Limberlost seeks apples for new brew

Having been operating for four months now, Limberlost Brewing Company is still floating. "We're doing about what we thought. People are speaking really well about our product," Zach Whipple-Kilmer, who owns the Thompson Falls brewery with his wife Kate. He believes they would sell more beer if they also had food, but he said that is something for down the road. Whipple-Kilmer explained that, for now, they "just want to ride out the winter and maybe look at doing catering, or maybe a food truck" next year. "We're just going slow and not worrying about what everyone else is doing."

The food is not the only update the brewery is planning in the next year, however. They also want to put in a fire pit and fix up the adjacent lot into a space for customers to relax outdoors. They are also preparing to introduce a special winter beer, but need the community's help. Whipple-Kilmer explained that community is important to them. The brewers want to create an environment where the community interacts, and they say there is free beer involved.

The new beer will be a gluten-free apple cider/beer hybrid, called a graf. Whipple-Kilmer explained that they did not set out to create a gluten-free beverage, but that happened to be the recipe they landed on for the best taste. To create it, the brewery will need about 1,000 pounds of apples, and rather than buying that many, Whipple-Kilmer explained that they decided to try to kill two birds with one stone. The Whipple-Kilmers are asking the community for apples, in order to "keep our bears out of trouble."

According to Whipple-Kilmer, as bears get ready for winter and the fruit trees begin to ripen, bears are going to start becoming a more common sight in town. Rather than hear about a possible bear attack, and since Limberlost needs apples, Whipple-Kilmer assured it seemed like a good idea to reach out to the community for apples. "That's part of the Limberlost story," said Whipple-Kilmer. "We're trying to become community engaged and trying to be creative." They also plan on putting a mulled spices area for a "warm mulled cider taste" in the brewery during the winter for customers to add to their beer. "We've never seen it done before, but we want to try to push the envelope," said Whipple-Kilmer.

Whipple-Kilmer said the best part is, for those who bring in 15 pounds, or about a five-gallon bucket, full of apples, they will get a free beer. These folks will also be entered into a raffle to win a Limberlost growler. The brewery will be collecting apples until October 18 and all apples must be free of mold, bad blemishes and be as fresh as possible. They say a worm hole or two is fine.

The idea for the community apples was something Whipple-Kilmer saw other cideries do and believes it should be a fun idea. "We have no idea if this will even work, or bite us later," added Whipple-Kilmer. Along with the upcoming apple beer, Limberlost has released two other seasonal beers, including their pumpkin ale and a special coffee beer made with coffee beans. The pumpkin ale carries that classic seasonal spice taste, while the coffee beer is unique. It carries a bitter taste, like it was squeezed straight from the beans. They included fresh high-grade coffee beans in the brew and ended up with a lighter beer than many may expect when trying a coffee themed pint. Limberlost is interested in thoughts from the community on both, and plan to constantly release more beer varieties for people to try.

Since they opened their doors, Limberlost has added a great variety to their list of beers, presenting flavors including huckleberry, stouts, IPAs, seltzers and many more. Limberlost is located at 1017 W. Main Street in Thompson Falls, next to Big Bull Sports. They can be reached through Facebook, Instagram or by email at [email protected].