Boise Brewing: Idaho’s Capital City Namesake Aims to Please #VisitIdaho

Greetings, Great Beer Now fans and followers! This is the first 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 is Idaho’s capital and largest city. With this designation, it easily rates as the center of the state in terms of entertainment, cultural activities, government activism, and much more. It is also the center of the state when it comes to beer and one of its many brewing establishments is a place that took its name from the city in which it is located. I’m talking about Boise Brewing, located at 521 W. Broad Street in Boise, Idaho.

Capital Brewed

Boise Brewing is located about a half mile south of the state capital building and a short walk from Zoo Boise. It’s a medium- sized brewery that is within walking distance of much of the downtown attractions.

Inside Boise Brewing, guests can choose to sit at one of the tables or at the bar. The tables are wooden and quite sturdy, but the seats have no back supports so keep that in mind in case you have back issues. The bartenders and staff are prepared to make your visit a memorable one and they are more than attentive, always checking on you and filling your glass as needed.

If you want entertainment, Boise Brewing has board games and foosball and it is common to find events taking place at the brewery throughout the year. Boise Brewing doesn’t serve any food of its own, but they have no problem with guests who want to purchase food elsewhere and bring it to the brewery with them. They even have a special phone on the wall, directly connected to the pizza place next door, for quick food orders and delivery.

And On Tap We Have

Boise brewing has about 15 beers on tap at any given time, plus they also have canned beers available for purchase and consumption. Here is a list of the beers I sampled when I was there, listed alphabetically by name followed by the style and my Untappd rating on a 5- point scale:

• Better Hazy than Never, New England IPA, 3.75
• Bike Route Stout, Coffee Stout, 4.25
• Black Cliffs, American Stout, 4.25
• Dark Daisy Chocolate Milk Stout, Milk Stout, 4
• Hip Check IPA, American IPA, 3.75
• Jagged Shard, Imperial Red Ale, 4.5
• Snowboarder Porter, American Porter, 4
• Sun Cruiser, Session IPA, 4
• Syringa Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, 4

Overall Average Rating: 4.06

I was more than satisfied with the beer selection and quality at Boise Brewing. The standout for me was Jagged Shard Imperial Red Ale and I really liked Black Cliffs Stout and Bike Route Coffee Stout. Nothing completely blew me away, but everything was solid all- around.

A City and its Beer

Boise Brewing marked my first brewery experience in Idaho. I had visited the state in the past, but that was 40 years ago and I was a little below the age for legal alcohol consumption. It isn’t like it mattered- back then, there was little in the way of craft beer to be found in Idaho or pretty much any other states in the surrounding area. It was the day and age when Coors ruled the western beer landscape and people who traveled west often made it a point to grab a serving or two of the beer that Golden, Colorado made famous with its pure Rocky Mountain spring water.

Fast forward to the 21^st century and it is obvious that times have changed and changed for the better. Idaho is home to a large number of breweries and Boise claims more than any other Idaho city. When I was scouting out places to visit, Boise Brewing seemed like an obvious first choice. It was named after the city in which it resides and it was walking distance from my hotel. That meant I could head there on foot, avoid using Uber, and conserve my funds for purchasing beer.

Boise Brewing occupies a stand- alone building and while it has no parking lot of its own, there is a good amount of parking on the immediate and surrounding streets, so it shouldn’t take long to get your vehicle in place and make your way to the entrance. Once inside, you will see that Boise Brewing takes on an industrial look and feel with the brewhouse right there, in your face, situated directly adjacent to the seating area.

I made my way directly to the bar when I visited and I was promptly greeted by one of the bartenders who graciously offered me a few tasters of beer. I decided to do what I usually do and go with a flight of beer. Since this was the beginning of an organized beer tour of Idaho, I had people to meet, one of whom happened to be Reid Ramsay, the founder of one of the best beer blogs in existence, Beer Street Journal. Reid joined me at the bar, made small talk with myself and the bartender, and joined me when it was time to tour the brewhouse.

Boise Brewing is one of those breweries that doesn’t really have any gimmick or structural feature that makes it stand out in a crowd. But that doesn’t mean Boise Brewing is without any appeal and in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The beers are solidly crafted and I found several in the bunch that grabbed my attention. The one I had heard about before and was most anxious to try was Black Cliffs Stout and it was every bit as delicious as everyone claimed. It turned out that my favorite overall was Jagged Shard, an Imperial Red Ale with a great depth of flavor. Even the Sun Cruiser, Boise Brewing’s session IPA, was a solid example of its style.

Boise, Idaho is the state’s largest city, the seat of state government, and a growing and thriving city. Craft beer is on the rise in Boise and the area is home to around 30 different breweries with more in the planning stages. Boise Brewing is an excellent place to begin any beer tour of the Boise area. It meets or exceeds all of my minimum standards for quality and brews several award- winning products. It’s all but certain to satisfy your craft beer cravings so be sure to visit Boise Brewing the next time you’re in Idaho’s capital city. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.