Northwest Beers for Spring You’ll Love

Spring arrives in Spokane not all at once, and that means patio beer season. We’re fully in false spring at the moment, and though some flurries of snow may keep winter hanging on, the sun will be here before we know it. It inches forward in small measures. A longer evening. A patio chair dragged back into the sun. Buds emerging on the plants nearby. This is the season when brewers quietly pivot, trading heft for clarity, depth for lift, and winter’s endurance for something more lively.

Spring beers are about celebrating a new, lighter season. Styles like Maibock, pilsner, and saison feel especially suited to this moment. They carry just enough malt, brightness, or spice to remind you of what you’ve been missing, without asking you to linger in the cold. These beers reward attention but don’t demand it, designed for afternoons that stretch and evenings that unfold slowly. In Spokane, where the seasons still mean something, spring beer isn’t about trends. It’s a ritual to help us experience the best that the new season has to offer.

Beer Spotlight – The Best Beers for Spring

Maibock – The Beer Made for May

Ever wondered what beer pairs with the sort-of-spring weather of blooming flowers and sunny days coupled with brief intervals of snow flurries or teeth-clenching gusts of wind? There’s a beer for that.

Germans live similarly north and pondered the same question over two hundred years ago, and their answer was the Maibock. Originally a response to the maltier styles being produced elsewhere in Europe, the Maibock holds a similar crisp, refreshing character to other German lagers, but with a slight amber hue and slightly elevated hop profile.

Maibocks are a fun style for brewers to pull out in spring so don’t be surprised if you see a few of them pop up at your favorite local brewery or beer bar.

Bonus Fact: Ever Tried Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale? That’s a Maibock!

Saison or Farmhouse Ale – Crisp & Refreshing

A Saison is a classic spring style — dry, peppery/spicy, and effervescent. It’s lighter than winter beers, but still has enough complexity to be interesting, making it a great seasonal choice alongside a Maibock’s maltiness. 

Why it’s great for spring: bright and refreshing with herbal/citrus notes that pair well with warmer temperatures. 
You can often find versions of this at local breweries that rotate seasonals — for example, Bellwether Brewing Co.sometimes brews unique, farmhouse-leaning beers alongside other adventurous styles. 

Traditional Lager or Pilsner – Clean & Crisp

German-style lagers (including Pilsners) are lighter but still flavorful — think clean malt backbone with a little noble hop bite. These make excellent spring session beers when you want something easy but not boring.  Look for lagers on tap at places like Whistle Punk Brewing, known for traditional lagers and seasonal brews in Spokane. Brick West also often pours a classic Pilsner that’s bright and easygoing. 

Mexican-Style Lager – Light & Crushable

A nice, crisp Mexican lager is like a summer starter — simple, refreshing, and perfect for spring patios or beer week events. These tend to be lower in bitterness with a smooth finish. Breweries around Spokane like YaYa Brewing Company sometimes have versions like a Mexican lager on their taplist. 

Bonus: Local Takes on Bock & Seasonal Strong Ales

Even if Spokane breweries don’t always brew traditional Maibock, you’ll find seasonal stronger ales or specialty lagers during spring beer weeks and brewery events – just like Maibock, these bridge winter’s richness and spring’s liveliness. 

Beer-Friendly Events Happening Around Spokane

West End Beer Fest — April 18, 2026

A downtown Spokane walk-around beer festival featuring specialty brews from local breweries like Brick West, Humble Abode, Whistle Punk & Iron Goat. Expect live music, food trucks, and craft beer tastings all day long. 

Spokane Lilac Festival Brewfest — May 16, 2026

Part of the Spokane Lilac Festival, this annual Brewfest at Riverfront Park Pavilion brings together numerous regional breweries for tastings, music, and good vibes in the heart of downtown. 

Bourbon, Bacon & Brews 2026

A fun beer + bourbon tasting event paired with creative bacon-themed food, benefiting the local nonprofit Teen & Kid Closet — great for fans of craft beer and creative festival pairings.

Brewery Features – Vibe Check

Natural 20 Brewing Company

With the burgeoning of several new breweries and craft bars around Spokane, we are seeing themed drinkeries appear, a strategy Natural 20 Brewing decided to roll the dice on when they opened their brewery and taproom centered around tabletop games and collaborative play.

Walking into the taproom you will be immediately greeted by the barkeep or tavern wench with a front-facing bar, and to the right preceding the elongated seating area is a robust collection of tabletop games. Whether it be simple party games or more involved tabletop RPGs, Natural 20 Brewing centers their brand on collaborative play and social interaction.

Their tap list centers around older European beer styles, but they aren’t afraid to branch out and try new things! Look for a handful of unique beers in addition to the traditional English styles, including a couple collaborations with other local breweries. Check Out Natural 20 Brewing Company on East Sprague Near Evergreen.

Emry’s Beer & Mead Works

Spring at Emrys Beer & Mead Works feels less like a menu change and more like a tonal shift. The heaviness of winter quietly exits, replaced by beers that feel intentional without being precious. This is when Emrys shines in its restraint. Lighter lagers, Belgian-leaning ales, and thoughtfully balanced beers begin to take up space, designed not to overwhelm but to accompany the season as it unfolds.

What works about spring beer here is its patience. These are not beers built for extremes. They sit comfortably in the middle, where malt still matters but freshness leads. A crisp lager makes sense after a walk by the river nearby. A soft, complex farmhouse-style ale pairs naturally with longer afternoons and unhurried conversations on the rooftop patio lounge. Even when the tap list rotates, there is a consistency in approach that feels grounded and deliberate.

Some Technical Stuff

What makes alcohol in beer?

You may or may not have wondered at some point, “What makes alcohol in beer?” and while initially the answer may be simple, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

In the simplest terms, the amount of alcohol in beer comes from the amount of sugar in the wort (what beer is before it has alcohol in it) that are consumed by yeast and turned into CO2 and alcohol.

Level one of understanding where alcohol comes from is more sugar equals more booze. In all fermented beverages (but especially beer), alcohol can also be determined by the type of yeast used. Beer sugars and starches are much more complex than other fermented beverages, so think of yeast eating sugars like a toddler eating large, complicated food. Some yeast produces enzymes that cut up their food for them so they can eat more of it, and the more they eat the more alcohol they make.

This is level two of where alcohol comes from and is called attenuation. Level three and beyond gets complicated, covering things like efficiency (how good your equipment is at getting all the sugars out of your ingredients) and mixed fermentation.

Beer With Me

I own Genus Brewing, a brewery and brewing supply store in Spokane Valley, which means I get to be a geek about beer for a living. I’ve been in the industry for twelve years and talking with home and professional brewers daily puts me in a unique position to translate and transmit the happenings in the beer world.

Beer with me, while I talk about beer with a focus on what you can find locally, but also topical beer news and technical beer knowledge. I hope to indulge the interests of anyone with a thirst for premium malt beverages. If in-depth nerdery is something you want to read more about, please reach out to us on social media and let us know.