Friday 9th of December 2011 01:18:02 PM

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First of all, the Steam Plant Grill now houses the Steam Plant Brewing Company. This location used to be a satellite of the Couer d'Alene Brewing Company which closed last year. Now that they are independent, they renamed all of their beers; all are the same styles they used to be, and at least some are the same recipe.

Their lineup now, as it used to be, is a blonde, huckleberry, wheat, pale, IPA, British, Scottish, porter, and their unique vanilla bourbon stout. Their taster tray is nicely designed and contains all of the above plus their seasonal and a cask conditioned version of one of the regular beers. I've ordered this tray dozens of times, but will not do so again because the price is now $17.

Overall, it really is a beautiful restaurant in a historic location. The chef is an expert and the food is very good, but even the pub fare is priced a little high. Lunch used to be more reasonable, but they are only open during dinner hours these days. Finally, their service has always been friendly, but is often slow. Expect to stick around a while.

Thursday 24th of June 2010 09:54:02 PM

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Steam Plant Grill is inside a the old Spokane steam plant. This is a member of the Couer D'Alene Brewing company family. The bar is downstairs and restaurant above. They actually brew some of the beers here and the rest in Coeur D'Alene. I didn't have the sampler as it was 5 oz of each beer, 11 in all for $15, a good deal. So I tried the Rockford Bay IPA which had some initial crystal malt aroma with a moderate hop aroma. The flavor was good but more like an aggresively hopped pale ale. I sampled the vanilla bourbon stout which had a big vanilla aroma up front with slight aroma of bourbon and roasted malt. The flavor was a nice blend of the vanilla and bourbon and exceptionally well balanced. This beer is worth coming in for by itself. The bar was black tile and small but cozy and opened to a good size lounge area with a pool table. Black mugs hang overhead and all around from their generous mug club which costs $20 a year and included a 22 oz mug, the first fill included and $2.50 refills for the rest of the year.

I did not try the food.

The Brewery is kind of hard to find at first if you use mapquest or your iphone, but once inside it doesn't disappoint especially if you like upscale type bars. This would be a great place to take your business clients if in the area. They do have their own pint glasses and Couer D'Alene brewing company coasters.

Wednesday 2nd of April 2008 06:36:19 PM

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I was really disappointed with the beer, but the food is pretty good. I came here one evening for the happy hour, but found that, even then, nothing was especially cheap.
For its intended ambiance (more upscale), the place was especially noisy. The building and atmosphere are cool though, and the staff was nice.
I can specifically recall having the IPA, which I found to be too weak without much of any flavor. I don't recall liking any of the other beers.

Thursday 4th of October 2007 01:52:28 PM

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Ah, the Steam Plant. It holds a special place in our hearts (wife Persimmon and Mine) because of its beer.

The twin towers of the Steam Plant can be seen for miles in Spokane. Once the primary source for heat in downtown, the plant finally closed down in 1986 & remained idle for 10 years before its renovation & re-opening.
An expansive inside (that retained items from the old plant as decor), it is primarily a restaurant - very busy, very loud and always packed which translates into slow service. The wait staff however, seems to leave the "too-much-work-don't-bother-me" attitude behind. We settled in, away from the maddening crowd, down the stairs, in a cozy, semi-dark little nook - the bar serving 12 Couer d'Alene brews among as many tables.

The menu is extensive and not typical pub-fare although burgers, fries & such are available. I had the chicken satay appetizer w/peanut sauce that had a bite. Delicious. Spokane was nestled in the bosom of an 80-degree night when we were there and, although I initially turned my nose up at the thought, the Huckleberry Ale hit the spot. Overwhelming smell but the taste was cool and crisp and the perfect companion for that hot, summer evening and my meal. The Vanilla Bourbon Stout was also unique... but w/almost too much vanilla that made it taste a bit Kool-Aidy toward the end...and their Pullman Porter was a disappointment - much too smokey.
Their Rockford IPA was enjoyable w/a hint of orange and, thankfully not the cheek-puckerer that too many IPA's have become. Hops were first used as a preservative, not for taste, but I have come to believe that most, if not all, brewers are now engaged a fierce (but meaningless) competition to see who can develop the world's most bitter beer. As a result, the IPA "taste" has been sacrificed.

Finally, the Scottish Ale I thought excellent w/a hint of caramel - and it still remains a favorite because friend Shirley Skeptical, the Miller Ultra-Lite fan, like Caesar, came, tasted...and was converted to the "dark" side. "That," she said, "is not bad." That, I reply, is a gold star, award-winning endorsement from friend Shirley!
Next, we're going to push the envelope & a porter in front of her! Baby steps. Our work has only just begun.

Tuesday 25th of September 2007 04:28:22 PM

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The Steam Plant - cool old renovated power plant. There is lots of exposed ironwork, ducts and pipes. Parts of the building soars open for 3 or 4 stories. Note the great old Victorian skylights.

The bar is on the lower level. It has a green marble top and seats about 16. There are lots of tables of various sizes to share. Racks of black beer mugs hover above the bar. These 22 oz mugs belong to mug club members ($15 to join plus fills are only $2.75).

They have a friendly staff that banters with the customers. The bar tenders could easily talk "beer".

Nice happy hour specials of half priced beer and appetizers. They even had the Huckleberry Wheat on special during one visit for a $1!

Speaking of beers, 11 offerings including a cask. The call their rotating special the “Brewers Whimsy”. This was a Maibock during my visit. I liked everything I tried and can really recommend the Vanilla Bourbon Stout.

I liked this place and will return during my next visit. In fact, I like all three of Spokane’s Brewpubs and find each one has a unique and distinctive personality