FOOD | LATE NIGHT
FOOD | BEER
Snow Beer The PowderKeg brew festival offers cold comfort for your taste buds BY MIKE BOOKEY
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eer and snow are perfect mates. A good, hearty beer pairs well with a snowy evening or a long day on the slopes. It’s with this in mind that the Inlander decided to add a beer festival to its annual Snowlander EXPO. The featured beers from 20 different breweries run the gamut in terms of style, but mostly lean toward the stronger, sweeter brews that go well with cold weather and holiday celebrations. With a tasting package, you get a sampling glass and can taste your way around or choose a pint if you find something especially tasty. Commemoritive stainless steel growlers are also for sale. Here are five to keep on your shortlist to taste at this weekend’s PowderKeg brew festival.
GOATNIK RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT
Now with new owners, Wild Dawgs has reopened downtown.
Return of the Dawgs
Iron Goat Brewing Co. This Spokane brewery has been impressive this fall with their fresh-hop beers, and this high-gravity stout shows that they can handle their malts. SARAH WURTZ PHOTO
Downtown’s Wild Dawgs serves up hot dogs and flatbreads long into the night BY LISA WAANANEN
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ack when it opened in 2011, Wild Dawgs was known more for its logo than its food. The cartoonishly raunchy logo of a woman eating a hot dog spurred feverish TV coverage and divided Spokanites into those who found it hilarious and those who found it offensive. Some citizens boycotted the joint. Controversy aside, the spot earned a following as a late-night hangout, and Brett Hendren and Scott Lea were among the regulars who were bummed when the place closed last year. But they’d been thinking about getting into the bar and restaurant industry, so after months of calling the former owner they finally got in touch in July and took over. Hendren and Lea have made some changes — after talking with other local businesses, they decided to ditch the controversial logo. They’ve kept the font, though, and they’re not against fun — there’s always a new joke or deep thought chalked on the sandwich board out front. Tucked under the concrete swoops of the Parkade, the diner-style nook is a cozy spot to start a night on the town or stop for a hangover-preventing snack before heading
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home. Few places in Spokane are open so late — 3 am on Friday and Saturday — and Hendren says nights vary from low-key to packed, based on what else is happening downtown. The most popular gourmet “dawgs” ($5.95) remain on the menu, like the “Funky Mama” with jalapeño, mozzarella, grilled onions, tomato and pineapple sauce, or the “I ♥ Spokane” with cream cheese, bacon, onions, mushrooms, ketchup, mozzarella and pineapple. Diners can opt for a German sausage inside their massive bun, or for the popular veggie dog. “I get tons of regulars just from that,” Hendren says. But not everyone wants a hot dog, Hendren says, so they added a menu of flatbreads with a variety of toppings ($5.95). Right now they serve wine and beer, with an emphasis on local and regional breweries, and plan to have a whiskey-focused full bar by New Year’s. Wild Dawgs • 102 N. Howard • Mon-Thu, 11 am-10 pm; Fri-Sat, 11 am-2:30 am • 255-3688 • facebook.com/ Wilddawgs
BOOTJACK IPA
Icicle Brewing It’s not a winter beer, but crisp, floral notes result from the choice Yakima hops in this brew.
HO! HO! WINTER ALE
Diamond Knot Brewing This Mukilteo, Wash.-based brewery has been cranking out this burly winter beer for almost a decade. Ringing in at a relatively daunting 8.5 percent alcohol, the Ho! Ho! can sneak up on unsuspecting imbibers — but it’s impressively drinkable for such a high-gravity brew.
WINTER WARMER ALE
No-Li Brewhouse This Spokane-style seasonal is red in color and is candy-sweet on the front end, but is backed up with enough hops for a nice balance.
SAISON D’FRIOD
Ramblin’ Road Beer We haven’t had it, but fledgling brewery Ramblin’ Road is looking to make a splash with this Belgian beer, the only saison to be found at PowderKeg. PowderKeg • Fri, Nov. 8, 4-9 pm; Sat, Nov. 9, 10 am-6 pm • Spokane Convention Center • Tasting packages $15-$25