No-Li Brewhouse
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| Location | Spokane, Washington, United States | ||||||||||||||||
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| Coordinates | 47°39′46″N 117°23′38″W / 47.662699°N 117.394008°WCoordinates: 47°39′46″N 117°23′38″W / 47.662699°N 117.394008°W | ||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1993 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Annual production volume | 8,000 (2014) | ||||||||||||||||
| Website |
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No-Li Brewhouse is a brewery and restaurant in Spokane, Washington, United States, co-founded by brewmaster Mark Irvin and beer industry executive John Bryant. The brewery is known for its emphasis on local sourcing and local production; in 2013 it was designated a "Spokane Style Beer" producer. Formerly known as Northern Lights Brewing, the company markets such beers as Born & Raised IPA.
No-Li Brewhouse beverages are licensed for distribution in Washington, Oregon,[1] Colorado, Maryland, Texas, Idaho, Alaska, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Hawaii, and some cities in Canada.[2] The brewery has won various international Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for its beers.
No-Li Brewhouse is the oldest active brewery in Spokane. It is also Spokane's largest brewpub, located at the edge of the Spokane River near Gonzaga University.[3] The company logo celebrates the Skyride over Spokane Falls.
History
The brewery was founded in 1993 as Northern Lights Brewery, first focusing on delivering kegs to restaurants. Brewmaster Mark Irvin started the brewery in Airway Heights, Washington, after working at Coeur d'Alene Brewing in Idaho and Hale's Ales in Seattle, Washington.[4] In June 2002, Irvin moved Northern Lights from Airway to Spokane, its current location, to open as a brewpub.[5] Beer industry executive John Bryant tasted Irvin's brews from time to time and in November 2011 offered a partnership. Bryant was a craft beer industry veteran, formerly associated with several beer brands, notably as vice president of sales and marketing of Deschutes Brewery, and chief operating officer of Odell Brewing Company.[6][7]
Bryant worked to give the company an exclusive brand. The name "Northern Lights" was dropped in early 2012 after another American brewer, Starr Hill Brewery, did not respond to any of Bryant's requests to negotiate licensing for the brand which it was using for an IPA product.[8][9] Bryant consulted with Greg Owsley, formerly chief of branding at New Belgium Brewing, and they worked with graphic artist Riley Cran in early 2012 to create a new logo and a series of new labels. Under Irvin and Bryant, Northern Lights officially rebranded as No-Li Brewhouse in April 2012. The logo shows three gondolas which represent the Skyride over Spokane Falls, a recreational aerial lift installed for Expo '74 and operated by Spokane ever since.[10] (The brewhouse displays an original gondola from the ride.[11]) No-Li soon entered several international beer competitions in North America, Japan and Europe, winning Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.
Production
The brewery produced 2,400 barrels of beer in 2012, 5,500 barrels in 2013, and was expected to produce about 8,000 in 2014.[12]
In September 2014, country music singer Blake Shelton stopped by No-Li Brewhouse during a tour which included Spokane, and he liked the beverages enough to direct his road manager to buy hundreds of dollars of beer to take with him.[13]
Mission
No-Li Brewhouse places high importance on the ingredients of its brews being locally sourced, with local labor used to produce the beverages. The company began offering in September 2013 what it called "Fresh Sheet Kegs" to customers in Seattle and Portland.[14]
In April 2013, No-Li Brewhouse received the newly approved federal designation of Spokane Style Beer, to differentiate beers made by Spokane area residents, with ingredients drawn from a 300-mile (480 km) radius.[2]
Recognition
- 2012 – Gold medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Great American Beer Festival[1][15][16]
- 2012 – Gold medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the International Beer Competition in Yokohama, Japan[15][17]
- 2012 – Silver medal for Born & Raised IPA at the International Beer Competition in Yokohama, Japan[15][17]
- 2012 – Silver medal for Silent Treatment IPA at the Brussels International Beer Competition[1][18]
- 2012 – Silver medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Brussels International Beer Competition[1][18]
- 2012 – Bronze medal at the European Beer Star Competition[1]
- 2013 – Top Brewery to Watch, Draft Magazine[1]
- 2013 – Best of the Northwest, by the Seattle Post Intelligencer[1]
- 2013 – St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top 21 Beers of the Year: Crystal Bitter ESB[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gribbins, Keith (July 10, 2013). "No-Li Brewhouse launches 'Spokane-style' craft beer into Portland". Craft Brewing Business. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- 1 2 "No-Li Announces Distribution to Dallas-Fort Worth". Bitch Beer. January 28, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Beertown, U.S.A.: Spokane, Wash". Draft Magazine. November–December 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Bio: Mark Irvin, Brew Master" (PDF). No-Li Brewhouse. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ Minor, Derrick (June 13, 2013). "Beer Review 0406: No-Li Silent Treatment Pale Ale". All the Same Beer. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Bio: John Bryant" (PDF). No-Li Brewhouse. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ "John Bryant, noted craft exec, joins Northern Lights" (PDF). Modern Brewery Age. 63 (15): 1, 7. April 27, 2012.
- ↑ Foyston, John (April 26, 2012). "Spokane's Northern Lights Brewing Co. rebrands as No-Li Brewhouse". Oregon Live. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ Gribbins, Keith (April 16, 2013). "No-Li Brewhouse tackles trademarks, IPAs and increasing demand". Craft Brewing Business. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ "No-Li Brewhouse". Riley Cran. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ↑ Roy, Breanna (May 2, 2014). "Spokane Falls Skyride: 40 years later". KREM.com. King Broadcasting. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ↑ Bonino, Rick (April 11, 2014). "With new beers, renovations, No-Li stays busy". The Spokesman-Review.
- ↑ Mischke, Nichole (September 23, 2014). "Country singer Blake Shelton buys a couple hundred dollars of No-Li beer for the road". KHQ News. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ "News No-Li Brewhouse Introduces the Fresh Keg Sheet". Washington Beer. September 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "No-Li Wins Gold at GABF Making No-Li Brewhouse Spokane's Leading National and International Award-Winning". Craft Beer. October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ↑ Bookey, Mike (October 24, 2012). "No-Li Wins Gold at Great American Beer Festival". Inlander. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- 1 2 Jones, Kendall (September 27, 2012). "Spokane's First International Beer Medals". Washington Beer Blog. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- 1 2 "Brussels Beer Challenge 2012 Winners by category" (PDF). Brussels Beer Challenge. Retrieved September 28, 2014.