Knucklehead Brewery is set to open in Newman Lake. At this point it's almost hard keeping track of all the new local breweries opening, though I suppose that's kind of a luxury problem.
Speaking of local breweries, the Spokesman has a cool "Then and Now" photo of what used to be New York Brewery. The brewery was, despite its name, located on Washington and Spokane Falls from 1886 to 1903. The backstory is kinda fun, so go read it.
Highly brewery related: This is the time to try Untappd if you already haven't. The social network for beer has updated its iPhone and Android apps to the point of them actually being somewhat close to reasonably slick-ish. (Read our original Untappd post for more on the network.)
The warning signs are there, and there are plenty of them: The bottle, scarily similar to Pepto Bismol pink; the threat of a bacon maple flavor; the Voodoo Doughnut namesake. Really, the latter should be the true red flag -- "fun" as Voodoo Doughnut might be, it's never particularly good.
Which brings us back to the beer. It's awful. So, so bad. It's so atrociously horrid, I'm not actually sure if it's beer or merely carbonated maple syrup. Maybe there's some alcohol in there too, who knows?
With that said, it's kind of a an insult to maple syrup to compare this crap to it, isn't it? Some lovely Canadians recently gifted us a bit of maple sirup -- note the charming "i" -- and it was lovely. Really, this beer should probably be compared to Mrs. Buttersworth.
Let's be entirely clear about this: There are no hints of doughnut, bacon, or voodoo in Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale. There is something close to maple syrup. And carbonation. Maybe some hints of Bud. That's it, and it's awful.
You need to be warned. A bottle retails for around $13. For $13 you could buy a couple of bombers of anything from Stone, a couple of good six-packs of a summer ale, or, probably, some actual maple sirup. With an "i". Any of those would be better.
Do not make tonight a Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale night.
We got a hankering for some flan during a recent visit to Main Market. It's an unknown if said hankering was the result of seeing Somkhit's flan in the shelves, though odds are the curiosity of seeing "Authentic Thai" and "flan" written out next to each other at least had something to do with it.
And let's just skip to the end here (right past the fact that there are plenty of Asian varieties of flan): This was damn good. We're used to the Spanish take on flan, and in many ways the Thai version is similar. Somkhit's nailed making a tasty dessert, with the flan being perfectly creamy, just sweet enough, with a hint of coconut, and, at less than $3, affordable. One portion should be enough to feed two people too.
We have seen Somkhit's -- a local Spokane outfit -- around town for some time now, and their products range from curry sauces to water lily crackers. You can track their products down at Main Market, Huckleberry's, and Rosauers, and they're worth checking out. Popular as Trader Joe's curry sauces are, we can't see many reason why you'd pick those over Somkhit's, unless you prefer your flavors with as little freshness as possible.
The oppressing temperatures have kind of made this the Summer of Lazy. We maintain you can be both lazy and eat well, something Somkhit's will help you achieve. Check out some of their products, we bet you won't regret it.
Conveniently located next to DOMA in Post Falls -- hey, you never know, you might need some coffee -- is Selkirk Abbey, Post Falls's newest brewery. (And yes, that is right, Post Falls does, in fact, have more than one brewery.) Their beer isn't available in Spokane as of yet, though that should change soon. You probably want to head eastward and try a flight of their beers, should you be a beer person. And just for you, we will share some of our musings on the various ales we tried during our visit.
White: The first one in the flight was probably my least favorite. That's not to say it was bad, because it wasn't. I just found it to be a bit too mellow, and had kind of expected the citrus and spices to come out a bit heavier. Still, it's definitely a worthy summer sipper.
Deacon: This is a Belgian pale, a type I'm not too familiar with, yet ended up liking a lot. Don't expect your typical Northwest pale mind you; The Deacon does have a nice malty crispness to it, but the fruitiness and spices really make it a bit different. The light mouthfeel was refreshing, and you'll pick up on nuances as you keep sipping through it, with what I assumed to be Belgian yeast balancing out the other flavors. Yeah, Deacon might have been the surprise of the day. An excellent ale.
Infidel: Early buzz has put a Belgian IPA, the Infidel, up as a Selkirk Abbey favorite. That makes sense, what with the IPA's standing here in the Northwest, and I got to say, mixing it up Belgian style worked very well. The golden hue with a thick head and excellent lacing gave the beer an inviting look, and the hops balanced the more standard Belgian flavors out well. This is a big beer -- I'm not entirely sure about the ABV, but would guess around 9% -- and one I could see become a broader local favorite as Selkirk Abbey expands its distribution.
Saint Stephen: I like a good Saison, and this one hit the mark well. It was very classic in its flavors, and should be a good seasonal sipper. Mellow, certainly, yet very complex in its own right. Earthy tones and spices flanked the fruitiness, giving it almost a wine like flavor. Saint Stephen is likely a beer everyone can agree on and enjoy.
Selkirk Abbey also has a host of rotating taps in addition to their own beers. Anderson Valley and New Belgium were both represented during our visit, though the bourbon barrel aged Dogfather from Laughing Dog was probably the best guest tap.
Really, you should make your way over to Post Falls and check Selkirk Abbey out if you like beer. They have started something good out there, and could become a true destination if they keep this up.
