Bloglander

One of the region’s pioneers in the “drink local” movement is celebrating a full decade of bringing award-winning, ultra-local libations to bars near and far.

Dry Fly Distilling marks its big 10-year milestone officially this Friday, Oct. 13, but the party is happening all week with special events, small-batch, barrel-aged releases and discounts on purchases made at its East Spokane headquarters and tasting room, open Mon-Sat from noon-8 pm.

Lest you’ve forgotten, Dry Fly became the first distillery to open in Washington state since Prohibition (which ended in 1933) when founders Kent Fleischmann and Don Poffenroth pooled their retirement savings to open the craft distillery in 2007.

While festivities kicked off earlier this week, you can still join the celebration by stopping by the distillery’s tasting room between now and Saturday, Oct. 14. If you’re reading this information the day it’s released, Thursday, Oct. 12, you can still catch a pro bartender competition at the tasting room, taking place this evening from 6-8 pm.

While you’re there, take advantage of 25 percent off everything — Dry Fly’s way of thanking the community for supporting its efforts to produce hyper-local whiskey, vodka and gin using grains farmed within an hour or so of its East Spokane headquarters. Your chance to meet those farmers happens Saturday, Oct. 14, from 3-7 pm, during which guests can also enjoy a country-style, corn-and-biscuit meal to go with their neat or mixed drinks.

On both Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14, customers who stop by the distillery can bottle their own vodka in a special, limited-release red bottle. Throughout the week, Dry Fly has also partnered with local nonprofits, including the Isaac Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Spokane, to donate a portion of their sales proceeds.

Head to Dry Fly’s Facebook page or website (dryflydistilling.com) for more details on its 10 Year Anniversary Week events.

BEER ME: A FRESH HOP FEST, BEER + COOKIES

Oktoberfest season continues with a couple of local, beer-centric events to wet your whistle this weekend.

First up, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and North Idaho host their fifth annual Spokane Craft Beer and Cookies Fest fundraiser this Saturday, Oct. 14, from 4-7 pm. Before you ask — yes, of course there will be Girl Scout cookies! Local breweries participating in the age 21+ only event will also be competing to win the best craft beer and cookie pairing, as determined by attendees.

To get tickets and see the full list of participating breweries — including local faves Iron Goat, River City, Black Label and more — head here. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door (a VIP option is $30/$35) and includes a tasting glass, five 4-ounce pours and a $5 voucher to redeem at food trucks on site.

Also happening for the fifth consecutive year this weekend is The Lantern Tap House’s Freshtival fresh-hop beer fest. The two-day celebration of regional beers from Oregon (Friday, Oct. 13), Washington and Idaho (Saturday, Oct. 14) breweries features more than 32 fresh-hopped beers on tap.

The event is free to attend, and $10 gets you a tasting pint plus five drink tokens, with additional tokens sold for $1 each (one token can be redeemed for a 4-ounce pour, while two gets you 8 ounces and four equals a 16-ounce pour).

IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE

Pick up the latest edition of the Inlander, or head to our online food section, to catch the latest news centering around local food and drink. This week's issue includes a moving tribute to late Iron Goat Brewing co-founder Paul Edminster, a preview of a new book by Pacific Northwest authors that could help you boost your campsite cooking skills, and a feature on the growing craft soda movement. For our complete and up-to-date listings of local culinary events — including tastings, cooking classes, dinners and more — head here.

A version of this information originally appeared in our weekly Entrée food newsletter; sign up to get it delivered directly to your inbox here.