Not by wine alone

As an avid wine enthusiast and one who works in the field daily it is easy to lose track at times of the other great beverage choices that are out there, pair well with food and generate just as much passion as fermented grape juice does for me.

Coming up in a little over the week, those of us in the Inland Northwest will have an unparalleled chance to sample over 30 craft beers as well as select national brands in one location, at one time, right here in our own backyard.

The first annual "Summer's Here Brew Fest" will be held at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 18 from 3 until 7 p.m. This promises to be a great and fun event with attractions going beyond just the public beer tasting, which includes music by one of our great local bands, Nobody Famous, great food vendors, and fun and games for all of us.

The other great news story of this event is it supports a good cause - The North Idaho Fair and Rodeo. Although it has been talked about much recently, many may not realize that the Fair and Rodeo is entirely self funding, no County dollars go to support this signature event that we all love so much at the end of August.

In fact, 80% of the operating budget for the Fair comes from those five days in August, so events like this that broaden and diversify that funding stream help all of us enjoy an even better Fair.

The Brew Fest on the 18th is free to get in, but if you want to sample beer, $10 gets you a souvenir pilsner glass and two pours of beer with additional pours available for $1. That is right; no charge for the parking or the music or any of the other fun events, just come by and enjoy the show.

For those of you who will be attending after Car d'Alene drive your classic car to the fairgrounds and the entire event including your first two beers will be free. This will give the rest of us who only covet classic cars a chance to see some of the great autos up close while we enjoy our favorite brew.

Food will be available for purchase from great local vendors to keep your thirst going, and just so no one thinks I have lost my passion for wine there will be wine available at the dinner party table where you can use your beer tickets to sample some great summer quaffers, and you will be able to buy the wines you try by the bottle to enjoy later.

This chance to sample so many great beers provides opportunity too as you can order many of the beers you taste from the tap by the bottle and pick them up the next week right down the street from the fairgrounds at the dinner party shop which is by Costco.

With more than 30 taps available that day the great local distributors who are working with the Fair on this inaugural event, Centennial and Odom, are covering every category from Stout to IPA and beyond and have included many great producers from the local area and around the country providing all of us unparalleled chances to find new alternatives to the beer we consume regularly.

In short, it is a chance to really branch out and broaden your knowledge of craft beers and micro brews; a category where the production is exploding, which for consumers is the best news of all.

In the coming years it is planned that this event will evolve to include a commercial beer competition for brewers like the North Idaho Wine Rodeo is for winemakers.

However this year the people's choice award will be determined by all who attend based on the number of tickets each beer receives for purchase.

So there you have it! Come out to the Fairgrounds on the 18th for the first of many great chances to explore the growing and changing world of beer as we know it, and embrace that truly we do not survive on wine alone. We hope to see you there.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo, and writes frequently for the on line version of Coeur d'Alene magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. His articles can also be found on the blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.