn't too bad but nothing to write poems about either.

It pours a dark brown color -- a bit lighter than I had expected actually -- with a nice thick tan head. The nose is both malty and coffee-like. Not too surprising, but there isn't a whole lot of depth to it either. My opinion might have been colored by the... color... but that lovely lovely scent you get from good coffee beer -- think Olde Bongwater -- is not quite there. This is a bit dull.

You can taste the coffee, but the flavor feels like it separated from the beer, almost like the coffee is sitting on top of it. I don't necessarily mind a bitter aftertaste, but what you get here is not quite what I had been hoping for. It's not Folgers, though possibly a bit more Starbucks.

Cafe Negro isn't an awful ale, don't get me wrong, it's just a bit disappointing. Kind of like BridgePort's Hop Czar. It is worth checking out if you're a coffee-beer kind of drinker, just don't expect it to blow your mind.

We like beer here at Team SpoCOOL, so much that we sometimes even make it ourselves. Homebrewing, in other words. We also like contests, and have been known to arrange a few. Sometimes 1+1+1 does equal three, and thus came the inspiration for SpoBREW, our first homebrewing contest.

This would be the spot where we'd ask teams to sign up, but as it is, when we tested the waters on Twitter we soon had fourteen teams signed up. Our cap is fifteen, meaning there's one spot left. One. Spot. For heaven's sake, don't wait; e-mail team@spocool.com right now if you want it, the last one.

This is, not surprisingly, not your average homebrewing contest either. That's not how we roll. It doesn't matter if you've never brewed a batch of beer in your life; consider this the chance to get started. Psychological warfare is probably more important than your brewing skills anyway. It's all about how good you are at getting your competitors off their game. That's how we constantly keep beating Team Down to Earth.

But what if you don't want to brew and still want to compete, SpoBREW style? Did those team slots just fill up too quickly and you still want to feel competition rush through your body? Fret not, we also have an art contest! Anyone can enter here, even the homebrewers. More details below.

Lastly, of course we will keep you updated here on how the competition is going. Regular updates at that. And we assumed some of the other brewers will do the same thing on their own websites.

Enough talk, how do you -- or we as it is -- win this thing? The rules:

The Homebrewing Contest

The rules are simple: Each entry (entry = beer) must be brewed from scratch, either by an individual or by a team. You can sign up by e-mailing team@spocool.com -- feel free to e-mail team@spocool.com with questions. The deadline for registering is May 12th, and we will cap the contest off at 15 teams, on a first come first serve basis.

The judging will take place on either July 9th or 10th -- location is still to be determined. Your entries will need to be dropped off there 30 minutes before judging. (If, for whatever reason, your team can't make it, we can possibly make alternate arrangements.) You do not have to be present to win -- only your brew needs to be there.

You'll need to bring two gallons of your entry in unmarked bottles, as the tasting will be blind. You might be better liked if you bring more than that, however! One gallon is about eleven 12oz bottles. (And of course you can take any bottles not opened back home for your own enjoyment.) A typed description of your entry will also be required when you check in your beer at the contest.

Individuals are free to participate in multiple teams; each team can submit only one entry.
Judging will, not surprisingly, be based on various criteria, such as "appearance," "smell" and "taste." More details on the specifics are forthcoming.

There can be at least two best of show winners: One decided by a jury of experts and one by your fellow homebrewers. Of course, one entry can win both categories. (Respect to the winner if that happens.) Other possible ways to win the contest will be decided by the panel of judges. 

A team will get at least 4oz of each brew to sample -- an individual will get 2oz.

Finally: We are not responsible for your health or well being; whining and complaining about the competition is not welcomed!

The Beer Art Contest

This one is just as simple. Come up with a name and label-art for any made-up beer of your choice. Then make sure the art is printed (or displayed on a digital device like a laptop or iPad or whatever) and deliver it alongside a description of your beer to the place of judging -- spot still do be determined (and might be an outside venue) -- at least thirty minutes before start. Date will, again, be either July 9th or 10th. 

Multiple entries are allowed, and the winner will be determined by the contest audience.

Please register as a contestant on this site.

I like Lagunitas' ales if only for their creative names. Their beers aren't shabby either, and their WTF would probably have been somewhat of a classic had I tried it during winter, as opposed to in 60 degree weather.

This is what they call an "Imperial Brown Ale," which basically means it's a brown with some kick. It pours a dark copper color with some vaguely amber-y hues and about a finger worth of head. You can pretty much see the richness of the flavor, and that's a good sign.

A quick sniff reveals a slight mix of malts and hops with an undertone of spiciness. It's a pleasant, almost sweet odor.

The flavor is malty and spicy, more so than I expected. There's also a bit of a citric undertone, as well as a very slight presence of hops. Overall there's a lot of depth here, and the almost 8% ABV is hidden away nicely. This is a good sipping beer, one to enjoy while working through the layers of flavors.

So, I obviously like it, but honestly, these flavors kind of say Christmas to me. Therefore I didn't enjoy it quite as thoroughly as I had hoped. Try one, definitely, just hold off until the sun doesn't shine.