(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

There's a bit of an oddity going around, one that has hit two of the more anticipated ales this year: Both Deschutes's Black Butte XXIV and Stone's 16th Anniversary IPA are better on bottles than they are on tap. This is a bit upside down from what usually is the norm -- tap, of course, tends to be better -- but there you go.

I tried both beers on tap right after each other, something that left me both frightened and confused, and... Anyway. Having recently sampled the 16th Anniversary IPA on bottle, I can at least say that's the way to go with this beer. It might be a bit disappointing, but it's not bad.

The color is nice, a slightly cloudy copper with a light, tan head. Lacing is decent. Give it a sniff, and you are punched in the face -- almost literally -- by citrus. The promised lemon is there, closely followed by grapefruit and grassy hops. Any nuances are lost on me.

And here is where it gets interesting, with the flavor. On tap, the description of the nose carries over almost verbatim. This is an overpowering mess of citrus and hops, with the only addition from the nose being an odd pepper-y sensation toward the end. It all adds up to a flavor I would prefer never having to taste again.

On bottle, meanwhile, things look better. Or taste better. You know what I mean.

While I am a big believer in beers being served approximately within recommended temperatures, the 16th Anniversary IPA really does need to warm up to somewhere exactly within the often recommended 57-61 degree range. And when it reaches that point, you can find something good in there, something that might get even better after a few months. The lemon mellows out, playing more harmoniously with the hops, and what do you know? There actually is some rye in here. All of a sudden the pepper flavor makes sense, as it is balanced out by the sweeter malts which I never noticed from the tap.

On bottle, this is not a bad beer at all. Not quite up to Stone's usual high standard, but still worth the price of admission.

In other words, I'd recommend picking up a bottle or two of the 16th Anniversary IPA. Don't fall for the siren song of the tap; it is probably a trip not worth taking.

About a year ago I went on a juice diet after watching Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. It's no wonder Method Juice Cafe links to the movie, as I can think of no better way of pimping juice as a healthy alternative to... pretty much anything. Watch the movie if you haven't; it's an interesting one.

Now, granted, I've put the juice days behind me -- you can only be juicing for that long -- but I do like a juice or smoothie now and again. Making simply a good juice doesn't really take that much, but making a truly excellent one is hard. Method, in my mind, succeeds in flirting with excellence, and that's not bad for a place that has barely been open for a month.

We tried the Integral during a recent visit, a rice milk based smoothie, sweetened with agave, and filled with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. It's a simple but good combination, and the smoothie was not overly sweet -- no Jamba Juice in other words. With berries this flavorful there really isn't much need to throw all kinds stash into the smoothie, and the drink came out very flavorful, reasonably priced at $6 for a 16 oz.

As a wiser man than us said, though, it'd be nice to have some options as far as sizes go. A 16 oz smoothie is a meal in itself.

Regardless of that digression: The Fresh juice was also good, a simple combination of pineapple, lime, carrot, and orange. It's hard to argue with the name of the drink -- this one would make for a good wake-me-upper.

Both drinks were tasty then, and really, there is no reason why you wouldn't want to try one from Method if you enjoy a good juice. They're organic and vegan too, so you can feel all good about yourself while drinking them.

As for the salad we tried -- with a citrus based dressing -- it was fine and, again, fresh, though not too exciting. That's not really an overly bad thing, and I'm sure any salad from Method could make for a good, quick, healthy lunch alternative for many who work downtown.

Interior wise we really like Method's space, and it's pretty cool you can compost pretty much all and anything you take from your meal.

The current opening hours -- 7:30 am to 4 pm -- leave a bit to be desired for those of us who actually work that schedule outside of downtown. Opening earlier and/or staying open a bit longer would be helpful to some of us. Being open on Saturdays would bring us in more often too.

With that said, let's keep the emphasis on the positives. Method joins a number of recently opened spots that actually get things right. It's an interesting phenomenon, seeing how mediocrity is becoming less of a norm in this town. Who are we to complain? Good one, Method -- it's nice to see this kind of thing opening downtown.

I've kind of lost count of Elysian's 2012 releases -- there seem to be a couple every month -- but so far most have been of high quality. Or at least an interesting quality. Wasteland is a little of both; I quite liked it, but I can also see how it might not be for everybody. It is definitely worth checking out if you like something a little sweet with some hoppy sourness to it.

It pours a semi-dark-ish copper color, with about a finger's worth of frothy head. Lacing is minimal. Give it a whiff, and you'll pick up a sweet scent of malts with some bread-like notes, flanked by floral hints.

Flavorwise the Wasteland is a bit of an odd one in that it doesn't entirely seem like a saison. The tartness is certainly there, as is the sweetness, but the latter might just be a bit too pronounced from what I expected. Stranger still is the hopiness which almost reaches an IPA level.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good beer -- though, again, the mix of sweetness and hops might be too overpowering for some -- and it's certainly saison like, but it's a bit different of a take than what I had expected.

At 6.8% ABV and with a medium body this isn't exactly a session ale, but it still goes down fairly easily. Wasteland is another quirky beer from Elysian, and I, for one, like it. You might not, but you should probably still try it.

We've been hearing about Spokane's love affair with Aloha Island Grill for quite a while now, and... Well... I guess we don't really get it, if there indeed is anything to get. It's not that this is a downright bad spot, it's just very average, an ever so small step up from fast food.

The volcano bites, for example, are basically spicy chicken pieces, with a hot-ish sauce, and little more depth to the flavor outside of that. My guess is the sauce was made up with a mix of Frank's and soy sauce, and sesame seeds thrown in for good measure. It has a bit of a kick to it, but little more, and I doubt the actual chicken will blow anyone out of the water in all its stringiness.

On a more positive note both the accompanying white rice and pea salad are both good. The rice is glutinous with a bit of flavor to it -- butter, I assume -- and the pea salad isn't drenched in mayo. You can actually taste the peas in there, which, hey... Always a good thing.

The fried rice, meanwhile, is a bit flavorless but is helped by an above average accompanying macaroni salad. Again they don't go overboard on the mayo, and the pasta is actually fairly properly cooked with a bit of bite to it. Small chunks of carrots also adds to the texture.

Really, I suppose the lesson is to eat the salads should you stop by Aloha Island Grill.

Should you stop by, though? I mean, sure, why not? We wouldn't travel through a snow storm to get there, but we'd probably choose Aloha Island if anyone held a gun to our heads, forcing us to choose between it and Panda Express. The salads aren't too bad here at all.