Month: July 2013

Returning to the Prodigal Son

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This is my 3rd time here, if I recall correctly.   Max Power IPA…how can you NOT try something with a name like that.  The fact that their menus claims it to be 100+ IBUs means they don’t even KNOW how to measure how bitter it is.  Supposedly the human tongue cannot detect anything over about 100.

That doesn’t scare me though.  the valiant tastes of death but once, right?

Ordered my food and and after chatting the the waitress, found that Max Power was NOT on tap right then.  Apparently they sent most of what they had to a near by brewers fest and didn’t leave enough at the restaurant and they ran out.  Very disappointing.  They did have the Sundown Saison and the Righteous Indignation Red with were both good. and I left there expecting to make a return visit sometime.

My server was friendly and we chatted a bit about the brewpubs in the area and even specifically about the newer ones in Boise when I mentioned I was from there.  PS is definitely on my list of must stops.  Good food, relaxed atmosphere, close to the highway and good beer.

 

-Cheers

 

 

 

Road Trip July 2013

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Boise is home to a mushrooming craft beer scene, with at least a few new establishments in the last couple of years, and one or two ore in the near future.  It is getting to be a great place for a beer nerd to call home.

Even still, a road trip is an opportunity to sample the wares of other breweries that are just outside of the range of someone who has a full time job and limited travel resources.  This weekend I am off to central Washington where I am participating in a triathlon, and there are at least a few stops I plan to make on my way there and 1 for sure on the way back.

The little town of La Grand, OR is home to Mt. Emily Ale House.  Its a small place in a renovated turn of the century bank building right down town.  I’ve been there once or twice before and it is strategically located about 2 and a half hours drive from Boise. I am thinking a nice place for lunch.

Pendleton, another 50 miles down the road, has Prodigal Son Brewery and Pub.  A bit larger place with a full menu and more of a restaurant feel.  They have something called “Max Power IPA” on right now and I just hope it is still there in a few days when I roll in parched and thirsty.

After that, there are a few in the tri-cities area, one of which is Atomic Ale Brewpub and Eatery.  They have  a cool beer naming scheme that relates to Nuclear Physics and atom splitting  I mean, how can you go wrong with something called Oppenheimer Oatmeal Stout, or Plutonium Porter”

Whitstran Brewing is in a little town called Prosser about 30-40 miles West on I-82.  Boise sports fans may recognize this as home to former BSU quarterback, Kellen Moore.  It’s a small mom-and pop type place with a restaurant attached.

Ellensberg is my destination and that is home to Iron Horse Brewing, the most famous of their beers is Irish Death.

Looking forward to hitting a few of these places on my journey either on the way out or on the way back.

 

-Cheers

Climbing Mt. Emily

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Situated 2.5 hours from Boise, in La Grande, OR   Mt. Emily Alehouse is strategically positioned at just the right place for a cool beverage on my way west.  In this case, Ellensberg, WA.  It is a basic brew house with a small menu, but brewpubs are just cool no matter what, and this one is on the I-84 corridor that I travel a few times a year.

Stopping there this time, on the way to Ellensberg, WA, I timed it so that I would arrive right when they open at 11AM and it worked out just about right.

They had a Strawberry honey ale there that was the only one of theirs currently on tap that I hadn’t had yet.  It was tasty but a bit of a girly beer.  I was in a hurry and needed to get back on the road so I didn’t have any food

They had a oak aged barely wine there as well but it was their last 3 gallons and they weren’t giving out tasters of it.  Since a pint was $8, and 11% ABV, I passed.  Very strange that they didn’t offer a smaller serving for something that strong, that expensive and so low on supplies that they wouldn’t even let you taste it.  Tactical error in my opinion.

 

Boise Craft Beer

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There is a section of Boise, that is technically it’s own separate town since swallowed up by the greater Boise metropolis, called Garden City.  It is a 4 square mile strip a few miles long along the river, zoned mostly industrial with a smattering of trailer parks and used car lots.

But on the bright side, over the last couple years it has been a localized hot bed for craft beer.  Starting at the east end is Payette Brewing, established in 2010 and basically a brewery with a small tasting room attached.  A mile or two west is Crooked Fence Brewing, a similar commercial model.  And another mile or so down the road is Kilted Dragon, a decidedly simple and blue-collar joint which opened its doors just last December.   Each is brewing on premises and all but the latter with their own canning line.

This stretch has been called Garden City’s “Ale Trail” and “Chinden Beer Boulevard”,  by local publication contributors.  I think I prefer simply, “the Beer Belt” referring to the near-by popular cycling and strolling “Green Belt” system of trails, winding along the river through town.

Whatever you want to call it, it’s a good thing.  Boise is on it’s way to making it’s mark on the regional list of brew-towns like it’s big sister about 300 miles to the west.

I was at Crooked Fence recently and had one of their year-round offerings, Devil’s Pick IPA.  At 80 IBUs it is plenty bitter, full bodied but not a ton of fresh hop flavor.  It packs a punch though and as somewhat of a hop-head myself, it did just fine.

The place seats about 35-40 and is mostly high stools and tables with a small 10 seat bar.  Very basic food choices consisting exclusively, as far as I can tell of  hotdogs “crooked wieners” on a rotating warmer.  But folks come here for a drink, and that’s just fine.

Looking forward to visiting the other newest members of the Boise Brewpub scene and I’ll be documenting it here.

It’s exciting to see growth in this area, in this area,  and I hope this town can support a few more.