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 the craft beer explosion even had its fuse lit, Sockeye was still the king of the hill. Their Brewpub on Ustick and Cole was the original location and, for the duration of its tenure, a great neighborhood beer spot. The beer and the food were great, and over the years, they have seen quite a few live music sets on their outdoor patio
Expansion
In 2020, Sockeye opened a second location. It was a much larger brewing facility, as well as a bigger restaurant/brewpub. A couple of years later, the original Cole location either opted out or was forced out of their lease, depending on how you look at it and perhaps who you ask. The new place then became the only place. On a personal note, this newer location was almost the exact same distance from my house, just in the opposite direction.
When a Brewpub or Brewery expands to an additional location, often it is at least partly to increase production. They are growing after all. I had always thought that this would present an interesting opportunity for Sockeye. Making a lot more of their favorite popular beers that made them successful enough to expand, at the new facility. While leaving the original spot with its smaller brewing system to make experimental or one-off brews. Recipes perhaps too risky to commit to the newer, larger facility.
Although I thought this strategy had merit, Sockeye did not check with me on it and so did not implement it. They just continued making several regulars and rotating seasonals as they always did before, and I’m sure there was a good reason for this. As someone who particularly loves finding something new to try, it just didn’t do it for me.
In early 2023, Sockeye expanded again into an additional location at 36th and Hill Rd. An ambitious project, a full restaurant and taproom, and even an indoor mini golf course. It seemed positioned well in North Boise and poised to be a significant local craft beer presence in the area, but had to close in October 2025, as reported here at BoiseDev.
Catch and Release…and more
A couple few years ago, I stopped by the Fairview location for an after-work beverage. I noticed a new spin-off section of their tap list that they called “Catch and Release.” This had a few interesting-sounding beers I’d never heard of, and that were not part of their regular rotation. Interesting. This select sub-menu continues to this day and has turned me into a regular visitor again. Something was clearly changing at Sockeye, and I was looking forward to this new wrinkle in their offerings moving forward. About this same time, a couple of new programs and events began to come online. The “Chronicles” program and the annual “Barrel-Aged Social” event. I’ll be posting about these in part 2 soon…
-Cheers
