(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

We're a bit late on this one, at least relatively speaking, but it doesn't look like our overdue visit made much of a difference to Perry Street Brewing's bottomline. The place literally has lines out the door.

It makes sense, too. Playing the «favorite card» this early on is, of course, something only a gambling man would do, but we'll take our chances. That Perry Street Brewing is set to be a Spokane favorite seems very plausible. With the quality of the beer, and the typical South Perry neighborhood support, it's hard to imagine either the spot or its beer failing.

For now, it's a brewpub in its truest definition: You can get pizza from South Perry delivered to the table, or you can purchase something from whatever food truck may or may not be there at your time of visit. Small plates from their own kitchen is, apparently, in the works.

Yet, it's all about the beer, and anything we tried (which I suppose was all of it) was at the very least good. A lot of it downright excellent.

For the benefit of those of you who haven't checked Perry Street Brewing out yet -- there must be at least one or two of you -- we give you a few short impressions of what we imbibed…

The IPA: Unfiltered, with a very clean, refreshing flavor. The hops are clearly present, without punching you in the face. We're fans.

The Milk Stout: Milk stouts usually suck (for the lack of a better word), but we enjoyed this one a lot. It's smooth; just sweet enough without being overpowering; and very drinkable. Possibly my personal favorite.

Biere de Garde: Untappd has it listed as «Pierre de Garde» which, if its actual name, is pretty genius. The hops and malts seem well balanced, and it is -- like the IPA -- incredibly refreshing. 

Single Hop Pale Ale: Flavor-wise, it's kind of an untraditional pale, but that's OK. The hops hits the back of the throat nicely, and it is, again, a very drinkable ale at a sessionable 5.4% ABV. We tried a small sample of the pale that will replace it, and it, too, was quite enjoyable.

Czech Pilsener: Probably my least favorite beer, though the world seems to disagree with me. Thing is, I know what I like as far as pilsners go, and while this certainly wasn't bad, it didn't hit my personal preference point: the maltiness just seemed a bit off. Take my opinion for what it's worth on that, though.

Spring Thaw: It is, allegedly, spring, but that's not to say a winter warmer in March is bad. This one is sweet, but not overpowering. A bit nutty. Very drinkable, probably more so had there been snow outside.

Note the recurring theme of drinkability. Many of these beers can be enjoyed by everyone, even if they're not beerhounds. Plus, you also can get wine, if you're one of those people. To top it off, it is an all-age location.

So, yes. I might not be a huge fan of the pils, but would drink all the others again. And I will. It's a great place to hang out, Perry Street Brewing. The vibe is good; the interiors subtle and relaxing. Service is excellent.

It remains to be seen if this will be Spokane's favorite new brewery, but the fact we're talking about it is a good thing. Go there, if you haven't already: awesomeness will rain down on you when you do.

So, here we are again, and yet, yet again we spend way too much energy being annoyed and frustrated by the Inlander's «Best of…» results. It's what we do, I suppose. And, yet again, we present to you a few highlights -- word used loosely -- from the list, so you don't have to read it. Because, really, it just causes aggravation.

We give you five examples, all which we feel illustrates the list perfectly.

Best Fine Dining: Clinkerdagger! «Clinkerdagger is the kind of spot many have to save up to experience», gushes one enthused patron. Apparently the couple in question «dined at the restaurant on their honeymoon more than 32 years ago», which goes a long way explaining why the rest of us have to suffer with the perceived notion that Clinkerdagger is Spokane's best restaurant.

I mean, really. The spot has been there for nearly forty years. People go there because that's where they've always gone; plus they can enjoy the view. (It takes attention away from what you're eating, I will give Clinkerdagger that.)

Is this a big deal? Why, yes. Imagine the poor soul travelling to Spokane, stumbling across this poll while looking for good places to eat. That's not something that will help this city's dining scene's already less than stellar (and undeserved) reputation.

Best Breakfast: Frank's Diner. The commonality that one can pick up on here, is that Spokane doesn't like good places, it likes fun places. Frank's is in a train car, which makes it quaint.

And it goes down to what one of its fans said, describing a «gigantic, not very healthy, but incredibly delicious bacon-and cheese-omelets». Spokane also likes giant portions. Delicious? I doubt anyone could tell the difference from this and Denny's.

Best Buffet: Golden Corral! Granted, there probably isn't such a thing as a good buffet around here, but in the words of Cassie: «Just that they won anything made me sad.» And as far as its thematical signifcance to the list goes, it shows the love for chain restaurants Spokane has.

Best Italian Food: Tomato Street! Can't help but wonder how close Olive Garden was, but is Tomato Street really Italian food? I suppose they have pasta, but so does Applebee's. 

Best Mexican Food: Azteca! The upscale Taco Bell takes it home yet again. We can only assume that somewhere, the owners of Guerrero is sitting around, pondering why they decided to open their spot here.

Look, those are only five examples. Yay-sayers will point out that not all the other choices were awful, which is true. Two things about that, though:

One is simply that, in certain categories, there couldn't be anything but a good choice for the winner. Best chef? Nobody knows the name of Tomato Street's chef. Therefore, Santé's Jeremy Hansen deservedly takes it home.

Second: A lot of choices might not be downright bad, they're just uninspired. The local picks are places that have always dominated the list, places from a time when Spokane's dining scene was just that. Uninspired.

Over the years it has gotten better; over the last few years a lot better.

We could list the spots and people that should have won, but you already know them. Some were mentioned in passing on the Inlander's list, some were not.

The only thing we can recommend, is that you go out and dine at these truly great spots sooner rather than later. We're sure you would have done so anyway. For now, though, it will help you forget the travesty that is this «Best of…» list.

It seems apt to compare Mirror Mirror to the Olympics, seeing that both only come around every four year. Where they differ, however, is that you actually miss the beer when it's not here. You want to see it again, and spend your time with it. That's more than one can say about the Olympics.

Because the Mirror Mirror is a glorious thing. It's 11% ABV of barley wine, equally excellent on tap as it is from a bottle. Of course, a barley wine isn't necessarily everyone's cup of tea (bad turn of a phrase there), and this can be a challenging one if you don't like the heavier beers. It packs a punch.

Yet, violent as it may be, it's beautiful to look at. Deep ruby red, with about a finger worth of head. It's inviting. It tells you to sit down and relax. Everything is going to be OK.

Sniff it, and you'll pick up sweet notes straight away. Hints of vanilla and caramel, and even some red wine. And the booze, it is right there, playing around with citrus undertones.

Flavor wise it hits fairly hard -- a bit of aging will make it a face-slapper -- with a warm, malty flavor as deep as its color. It's sweet, but not overly so, and has just a bit of a burn toward the back of the throat.

Throughout you can pick up on all of the usual suspects: the caramel is quite present, and in a sense you almost feel like you're drinking a red wine mixed with a pale ale. (Which is a mix I am now intrigued enough to try.)

It's a sipper, certainly, and that's a good thing. This is a prolonged experience into awesomeness.

I haven't seen the Mirror Mirror on shelves in Spokane yet, but my assumption is that it'll be here sooner rather than later if, indeed, it is not here already. Pick up a few bottles for tasting, and a few for aging. And do give it a drink if you see it on tap: it's a trip into the good life.

Remember #SnapShotSpokane? It was -- is -- New Belgium's local promo campaign where you can tag your Instagrams with #SnapShotSpokane and #21 to enter to win a cruiser bike. For every entry, New Belgium donates $1 to Second Harvest Food Bank. Everybody wins!

Well, with the cooperation of New Belgium and the ever incorrigible Bart Mihailovich, we're taking it all one step further. We're turning #SnapShotSpokane into one big-ish scavenger hunt, all taking place on Instagram!

The rules run pretty much like mentioned above: Tag photos of the sixteen places and people mentioned below with #SnapShotSpokane and #21 (to indicate you are 21 years or over) and you will be entered into the drawing of the aforementioned bike. And to make it clear: you do not need to have the Snapshot beer in the photos.

And! There is more!

We, at ye olde SpoCOOL, have our own side contest going, all based on a points system: You will, of course, get one point per picture, but it's really all about the bonus points. Some of those are listed below; some are secret.

In other words, we will reward things like best photo, funniest photo, and so on, so forth… Be creative: You never know what your Instagramming talents will bring you.

The contest will run from right now until midnight, March 31st.

Most importantly: Each photo tagged with #SnapShotSpokane and #21 means a $1 donation to Second Harvest from New Belgium.

Now, the list!

• A photo of the «Transcend the Bullshit» writing on Harold Balazs’s 3-story tall concrete sculpture behind the INB Performing Arts Center.
• A selfie of you feeding the Spokane garbage goat.
• A photo of the Spokane River from the Spokane Falls SkyRide.
• A photo of the Tambourine Man at a local concert. Bonus point for making it a selfie with the man.
• A photo of the house from Benny and Joon. Bonus point for finding the spot of the other house used for some external shots.
• A photo of a leftover sign or relic from Expo ‘74.
• A Bartlett selfie -- also needs to be tagged with #bartlettselfieclub.
• A photo of a barista making a pour-over at a local coffee shop. Bonus point if they scowl at you in all their barista-ness while doing so.
• A photo from a Shock game.
• A photo of a marmot in the wild. (We don't actually know if they're out yet, so this could be a wildcard.)
• A photo of one of the Milk Bottle buildings.
• A photo of a basalt formation.
• A photo of one of the windmill buildings.
• A selfie while riding the Looff carousel.
• A selfie with the mayor.
• A selfie with the Riverkeeper.

Disclaimer: You're responsible for your own actions doing this. Your photos may also be featured on this site over the next few weeks, so, you know, keep it classy.

In summation: Each photo needs to be tagged with #SnapShotSpokane and #21. Each of those shots will enter you into the drawing for a bike, courtesy of New Belgium. Each shot will also mean a $1 donation to Second Harvest from New Belgium.

In addition, we will come up with some fun and fascinating prizes in our portion of the contest.

Bart? He won't contribute anything, but that shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

Now, go tag those Instagrams, and good luck!