On a recent weekend trip over to Spokane, WA, we took a quick exit off I-90 to stop and have a look at Enoteca, a wine and beer store in Post Falls, ID. It sits in a small strip mall on busy Seltice Way.  When I stopped in, I was fresh off a visit to the Vintage Cellar which I had explored only a couple of weeks before and led me to initially make an unfair comparison in the world of beer specialty stores. Yet, as I learned from the comments below, Enoteca has 386 brews and growing.  Enoteca’s current niche is in a variety of specialty, interesting brews.

Enoteca groups its beers by variety, rather than by region and brewery. The vast majority are 22oz and 750ml bottles of specialty brew.  In other words, you won’t find a six pack of Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter, but you will find 22oz bottles of Black Butte XXI, Jubel Ale 2010 and the Abyss (there are a few six packs mixed in).  I picked up a bottle of Denver, CO’s Great Divide Brewing’s Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout and Winthrop, WA’s Old Schoolhouse Brewery’s Hooligan Stout.  There was lots more to choose from, too.  Not surprisingly given the packaging, the beers tended to be big and bold. That’s not a complaint. I do think a bit more space devoted to some IPAs, pale ales and some lighter, crisper brews would be good, particularly during the hot months of the year (and that’s coming from a malthead).

Enoteca offers frequent wine and beer tastings and classes and has a sizeable area devoted to such fun. They also do a great job with their website which includes updates on new beers in stock along with lots of other information.  All in all, the store earns a Growler Fills Seal of Approval.

[Note: This post was updated on Nov. 8, 2010 to reflect new information.]