Craft Beer Community news, Reviews, Homebrew
This weekend marked Gem State Brewing Company’s second anniversary. Over that time, Chris and Kristl have added another year of experience and produced approximately 70 unique beers. I’ve done my best to sample every one of them along the way. From the day it opened, Gem State has been a popular destination and has continued…
Beer blending is becoming one of those trends that some craft breweries trot out like a flashy new haircut. A splash of this stout, a glug of that saison, maybe a dollop of fruit purée tossed in like a smoothie gone rogue. While you can typically order a pint of something on the board, eventually…
Sockeye Brewing is an icon of Boise area craft beer. Started in 1993, and for a long time it was one of THE 3 breweries in town. Well, 4 if you count the Ram, but they are a national chain, albeit with some local unique brews. Highlands Hollow and Table Rock were the others. Before…
Hazy IPAs. What can I say? Were they all the rage? Sure. Have they run their course? Also, yes…mostly. Are they here to stay?. Well, yes again. First, though, a few definitions and a brief beer history lesson: Hops are for bittering…and more IPAs are a style that employs a lot of hops for…
Take Hwy 55 north out of Boise, and a few miles up the road, just past Shadow Valley golf course, is the “Planned Community”, Avimor. Construction on the development began in earnest in 2005. In the 20 years since, over 800 homes have been constructed. Avimor is now home to about 1500 residents. Partnership In…
Happy Birthday, Ruckus Brewing In East Garden City, near a small cluster of wineries tucked into a commercial cul-de-sac shared with a popular sandwich lunch spot, is a little brewery in a location that has previously hosted a few others. Since 2014, 4340 W. Chinden has been home to Haff, Bella, Loose Screw, and, for…
This past weekend kicked off the first annual “Freshies & Friends” fresh hop beer festival in downtown Meridian, ID. Several local breweries pouring unique and one-off fresh hop beers to celebrate the hop harvest of 2025. This is a popular and busy time of the year for craft beer, and there have been these kinds…
Another brewery/taproom is saying goodbye to the Boise area this week. It has been a rough year for local craft beer and the industry in general. This time, it is Mad Swede throwing in the towel. Starting 9 years ago, almost to the day, Jerry and Susie Larson launched the brewery in an industrial park…