Lumberbeard Brewing, Spokane WA

1 August 2026

Lumberbeard is not in the best part of Spokane and there wasn’t any obvious parking available except for four spots right in front on a busy street. Fortunately, by the time I went around a few blocks — there are lots of one-way streets here — a spot right in front had opened up.

I did something I don’t do very often but it can really work with the right bartender — I said that I was passing through and would only be here once, that I was going to do two flights, and asked for the eight best beers. The bartender liked the challenge, asked me a couple of style questions, and here’s what she came up with (both flights described left to right):

Postcards – Italian Pilsner, 5% – They have a lot of Pilsners here! This one was very drinkable, light and slightly dry. It was good in a rather refined kind of way.

Kiwi Krispi – Pilsner, 4.9% – Melon was the primary flavor but with enough bitterness behind it that this beer really needs some good food to accompany it.

Lumberfunk Collateral Gains – Sour/Saison, 7.8% – The primary flavor is apricot, so you get the slight sourness of the apricots with the stronger sour of a true sour with the interest of a saison … and all in all, the more I sipped it, the more I liked it.

Homemade Spaceship – New Zealand Pilsner, 4.7% – OK, here was my hands-down favorite of this flight (with the sour being a close second). This also has a noticeable melon flavor, but unlike the Postcards, it doesn’t have the bitterness that requires food. I could sip this Pilsner for a good long time.

(You’ve probably noticed by now that their beers don’t vary in color much … but in taste, they certainly do!

Beach Llamas – Hazy IPA, 6.7% – There’s a prominent pineapple flavor here also through the use of Galaxy, El Dorado, and Citra hops. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

Flavor Nuggets V20 – Hazy IPA, 6.8% – This is quite good! There are some mild fruit flavors with a bit of hoppy bitterness, but overall it’s really enjoyable.

Party Pants – “Small” Hazy IPA, 4.8% – Maybe it’s just because I had the others first, but this was too mild and with no particular flavor. Perhaps I’d think differently of it if I’d had it first.

Hop Choppin V15 – West Coast IPA, 6.5% – I’m not usually a fan of West Coast IPAs but I did find this one to be easy drinking. That may be because it was also surprisingly mild, given the name.

This burger was supposedly two four-ounce patties but I suspect they were larger than that! It was exceptionally tasty with the onions, pickles, and cheese, and the fries were perfectly fried, and came with Fry Sauce even!

I enjoyed this visit to Lumberbeard. It’s not a place I’d arrange a trip around, but if I had to be back in Spokane, I wouldn’t mind another visit.