In the middle of a shopping center at the bustling intersection of Sprague and Sullivan, Courtney and Mark Haney have managed to carve out a cozy space for the area's craft beer and cider community.
"We really try to go for the kind of old world cozy living room. We don't have TVs. We're family friendly. When we're working, our kids are here," Courtney says.
In a part of Spokane Valley that is dominated by national retailers and chain restaurants, Bardic Brewing and Cider fills a void with its warm, locally made atmosphere. As two community-minded people, bringing a cozy environment to the neighborhood is important to the Haneys.
Courtney moved to the area when she was 8 years old, and Mark's been here his whole life. He laughs about not getting out much when he says, "I was born and raised about 200 feet away from where I live now."
More than just having roots in the community, the community was there when the Haneys needed it most. When they opened their location at the Sullivan Square Shopping Center, they had no idea that in three months the world would grind to a halt because of a pandemic.
"The community has been fantastic. We had a lot of people that would come specifically to support us. I remember having winters where our patio, we had heaters and people were in their parkas and bringing blankets and sitting out there with cold beer," Courtney says.
In the years since, Bardic Brewing and Cider has become part of the fabric of that community that came to support them in those early days. Events like weekly trivia on Tuesdays or the Lego weekends every few months help bring people together for more than just beer or cider. There are even some opportunities for neighbors to get involved in the production side of things as well.
"We've got a gal, she is like two blocks that way, who has a little orchard on her property, and we go pick her apples and turn that into cider. And I'm about to launch the community cider, which is when people bring in whatever fruits, vegetables or herbs that they grow and then we turn that into a cider. It's always very weird," Courtney says with a laugh.
Unlike many breweries that focus on the beer and push cider to the side, the two share the spotlight at Bardic Brewing and Cider. With around 16 options on tap on any given day, the split is usually close to 50-50 between beer and cider.
"We'd go to local breweries, and I'm not as much of a beer drinker, so I would have one option all the time. It was the same option a lot of times, no matter where we went. It was a good option, but it gets old after a while," Courtney remembers.
That experience informs how Courtney approaches Bardic's cider offerings. Rotating options bring variety, whether that's easy and floral like the vanilla lavender cider or hot and tangy like the Carolina Reaper and ginger, but she also keeps some familiar favorites on tap for those looking for a more traditional cider.
"My goal is to always have something sweet, something dry and something in the middle," Courtney says.
While Courtney is working to make the cider, Mark is busy brewing the beer, and if some of her ciders sound adventurous, wait until you hear about his beers.
As our interview pivoted to the brewery side of the operation, when asked to describe their preferred styles, Courtney wondered aloud if they even had an IPA on tap at the time.
Mark reminded her that they did have one IPA on tap, an 18 percent ABV one, but an IPA nonetheless, before adding that they'd released an even stronger 22 percent IPA previously.
"I like to keep the beers here kind of in the English, Irish, Scottish style. I do love a good IPA, I just don't make many of them, and they are absolutely everywhere. So I tend to stick with the maltier, richer, stronger beers. There are usually at least a couple of them that are double-digit ABVs up there," Mark says.
On the other end of the spectrum are their nonalcoholic offerings, including homemade sodas like orange cream and root beer.
Those aren't only meant for the non-drinkers or the designated drivers, they're a popular pairing for kids to go with their homemade pizza or ice cream.
"Root beer floats are a thing for sure," Mark says, before returning to the strong stuff and adding, "Russian imperial stout float is, yeah... that is a thing."
It's that creative, adventurous and welcoming approach that has helped Bardic Brewing and Cider endear itself to the Spokane Valley community that the Haneys value so much.