Manito Tap House Birthday Party Weekend pt 1: Firestone Walking

This upcoming Sunday, September the ninth, the Manito Tap House will be celebrating their first birthday. If you couldn't tell by the many mentions thus far in this blog's short history, we here at the Spokane Beer Blog are big fans of the MTH, and are frequent visitors. The first time we went was about two weeks after they opened last year, being drawn in by the amount of beers on tap offered by the gastropub, but found we continued going back for the food as well as the beer selection. We go often. And that's probably an understatement.

The festivities started last Thursday night with a visit from from Firestone Walker Brewing, and a handful of kegs they brought that are rare in these parts of the northwest, and luckily we didn't get there too late to try them all.

First up, the Pivo Pils, a light and crisp Pilsner. I'm generally not a big fan of pilsners, unless they are really, really, really, really damn good. This one is up there, but still not a beer I'd drink on a regular basis. It's good, but it's just not my taste. My palate has evolved past such a light beer. I need more hops. I need more barrel-aging. I need more malts. I need to stop complaining.

Second, the unfiltered DBA. I regret to say I haven't done my due diligence here. I don't believe I've ever had the regular DBA, which stands for Double Barrel Ale. It's a pale ale, a style in which I'm usually hit or miss on. I'd prefer a pale over a pilsner, but I find most pales leaving me wanting more. This pale, however, was ultimately satisfying. It had a definite hop presence without being overbearing, and went down smooth and clean. Light, enjoyable; perfect for those summer evenings full of yard work and procrastination.

Next was the Double DBA, an American Barleywine which, as you can probably guess from the name, is supposedly double the strength of the standard DBA. It is, in fact, more than double, and stands at a walloping 12% ABV, a full seven points higher than the DBA. It's caramelly (I'm standing by my made-up adjectives, dammit!), and delicious as the day is long, which, in this case, is not an apt analogy, seeing as the days are starting to get a lot shorter. So let's just say this beer kicks a lot of ass. It's like Chuck Norris, but from like twenty years ago. The pre-total-gym Chuck Norris. Not the thousand years of darkness anti-Obama you tube video Chuck Norris. So really it's more like Bruce Lee, who kicked Chuck Norris's ass in Way Of The Dragon. I think. I haven't seen it, but I've heard it's pretty awesome. Almost as awesome as the Double DBA. Full circle!

Lastly, the Oaktoberfest. Now, I love a good pun in a beer title, but I'm usually not too keen on Oktoberfest style beers, and this one is no exception. Not bad, but again, not my preferred style. I could probably blame the Double DBA for wrecking my palate before this one, but I found the Oaktoberfest to be a bit tame. It's got all the right elements to be a "true Marzen," as it's called on the FW website, and I certainly recommend reading the wikipedia page entry on Marzens (the history of Marzens and Oktoberfest style beers is fascinating). So even though this wasn't necessarily my cup of Oktoberfest, I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the Marzen or the Oktoberfest style beer. It's certainly at the top of its class.

All of these beers should still be on tap if you find yourself at the Manito Tap House at any time this weekend, but these aren't the only ones. A big part of the birthday festivities include the addition of several rare, barrel-aged beers, including one beer that I wouldn't hesitate at putting at the top of my list of best beers I've ever had:

The Parabola.

It's a barrel-aged imperial stout. A beauty. A masterpiece in the art of beer craft. I'll tell you all about it after Sunday, which is when they're putting it on, and is when I'll be indulging. More than once, I'd imagine.

They'll also have the barrel-aged Ten Fidy and barrel-aged Old Chub from Oskar Blues, the bourbon barrel-aged Dogfather Imperial Stout from Laughing Dog, the bourbon barrel-aged Renewale from Ninkasi, a couple of TBD specialty beers from Freemont Brewing, and more awaiting confirmation. According to my sources, however, the Firestone Walker Wookey Jack is among one of the unconfirmed beers, which I reviewed in my poker night post, and will be going on tap Saturday night.

For the rare and barrel-aged beer nut like me, that last paragraph reads like pornography. Quality pornography. High-dollar pornography. Not the kind of stuff you'd find in the woods as a pre-teen, but the kind you might find in a vintage boutique. Or in a shoe box hidden in your grandfather's closet.

Not that I'd know anything about that.

But if you're not a rare and barrel-aged beer nut like me, the tap house still has the best variety of beers in town, including, if you've got an eye keen enough to spot it, a macro-brew.

Funny stuff, that.

So when you find yourself at the Tap House this weekend for the birthday festivities, might I recommend the Chef's Burger. You won't find it on the regular menu, but they'll still bring it to you, along with the fried egg and bacon that comes on it. Dip it in the house-made ketchup. It's awesome. It's more than awesome. It's high-dollar pornography awesome.

Food porn. Beer porn. Is that what this blog is about?

Certainly.

So, when you find yourself at the Tap House this weekend, tell them, while tapping that glass, that the Spokane Beer Blog sent you.

Or don't. That's cool too. No need to let bloggery get between you and a great burger. Or great beer. Which this weekend will be full of.

I really need to learn how to better end a post.