No-Li Brewhouse

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 in 2012. The brewery is known for its emphasis on local sourcing, local production, and community involvement; in 2013 it was designated a "Spokane Style Beer" producer. The company markets such beers as Born & Raised IPA, Big Juicy IPA and Cascade Fog Hazy IPA.

No-Li Brewhouse

Location	Spokane, Washington, United States
Coordinates	47.662699°N 117.394008°W
Opened	2012
Key people	John Bryant
Annual production volume	18,000 (2020)
Website	www.nolibrewhouse.com
Active beers
Name Type Big Juicy IPA India Pale Ale Born & Raised IPA India Pale Ale Cascade Fog Hazy IPA Hazy India Pale Ale Threezy Does It Hazy IPA Hazy India Pale Ale Jet Juiced IPA India Pale Ale Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout Stout Red, White and Hazy IPA Hazy India Pale Ale Corner Coast Golden Pac NW Ale No-Li Porch Glow Amber Amber Ale Spin Cycle Red Original Red Day Fade Huckleberry Hard Seltzer Day Fade Black Cherry Hard Seltzer Day Fade Mango Hard Seltzer

No-Li Brewhouse beverages are licensed for distribution in Washington and Idaho. The brewery has won over 30 international 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.[1] The company logo celebrates the Skyride over Spokane Falls.

History

Mark Irvin founded Northern Lights Brewery in 1993, 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.[2] In June 2002, Irvin moved Northern Lights from Airway to Spokane, to No-Li's current location, to open as a brewpub. Beer industry executive John Bryant tasted Irvin's brews from time to time and in November 2011 offered a partnership. No-Li was founded in 2012. 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.[3][4]

Bryant worked to give the company an exclusive brand. 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, No-Li Brewhouse was founded 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.[5] (The brewhouse displays an original gondola from the ride.[6]) 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 is expected to produce about 18,000 barrels in 2020.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

Recognition

Inside the No-Li Brewhouse in Spokane, Washington.

• 2012 – Gold medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Great American Beer Festival[11][12][13]
• 2012 – Gold medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the International Beer Competition in Yokohama, Japan[12][14]
• 2012 – Silver medal for Born & Raised IPA at the International Beer Competition in Yokohama, Japan[12][14]
• 2012 – Silver medal for Silent Treatment IPA at the Brussels International Beer Competition[11][15]
• 2012 – Silver medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Brussels International Beer Competition[11][15]
• 2012 – Bronze medal at the European Beer Star Competition[11]
• 2013 – Top Brewery to Watch, Draft Magazine[11]
• 2013 – Best of the Northwest, by the Seattle Post Intelligencer[11]
• 2013 – St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top 21 Beers of the Year: Crystal Bitter ESB[11]
• 2013 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2013 – Bronze medal for Silent Treatment Pale at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2013 – Silver medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2014 – Silver medal for Créme Ale at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2014 – Gold medal for Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2014 – Gold medal for Aksel at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2014 – Silver medal for Rise & Grind at the Brussels International Beer Competition
• 2014 – Gold medal for Blackfill at the Brussels International Beer Competition
• 2015 – Bronze medal for Mosh Pit Tart Cherry at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2015 – Bronze medal for Rise & Grind at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2016 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2016 – Silver medal for Red, White & No-Li at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2016 – Silver medal for Rise & Grind at the Brussels Beer Competition
• 2016 – Silver medal for Spin Cycle Red at the European Beer Star
• 2016 – Large Brewery of the year at the Washington Brewers Festivals
• 2017 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2017 – Silver medal for Big Juicy IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2017 – Bronze medal for Spin Cycle Red at the Brussels Beer Challenge
• 2018 – Silver medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Washington Brewers Festival
• 2018 – Bronze medal for Falls Porter at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2018 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2018 – Silver medal for Born & Raised IPA at the 2018 World Beer Cup
• 2019 – Bronze medal for Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout at the Australian Beer Awards
• 2020 – Gold medal for Red, White & Hazy IPA at the Best of the Northwest SIP
• 2020 – Silver Medal for Corner Coast Golden Ale at the Best of the Northwest SIP Magazine
• 2020 – Gold medal for Cascade Fog Hazy IPA at the World Beer Awards
• 2020 – Silver medal for Red, White & Hazy IPA at the World Beer Awards
• 2020 – Gold medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Brussels Beer Challenge
• 2020 – Gold medal for Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout at the Brussels Beer Challenge
• 2020 – Silver medal for Big Juicy IPA at the US Open Beer Championship
• 2020 – Recognized as the 2020 Spokane Philanthropic Small Business of the Year

References

1. "Beertown, U.S.A.: Spokane, Wash". Draft Magazine. November–December 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
2. "Bio: Mark Irvin, Brew Master" (PDF). No-Li Brewhouse. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
3. "Bio: John Bryant" (PDF). No-Li Brewhouse. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
4. "John Bryant, noted craft exec, joins Northern Lights" (PDF). Modern Brewery Age. 63 (15): 1, 7. April 27, 2012.
5. "No-Li Brewhouse". Riley Cran. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
6. 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.
7. Bonino, Rick (April 11, 2014). "With new beers, renovations, No-Li stays busy". The Spokesman-Review.
8. 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.
9. "News No-Li Brewhouse Introduces the Fresh Keg Sheet". Washington Beer. September 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
10. "No-Li Announces Distribution to Dallas-Fort Worth". Bitch Beer. January 28, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
11. Gribbins, Keith (July 10, 2013). "No-Li Brewhouse launches 'Spokane-style' craft beer into Portland". Craft Brewing Business. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
12. "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.
13. Bookey, Mike (October 24, 2012). "No-Li Wins Gold at Great American Beer Festival". Inlander. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
14. Jones, Kendall (September 27, 2012). "Spokane's First International Beer Medals". Washington Beer Blog. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
15. "Brussels Beer Challenge 2012 Winners by category" (PDF). Brussels Beer Challenge. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2014.

External links and references

• Official website