Call him a heretic. A heathen. A dishonor to the Inland Northwest. But Damon Netz doesn't like IPAs.
The Seattle native just had too many hoppy beers and got sick of them, OK? So when Netz opened No Drought Brewing Company in Spokane Valley in 2021, he decided to focus on serving his favorite beers — lager, doppelbock, Kölsch and all kinds of other German brews, made from malts straight out of Heidelberg.
Judging by his full taproom, he isn't the only one getting sick of pale ales.
This year, Netz is offering another underloved libation. In August, Netz kicked off his 12-month project called the Small Batch Stout Chronicles. Every month for the next year, Netz will release an extremely limited edition stout beer. Emphasis on extremely — only a pony keg, which is less than 8 gallons total.
Each month's stout features a different seasonal additive, from pumpkin to peppermint to peanut butter. The first installment in August was "Just a Stout," which will serve as the base recipe for all stouts to come. It was dark, smooth, chocolatey and gone in just three days. But on Sept. 23, Netz plans to release his second exclusive stout, probably with blackberry or blueberry, for a new kind of tribute to the Northwest.
Netz made stamp cards to help customers keep track of how many stouts they've tried. Twelve stamps means a prize at the end. If you already missed Just a Stout, don't fret: 10 or 11 stamps might still win you something, too.
Aber Damon, Stout ist nicht Deutsch! True, stouts aren't German. But if Netz is committed to anything, it's to doing whatever he wants. And despite the lack of hops, his unorthodox tastes are catching on.
"Great feedback. People loved it," Netz says. "I think it's a really good step."
Stouts are dark, heavy beers once preferred by the working class of England's 18th-century industrial revolution. "Stout" is another term for "strong," reflecting both the beer and the men who drank it.
Stouts went out of style in England pretty quickly, but they stayed relevant in Ireland and the U.S. American stouts tend to be sweet, while Irish stouts, like Guinness, are more dry — a sophisticated palate might even pick up hints of fiddle and melancholy.
Netz's base stout is dark and roasty without being too heavy, like perfectly brewed espresso. The beer gets its dark color from "chocolate" malt, sprouted barley that's been roasted to the color of Lindt or Ghirardelli. There's no actual chocolate in the malt, but toasting brings out notes of cocoa.
Netz has a little "malt wall" behind the bar, a small shelf of spice jars in which he displays the different malts he uses. He knows what malts are used for which beers, but he's not a guy to geek out over the scientific process of brewing — he has a brewmaster named Marcus Jackson for that. He's just a dude with an MBA and an insurance job who likes good beer, side hustles and Oktoberfest.
Netz homebrewed for about six months while he befriended Peter McArthur and Logan Cook of Genus Brewing, which was right on his way home from work.
"I literally stopped in there two, three days a week," Netz says. "I just picked their brains nonstop."
Throughout his MBA studies, Netz was warned that business owners were secretive and competitive. But McArthur and Cook were open, welcoming and willing to teach him anything they could.
"Instantly their responses were, 'Oh yeah, come in the back and let me show you what I got,'" Netz says. "They gave me a tour, they showed me everything, they gave me a bunch of tips of what they would have done differently. The industry is insane. The industry is amazing."
Owning No Drought is a second job for Netz, and he makes sure to keep it fun. He loved the Lester Cup, an annual, themed friendly competition between six breweries in downtown Spokane. Netz now organizes a similar brew-off in Spokane Valley, aptly called the Valley Cup. The Valley Cup trophy travels to each winning brewery, just like pro hockey's Stanley Cup. It currently sits behind No Drought's till — they won last year's competition for best colorful beer with a purple ube stout.
Next to the Valley Cup trophy is Das Boot, a beer glass shaped like a boot that holds 2 liters. Anyone who orders it gets their Polaroid picture up on the wall. Netz just bought another glass boot so two friends can face off and prove ultimate drinking prowess.
PROST!
Oktoberfest: Thu, Sept. 28-Sat, Sept. 30
Small Batch Stout Chronicles, Chapter 2: Sat, Sept. 23
10604 E. 16th Ave, Spokane Valley
nodroughtbrewing.com, 509-241-3294
Netz still supports the homebrew scene, too. This year, he partnered with a homebrew competition held by Joseph's Grainery in Colfax. Homebrewers used the barley grown by the grainery in original, creative styles. The winner got the chance to scale up their recipe at No Drought and sell it in Netz's taproom.
This is great news for drinkers who don't want an IPA, Schwarzbier or stout, if there is such a person. The winner of this year's homebrew competition was Lisa Wagner and her "Just Peachy" Gose. Coincidentally, Gose is a sour, fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. Sour beers don't get much love around here, either, but you can get a glass of Just Peachy at No Drought during the last few months of this year.
In true German fashion, No Drought is hosting a three-day Oktoberfest at the end of September. The celebration includes an oompah band, a stein-holding contest, and some of Netz's favorite beers, like Märzenbier and Festbier.
"I love Oktoberfest," Netz says, blissfully remembering his first trip to Leavenworth, Washington. "It's probably what helped lead me to German beers."
A few days before polkas and lederhosen descend on Spokane Valley's newest hofbräuhaus, Netz releases the second chapter of his Small Batch Stout Chronicles. So get your autumn on, ditch the hazy crazy for one night and sip on something big bold, and berry delicious while you can. ♦
