As college students in a college town, you could say that beer is an important commodity. Although it’s not everyone’s first choice when it comes to alcoholic beverages, beer is still essential to almost any party.

Although I am a wine person, I acknowledge that brewing is a craft, and there are some really nice, fancy, one-of-a-kind beers out there. And Pullman and Moscow have quite the brewing scene, too.

A good portion of the college population might not want to spend loads of money on nice beer at this point in their lives, but for those who do, or dream to one day, this issue of Mint is for you.

The Palouse might not be on the same level as a larger city, like Portland or Seattle, when it comes to craft beer, but we give it our darndest. With brewery-restaurant hybrids peppering the area, you don’t have to go far to find a spot with a beer to your liking.

A local favorite of mine is Paradise Creek, situated just a hop, skip and jump away from campus. However, Pullman’s brewery scene isn’t quite up to snuff when compared to Moscow.

Across the border, they seem to be bursting at the seams with breweries, including the Moscow Alehouse, Rants & Raves and Hunga Dunga. I must say, I am anxious to try Hunga Dunga because of the name, if nothing else.

Like I said, I am a wine person, as I haven’t quite developed a taste for hops. And to my great enjoyment, the Palouse has some wineries, too.

I do not know if the winery community would feel upset about being grouped in the same section as breweries, but for the sake of the limited weeks in the semester, distilleries and breweries will be one: the act of making things alcoholic.

Merry Cellars Winery makes wine locally and distributes it to businesses around town, including Café Moro, my go-to coffee shop.

Wine, although it may not be the most sought-after beverage for the average college student, it is important to me, and so we get to learn all about it.

So, after establishing that alcohol is important, now we get to learn about how local businesses are doing their best to make something that’s already pretty damn great even better.

Jennifer Ladwig is a senior communication major from Washougal. She can be contacted at [email protected].