No-Li Brewhouse

Mark Irvin founded Northern Lights Brewery in 1993, first focusing on delivering kegs to restaurants. Brewmaster Mark Irvin started the brewery in Airway Heights, Washington, after working at Coeur d'Alene Brewing in Idaho and Hale's Ales in Seattle, Washington.[2] In June 2002, Irvin moved Northern Lights from Airway to Spokane, to No-Li's current location, to open as a brewpub. Beer industry executive John Bryant tasted Irvin's brews from time to time and in November 2011 offered a partnership. No-Li was founded in 2012. Bryant was a craft beer industry veteran, formerly associated with several beer brands, notably as vice president of sales and marketing of Deschutes Brewery, and chief operating officer of Odell Brewing Company.[3][4]

Bryant worked to give the company an exclusive brand. Bryant consulted with Greg Owsley, formerly chief of branding at New Belgium Brewing, and they worked with graphic artist Riley Cran in early 2012 to create a new logo and a series of new labels. Under Irvin and Bryant, No-Li Brewhouse was founded in April 2012. The logo shows three gondolas which represent the Skyride over Spokane Falls, a recreational aerial lift installed for Expo '74 and operated by Spokane ever since.[5] (The brewhouse displays an original gondola from the ride.[6]) No-Li soon entered several international beer competitions in North America, Japan and Europe, winning Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

The brewery produced 2,400 barrels of beer in 2012, 5,500 barrels in 2013, and is expected to produce about 18,000 barrels in 2020.[7]

In September 2014, country music singer Blake Shelton stopped by No-Li Brewhouse during a tour which included Spokane, and he liked the beverages enough to direct his road manager to buy hundreds of dollars of beer to take with him.[8]

No-Li Brewhouse places high importance on the ingredients of its brews being locally sourced, with local labor used to produce the beverages. The company began offering in September 2013 what it called "Fresh Sheet Kegs" to customers in Seattle and Portland.[9]

In April 2013, No-Li Brewhouse received the newly approved federal designation of Spokane Style Beer, to differentiate beers made by Spokane area residents, with ingredients drawn from a 300-mile (480 km) radius.[10]

Inside the No-Li Brewhouse in Spokane, Washington.

• 2012 – Gold medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Great American Beer Festival[11][12][13]
• 2012 – Gold medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the International Beer Competition in Yokohama, Japan[12][14]
• 2012 – Silver medal for Born & Raised IPA at the International Beer Competition in Yokohama, Japan[12][14]
• 2012 – Silver medal for Silent Treatment IPA at the Brussels International Beer Competition[11][15]
• 2012 – Silver medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Brussels International Beer Competition[11][15]
• 2012 – Bronze medal at the European Beer Star Competition[11]
• 2013 – Top Brewery to Watch, Draft Magazine[11]
• 2013 – Best of the Northwest, by the Seattle Post Intelligencer[11]
• 2013 – St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top 21 Beers of the Year: Crystal Bitter ESB[11]
• 2013 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2013 – Bronze medal for Silent Treatment Pale at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2013 – Silver medal for Crystal Bitter ESB at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2014 – Silver medal for Créme Ale at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2014 – Gold medal for Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2014 – Gold medal for Aksel at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2014 – Silver medal for Rise & Grind at the Brussels International Beer Competition
• 2014 – Gold medal for Blackfill at the Brussels International Beer Competition
• 2015 – Bronze medal for Mosh Pit Tart Cherry at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2015 – Bronze medal for Rise & Grind at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2016 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2016 – Silver medal for Red, White & No-Li at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition
• 2016 – Silver medal for Rise & Grind at the Brussels Beer Competition
• 2016 – Silver medal for Spin Cycle Red at the European Beer Star
• 2016 – Large Brewery of the year at the Washington Brewers Festivals
• 2017 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2017 – Silver medal for Big Juicy IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2017 – Bronze medal for Spin Cycle Red at the Brussels Beer Challenge
• 2018 – Silver medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Washington Brewers Festival
• 2018 – Bronze medal for Falls Porter at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2018 – Bronze medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards
• 2018 – Silver medal for Born & Raised IPA at the 2018 World Beer Cup
• 2019 – Bronze medal for Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout at the Australian Beer Awards
• 2020 – Gold medal for Red, White & Hazy IPA at the Best of the Northwest SIP
• 2020 – Silver Medal for Corner Coast Golden Ale at the Best of the Northwest SIP Magazine
• 2020 – Gold medal for Cascade Fog Hazy IPA at the World Beer Awards
• 2020 – Silver medal for Red, White & Hazy IPA at the World Beer Awards
• 2020 – Gold medal for Born & Raised IPA at the Brussels Beer Challenge
• 2020 – Gold medal for Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout at the Brussels Beer Challenge
• 2020 – Silver medal for Big Juicy IPA at the US Open Beer Championship
• 2020 – Recognized as the 2020 Spokane Philanthropic Small Business of the Year

• Official website