(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Let's talk about Square for a bit. You've probably already used their services -- any vendor who accepts credit card payments through an iPad or whatever is likely using them -- but there is much more to Square than being a POS system. Download their app, available for iOS and Android, and a world of convenience and well-deserved laziness will open up for you.

Square's functionality is simple. You create an account, tie your card to it, add a photo of yourself, and that's it. The next time you walk into a place accepting Square -- spots are listed by proximity on the start page -- you simply click its name, place your order, accept the charge (the vendor will see your photo in their system), add a tip if you'd like, and you're good to go, no card or signature or whatever required. You can even set Square to automatically open a tab when you enter a spot you frequent.

Convenience aside, there are also fiscal advantages to using Square. Some places -- Method and Chairs, for example -- offer discounts off your first order placed with the app. Other spots -- Coeur and Cannon Coffee -- have virtual punchcards.

There's even an option for restaurants to upload menus.

And, finally, Square keeps track of all your purchases, even the ones made outside the app, as long as the card is tied to your account. Pretty nice.

A lot of new spots around town are using Square, and we think it's a pretty awesome way to make payments, at least until the world can standardize on some sort of nonproprietary technology. Run and download Square, and make your life that much easier. You deserve it.

Fire, a Coeur d'Alene pizzeria we liked quite a bit more during our first visit than our subsequent tries, is opening a location in Spokane, specifically in the old Moxie, according to the Spokesman.

Meanwhile, the Liquor License Stalker reveals Villagio will move from its current spot on 29th, to 611 E 30th. That is also Vintages@611's address, and we do not know if they will share an address or if Vintages is closing down.

Of course, neither pizza spot are here nor there in the grand scheme of things, seeing you can just go to the Hop Shop today, 4pm, and get some Veraci pizza.

Not pizza related -- or is it?! -- Central Food has revealed some impressive names in its "pre-opening team".

There are some ideas too bizarre not to try. Often times these ideas find their way into chocolate bars, and while we tend to prefer or chocolate darker and plainer, we felt somewhat compelled to pick up Wild Ophelia's Beef Jerky from Huckleberry's.

Let's ponder that for a second: beef jerky in milk chocolate. Has it really come to this? Have we combined so many different flavors with chocolate that we had to apply beef jerky as the final solution? Who thought this was a good idea? And of the many flavor combinations we've tried, just for fun, and subsequently hated, how is it the Wild Ophelia combination actually works pretty well?

No, really.

It really isn't too bad. Combining bacon and chocolate never, ever works -- and many chocolatiers have tried -- yet chocolate and beef jerky does? Odd, but true.

It's all in the balance. The beef jerky really does taste like beef jerky, but it's not prevalent enough to overpower the 44% milk chocolate. The latter is good chocolate, too; we're not talking Hershey's or anything. Imagine beef jerky dipped in milk chocolate, with a less chewy texture, and you get the idea.

Is this all rather gimmick-y? Yes. No doubt. But, you know, it's also pretty good. Not something we'd run out and buy again, but one of those things that's kinda fun to try. Give it a shot if you want something a bit out of the ordinary that doesn't suck. Wild Ophelia's Beef Jerky is sort of worth it.

We're not always impressed with the time and effort many local outfits take as far as branding goes, but No-Li really has gotten that down. A clear identity with well thought out labeling and easy to read typefaces... And a bunch of Spokane pride thrown into the mix too. Hey, it's all good, and even Esquire showed the Crystal Bitter some love.

Jet Star is No-Li's latest Imperial IPA, and a good one it is, at least if you set your expectations properly before drinking it. It's not a teeth-kicker, even at 8.1% ABV, and I, for one, am OK with that. Some of those Imperial IPAs can go a bit crazy, but Jet Star is well balanced, making it an Imperial IPA everyone can enjoy.

It pours a golden amber with a creamy white head. Lacing is decent. A whiff reveals some really fresh notes of hops -- the beer being less than a week old when I drank it might have been the reason behind that -- and some vague hints of malts. It's probably not the most exciting scent bomb in the world, but things look up when you taste it.

There is a real crispness to the Jet Star, one that makes it very drinkable and refreshing. There's just a bit of sweetness on the front of the tongue, with a grapefruit-meets-malts finish. The latter actually took me by surprise; the malts were not overpowered by the hops, and were more present than the nose would suggest. There's quite a bit of carbonation to tickle your tongue here, and the body would be just around medium.

I suspect some will feel there should be more going on here -- more hoppiness, more flavors, more circus in your mouth. Fair enough, but I, personally, like how No-Li didn't go too crazy with Jet Star. This is a flavorful ale, but not overpowering at all. Jet Star is an extremely refreshing Imperial IPA, one you can enjoy without hitting the floor.

Great branding; great beer. I had my doubts about the rebirth of No-Li, and I love that I was proven wrong. I think we're all in for quite the nice ride if Jet Star is any indication of what No-Li will be brewing.