Month: January 2014

Oskar Blues returns to Boise

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Its been a couple years since Lyons Colorado’s Oskar Blues’ distinctive cans have been seen on the shelves of craft beer sellers here in the Treasure Valley.

Back in the Summer of 2010, citing production and capacity limits, the decision was made to pull out of the Idaho market after 4 or 5 years, much to the dismay and depression of craft beer lovers in the area.  Apparently they felt they couldn’t adequately supply their larger markets while being stretched all the way to Idaho. What made it seem even worse was that OB was currently leading a really cool movement of canning good beer.  I recently wrote about that HERE.

Now, they are coming back.  Evidently production and capacity are no longer such a limit (aprox 120,000 barrels last year) they they can (re)expand to our market.   Their recently opened 2nd brewery in North Carolina was undoubtedly behind this.  That’s good for us.  Regulars like Dale’s Pale Ale, Mama’s LIttle Yellow Pils, Old Chub, and Deviant Dale’s IPA has already started showing up around here. Other states being added to their turf are Minnesota, Delaware, Kansas and Nevada

As a gauge of how important this is, there were no less than 3 separate occasions/celebrations in town this past week.  Local bottle-shops and gastro-pubs hosting events were Brewforia’s “Welcan Back” party, as well as “Welcome Back Oskar Blues”, a three day launching event at Whole Foods, and yet another at BierThirty

It was nearly to the point of people lining the streets waiving hops and barley sheaves shouting ‘Hail, Hail the return of the King”.  Well maybe not that far….but it’s big.    It’s great to see another quality brewer represented (again) here in the Boise area.

Craft Beer – Not just for Bottles

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It is generally accepted that the best freshest beer is when it is right out of the keg.  On draft or on tap.  After that, the packaging that is used can affect the condition of the beer after a little time.  Bottles and cans are mainly what breweries use for portable, “single serving” vessels.

For a long time, there was a stigma about cans in that it was somehow considered cheep, lower class or somehow less desirable.  I suppose mainly because of most of the beer that was in them was of the American Macro Swill variety.

Over the last ten years or so, this has changed as craft brewers have started adopting cans as their choice for packaging and distribution.  One of the first to do this was Oskar Blues Brewing as far back as 2002.  “They said we was daft to put good beer in cans, but we did it all the same…” Their Dale’s Pale Ale and Old Chub were pioneers in the canned craft beer shift.   You can even get their beer in 32oz “Crowlers” now.  Other brewers have since picked this up and now more and more good beer is showing up in supermarkets and “bottle” shops in cans.

Cans are a better container for beer for a few important reasons. One is that they do not transmit light and light can damage beer and sometimes give it that skunky flavor,  which is why most bottles are dark brown.  Keep that in mind when you see those sixers of Heineken and Corona in the cooler.

Another is that they are more environmentally friendly and are recyclable.  Emptys are light weight and compact-able.  Taking a few cans with you in your back pack is a lot easier than bottles.   Especially when you consider packing the empties out.  Which you always do..right?

While glass is a good insulator and the thin aluminum can is not, the latter can be cooled down quickly plus you can use one of those cool little foam can “cozies” if you want.  www.craftcans.com  is a site dedicated to craft beer in cans with beer reviews, a canned beer database and an interactive map showing craft brewers that can.

There will probably always be bottles but seeing good bee…in a can is no longer remarkable.

 

 

Woodland Empire opens it’s doors

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Another landmark event in the Treasure Valley’s craft beer explosion.  Woodland Empire Ale Craft opened it’s doors yesterday afternoon and began pouring the first four of what promises to be an interesting and eclectic gamut of craft beer for Boise area folks. I was there an hour after they opened their doors for the first time, officially and got to try everything they had.

An open, relaxed and somewhat spartan tasting room, with nice picnic table style seating and high small tables.  A few cushy chairs at one end and the whole space still slightly smelling of fresh paint.  It was already half full at 4pm with people continuing to trickle in as the after work crowd started to show up.  By 5 o’clock it was pretty much packed.  Rusty, one of the owners spotted my computer and made sure I had the wifi password as I staked out a corner table.

Their 4 “regulars” were on tap.  “City of Trees IPA”, “In the Morning Mild”, “Gold Days Tripel”, and “Rabbit Fighter ESB” (there’s got to be a story behind that name).  All of them were good, particularly the Mild.  Kind of a light brown ale made with coffee from Doma Coffee of Post Falls, ID.  All of them were very sessionable, though the Tripel was approximately %9.  No “in your face” obnoxious experimental triple IPA bitter bombs or 17% Imperial Stouts, but more a line up of beers that are great for having (a few of) over relaxing conversations.

There are some more “risky” seasonal recipes coming down the pike for WEAC but these are likely to be the main line up for a while at least.  The 4 sampler “flight” was even served in an old muffin tin and the self-serve water cart was stocked with 1 liter flip-tops.  A nice touch.

It was a bit of a who’s who there with brewers from multiple local breweries and representatives from several local publications.  It’s fair to say that Rob, Rusty, Keely and the rest of the crew were making it happen.  It was a big turnout, a great start to an exciting and welcome addition to the Boise Beer scene.

 

 

Launching a craft beer revival in Boise

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Brewforia Beer Market.  A purveyor of craft beer here in Boise and a location that I have been neglecting lately.  With the exponential growth of craft Breweries and bottles shops in the Boise area, this pioneer, spearhead of the movement is getting overlooked a bit lately.  At least by me it is.  But it holds a special place in this craft beer industry. The place it forged.

Like most small businesses, Brewforia had modest beginnings. Opening in a strip mall on Milwaukee Ave in late 2009, and the early press releases boasted over 150 different bottles of craft beer. Nothing really to brag about nowadays but a big deal when it happened over 4 years ago.   There was nothing in Boise like that.

There was a few taps there as well and I remember one of my first visits overhearing semi-panicked phone conversations on troubleshooting the CO2 system that was not working correctly.

Early May, they moved to a permanent location on the west side of Boise and have been there ever since.  Larger space, 3 times as many bottled beers to choose from and 10 taps.   That was when I became a regular. Always something new, usually something I had never seen before.

In May of 2011 an additional location was opened in Boise’s east end at Bown Crossing and did well, managed by Chris Oates.  Several months later, after some differing visions and plans, between Rick and Chris it became clear that “Bier:Thirty” would have to become it’s own entity and the two parted ways.

In Aug 2012 Brewforia opened another location in Eagle.   A location that seemed to have a bit of a more upscale feel and an expanded menu.  Bringing on Ryan Embry of Life’s Kitchen and his culinary repertoire made the place a definite destination for terrific food and great craft  beer.   Even something as simple and cliche’ as a burger is something I can hardly resist every time I’m there.  I am now starting to understand why they call it the “Belly Burger”

The two locations have now been around for a while and there are growler fill specials, trivia nights and other promotions, but there is still and always has been good beer flowing from their taps and bottles waiting patiently in the coolers for folks looking for something they can’t easily find anywhere in Idaho.

SInce Brewforia’s start, there has been at least 5 breweries opening and 2 or 3 bottleshops with their own impressive selection of bottled beer, opening up in the Boise area.  But Brewforia was the pioneer. The trailblazer…the vanguard..the pointman.  Riding the crest of what has become a tidal wave of a craft beer revival in the treasure valley.

I’m just glad to be swimming along with it…sipping as I go.

 

– Cheers