(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

So here is a good beer for the summer, one that isn't a summer ale, yet is summer-y. You get the point.

The Saison Dupont pours a slightly cloudy golden color, with a frothy head. It's one of those beers that look refreshing, something a quick whiff will back up. The Belgian yeast and banana, with just a hint of spice, won't come up and smack you on the nose. Instead they just kind of hang around, delicately teasing the flavors.

Sip, and the aforementioned notes dominate, riding on a fruity base. This is a fairly mild saison, yet the flavors stick around. The crisp mouthfeel and somewhat heavy carbonation make it drinkable, and the flavors, almost wine like in some senses, could make this one a hit of sorts with those who might not be big beer drinkers.

At a relatively low 6.5% the Saison Dupont isn't one to floor you either, which always helps. Barbecue up some fish and crack one of these open, and you got yourself a good summer evening going.

Blue Bottle has kind of a reputation, one where it's up to the individual to decide if the positive makes up for negative: Excellent coffee and hipster barista snobbery. We braced ourselves for the latter as we made our way to the Brooklyn location, yet, in the end, found ourselves a bit baffled. I mean, Williamsburg is supposed to be the Mecca of hipsterdom and all, yet compared to the Northwest -- and we're including Spokane here -- we didn't see much of that at all. Is this what the Northwest has come to, even here in Spokane? A society that makes Williamsburg look both friendly and normal?

But I digress.

Our friendly, and not snobby at all barista really did know his stuff, and we can certainly see why Blue Bottle has a reputation for making good coffee. Trying a macchiato and a cappuccino, we found them made to order, one just dry enough, and the other letting the milk shine nicely through, without being too wet. The shots were well pulled, and the beans obviously fresh.

Not much more to say about that, really. Blue Bottle made two great cups of coffee, the quality being good enough to make it a destination, be it in Williamsburg or San Francisco.

As for the Brooklyn spot, it's a good place to hang for a bit. They have a good selection of chocolate bars -- produced literally around the corner -- that go well with the coffee, and the interiors are pleasant.

Granted, the disappointment of Williamsburg not being exactly what you expected it to be might sting, but a good cup of coffee will heal those wounds.

Or, as it might also be, that #SpoBREW2 mascot.

We're aiming at making #SpoBREW2 an even more collaborative event than last year, where various creative people and businesses can have some fun contributing to the contest. This year, as already mentioned, we have an actual, honest-to-god logo, designed by the good people at Handknit Webs!

That's right, it's The Hopster! We like this one, possibly because it reminds us of the influx of plaid shirts we saw during #SpoBREW, or even more possibly because it looks like the Keaton Violet, before he murdered his beard. I mean, the glasses, the hair, the beard, the rolled up jeans... It's all very hip, hip, hip!

If you're not familiar with Handknit Webs, you're probably familiar with their current experiment, Moosicorn Ranch. And if you're familiar with Moosicorn Ranch, as you likely are, you know they don't do anything halfheartedly. Judging by The Hopster, we can safely say that philosophy has carried over to Handknit Webs. We couldn't be happier with that logo and find it hilarious, from the hop, to the reminder of how very, very hip some of our brewers, like Ted Chauvin (he only wears plaid shirts!), are.

We expect we'll be seeing more from Handknit Webs -- one half of the ultra-pretentious #SpoBREW2 team known as & -- across the web very soon. For now, we're happy they contributed this awesome #SpoBREW2 logo. 

Check out their website and Twitter account for more Handknitting.

I don't think we easily can find any of Sixpoint's beers around these parts, but here's a brewery that's a must to check out if you're over on the East Coast. It's an odd one, Sixpoint, not using standard classifications for its wares. In other words, you won't find "IPA" or "stout" labels on any of their cans or taps, just the actual name of their beers.

Strange as that might sound, it kinda works, as their beers tend to be hybrid-like.

Anyway! Here are some of our favorites, should you stumble across Sixpoint. And a tasty stumble that'll be:

Apollo: This one is officially classified as a kristalweizen (a filtered hefeweizen) and pretty dang refreshing it is. A mild sweetness is apparent throughout, with just a bit of spice toward the end. I really can't think of a better example of a simple, drinkable summer beer that everybody can agree on.

The Crisp: A good pilsner is great, but the American ones rarely tend to hit the mark properly. The Crisp, which might be the easiest Sixpoint to classify, is a German style pilsner, and a good one at that. Very malty, with some subtle citric notes all around, and a surprisingly full body. This is truly a great beer.

Righteous Ale: This rye is both dry and sweet, with a strong hoppy character. Probably more of a West Coaster than most of Sixpoint's brews.

Resin: My personal favorite Sixpoint ale has been classified as a double IPA, though that doesn't seem entirely correct to me. It's hoppy, certainly, but the malts shine very, very strongly. It's smooth, and you don't really get smacked by alcohol flavors even at its 9.1% ABV. Surprisingly drinkable, this is more like an Indian Pale Barley Pilsner.

Bengali Tiger: An IPA of sorts, this ale might be heavier on the fruit side than on the hoppiness. And that's OK. In fact, with the malts being as prominent as they are, this seems closer to a British IPA than an American one. Again a very refreshing ale, one that goes well with spicy foods.