COEUR d'ALENE — Holding glasses of craft beer beneath their noses, Mary Lancaster, George Balling and Chris Vincent described the different aromas that bubbled off the brew.

"I get a little bit of nuttiness on this, on the nose," Balling said.

"I actually get some white pepper on the nose," Vincent replied.

Lancaster agreed that the Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale had something frisky about it.

"There is a little spice in there," she said, taking another inhale of the ale.

The three gathered in Balling and Lancaster's store, the Dinner Party Shop, as they tested beers for their new beer club.

"We taste it before we put it in our club so we can vouch for the quality and tell people exactly what the flavor profile is because we do tasting notes and recipe pairings with all our selections," Lancaster said. "Knowing that someone you trust has already tasted it, that’s a benefit as well."

Balling and Lancaster have owned the Dinner Party Shop for about nine years, but the husband-and-wife team and their business partner have recently decided to venture forth with a beer club similar to the wine club they've had since the store opened.

"With the emergence of craft beer, this year we decided to start a beer club," Balling said. "The world of beer is just exploding. There are so many producers and brewers out there."

The Dinner Party Shop's beer club requires no membership fees, only that members be 21 or older and purchase the beer that is introduced to the club quarterly. The first installment was released in April with the next round to come in July.

"When we pick a brewer to be in the beer club, we choose three different styles of beer from that one brewery so the members really get to know what it is that brew master and brewery is producing," Balling said.

And the breweries they choose are not local. The Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale is produced by Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, and the first beer club beers were produced by Wander Brewing in Bellingham.

"We really wanted to bring things to our club members that are different, that aren’t local,” Balling said. “The local brewers do a great job and they have great beer, but they’re also right here. We all know each other, everybody knows those beers, so what we’re trying to do is expand people’s knowledge and get things from other areas."

"The neat thing, too, is you have the ability now to get information and get beers from other parts of the country so easily now, whereas 10 years ago we didn’t have as much craft beer that’s out there," Vincent said. "In the last five years, there’s been this huge explosion of beer, so it’s nice to be able to try different stuff from different parts of the country. It’s just a sign on the times."

Perks of the Dinner Party Shop's beer club include trying new brews from afar as well as in-store discounts and discounts at several local businesses. Members can also enroll in the wine club, where they will get a similar experience trying new wines and saving money in the process.

"We want to educate people. Instead of ordering chardonnay or cabernet or Budweiser, we want people to have the chance to try something different," Balling said. "It expands their palate and their experience with beer and wine."

The Dinner Party Shop is located in the Costco parking lot at 3520 N. Government Way in Coeur d'Alene.

Info: www.thedinnerpartyshop.com or 765-5653