Barbarian Brewing: Funky Charm in Downtown Boise #VisitIdaho

Greetings, Great Beer Now fans and followers! This is the fourth in a multi- part series of blog posts relating to the Great Beer Now Spuds and Suds Beer Tour, which took place in southwestern Idaho, from Boise northward to the mountain resort city of McCall. I got to experience the burgeoning Boise craft beer scene and several impressive breweries in the small but vibrant resort towns. Open a can or bottle of your favorite beer and follow along on my journey through the Gem state of Idaho and my discovery of the beers that make it famous. Cheers!

Boise, Idaho is a growing metropolitan area and its expanding population has spurred the need for additional places for drinking. The craft beer industry has responded in kind and there are breweries in Boise that cater to the craft beer community in different ways, some of them sticking to the more commonplace and some of them offering an assortment of beers that are edgy and different from the norm. A fine example of the latter is Barbarian Brewing, located at 1022 W. Main Street in Boise, Idaho.

Delightfully Uncivilized

Barbarian Brewing’s downtown Boise taproom is a smallish place with a bar area and a side, seating room that looks like a party space in someone’s house. The black ceiling, hardwood floors, and dim lighting make for a more intimate, yet casual look and feel.

Barbarian Brewing utilizes a 5-barrel brewing system and houses about 90 oak barrels, used to age the brewery’s many sours, brett ales, and other unusual, artisan beers. The brewery specializes in barrel- aged experimental beers and always has something new up its brewing sleeve, so the beer options change regularly.

There is no food served at Barbarian Brewing. This is strictly an age 21 and up taproom. If you want something to eat, there are several nearby restaurants and you can bring your food along with you, into the taproom, if you like.

From Places Unknown

Barbarian Brewing has about 23 different beers on tap at any given moment. Here is a list of the beers I sampled when I visited, listed alphabetically by name followed by the style and my Untappd rating on a 5- point scale:

• The Charlie Day Stout, Imperial Stout, 3.75
• The Dirk, Scotch Ale, 3.5
• Little Wolf, American IPA, 4.25
• Perephone, American Porter, 4
• Reese’s Pieces Ice Cream Ale, Cream Ale, 4
• Sour Patch Kids Gose, Gose style, 3

Overall Average Rating: 3.75

Barbarian Brewing brews and serves several interesting beers and I had a difficult time decided which ones to choose for my flight. I tried to cover a reasonable cross- section of styles and among the ones I tried, I liked Little Wolf American IPA the best, but the Reese’s Pieces Ice Cream Ale is also deserving of special mention since it was so out of the ordinary and memorable.  

An Outsider and Proud of It

Barbarian Brewing is yet another Boise craft brewing operation and it was the fourth brewery I visited on my beer tour of West Central and Southwest Idaho. With a name like Barbarian, I entered the establishment expecting something a little wild, a little on the edge. My prediction was correct, as Barbarian Brewing does, indeed, keep craft beer fans guessing with its out of the ordinary beers that often push the envelopes of their respective styles.

After talking a little bit with the bartender, I learned that this location is not the only place that wears the Barbarian Brewing label. The original Barbarian Brewing location is in nearby Garden City and opened in 2015. This location in downtown Boise is a newer taproom and it opened its doors in 2017. So, overall, this is still a relatively young brewing operation but it has definitely left its mark on the local craft beer scene and it certainly left its mark on me and the others on the beer tour.

Barbarian Brewing’s specialties include sour beers and I did try one such beer when I visited. I found it okay, but I wasn’t really in the mood for sour beer and probably didn’t appreciate it the way I should have. And while I enjoyed the beers I tried, from talking to others in my party afterward, I missed out on some real gems! Apparently, several of the other beers were even better than the ones I tried. With so many beers to choose from- 23 total when I was there- you really need to visit Barbarian Brewing several times to get a full appreciation for what they brew and serve. Tasting only 6 beers isn’t nearly enough.

This brewery tasting room doesn’t offer anything fancy but like I stated before, it reminds me of the party rooms I have experienced in people’s houses. Having once live in the Midwest, it was common for homeowners to finish the spaces in their basements and turn them into party rooms. These areas were often on the dark side but also cozy and comfortable. This is exactly what came to mind when I walked into Barbarian Brewing for the first time. I felt like I was back in the American Midwest, making my way down the stairs into a friend’s house and sitting at the bar in his self- proclaimed man cave.

The term ‘Barbarian’ is often used to refer to individuals who are outsiders; people who don’t really belong in a specific place or culture because they don’t follow or fit the cultural norms and customs. Barbarian Brewing is certainly a brewery that thinks outside the box and its penchant for the mysterious and peculiar make this a brewery worth going out of your way to visit. There are many fanciful malt beverage memories waiting to be made, so be sure to visit Barbarian Brewing the next time you’re in Boise, Idaho. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.

Special thanks to Visit McCall for sponsoring this visit!