PRAY FOR SNOW EVENT

THIRD ANNUAL PRAY FOR SNOW EVENT

The Facebook Event Detail Page...Click on Going!!!

The Fun Truck....Show off your skills

The  Big Event this weekend will be the 10 Barrel's Annual Pray  For Snow Event.

The Crowd from the 2014 Event

The Entertainment from 2014

The Press Release From 10 Barrel:

What:

10 Barrel Brewing Co.’s Third Annual Pray for Snow Party in Boise

Details:

Impatiently waiting for the ski season to start? 10 Barrel Brewing is right there with you, and we’re done waiting for snow. We’re ringing in a great winter and praying to the snow gods for a bountiful snow season by throwing a rager in the big parking lot behind 10 Barrel, the one on the corner of 8th and Jefferson! And you’re invited.

In addition to live music from Marv Ellis from Eugene, OR and Ben Union from Seattle, WA, there will be giveaways, SNOW(!!!), street food, and beer, we’ve built a giant truck straight out of a Mad Max movie with a 70-foot mobile ski run and rail jam. Riders of all levels the opportunity to showcase their skills. We want you and your readers to be there for a front row seat to the craziness and to share a pint or two of Pray for Snow with us.

Are you in? Check out the details below and video of the crazy truck from its previous tour stops to get a sense of what your viewers can expect to see alongside the rest of the celebration.

Where:    

10 Barrel

826 W Bannock Street, Boise

Cost:                     

FREE

When:                 

Saturday, December 5^th

5pm – close

Betsy Stavis
Account Executive 

Tidbits From the 2015 Black Friday

Tidbits From the 2015 Black Friday by Bob Hubler

Payette Brewing's Black Friday

My wife and I arrived a little after 11:30 and started tasting the beer at 11:45.  We were greeted at the entrance by Mike Francis and Paige Coyle who gladly took our money in exchange for tasting glasses and tokens. 

So many choices and so few tokens!  The beer has very high ABV and so a little taste went a long way.  We had a total of 15 tokens and 45 beer choices!!!  So we only able to taste about 1/3 of the beer, but we both would have liked to have tried all 45.  Fortunately, we had already tried some of the beer on the list.  

The  long row of Very  Tempting Black Beers

Or if  you need a breather, how about an Outlaw

Our little table with our first of  15 beer samples

We tried 15 beer samples in about 2 hours, and we did not find any that we did not like.  But my favorite was the Bear Island Cherry Imperial Porter from our local Beth Bechtel.  We took home a bottle of the 2015 Twelve Gauge from Payette Brewing.

My Favorite Beer from outside Idaho were Evil Empire (Bourbon  Barrel Aged) from Heretic, Dark Truth Stout from Boulevard, Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout from Anderson, and Motherland Russian Imperial Stout from HUB!  But there were many other great beers that we got to sample.

We hope many of you got the chance to make this event this year, but if you did not make it down this year, put it on your list for 2016.  Thanks Mike and the Crew for putting this event together!

Update from Mother Earth

We got to visit with Daniel Love from Mother Earth Brew Co. while we were at Black Friday.  Dan and his wife have bought their home in Idaho and have moved in.  He told us that Mike Westley, his Area Sales manager has decided to move to Boise also.  Dan has done a lot of traveling across Idaho promoting his brand.  He said that he has been to Teton in Eastern Idaho and to Sandpoint in  northern Idaho and is getting to know how large our state really is!!!!

The ground breaking on the Nampa Brewery will not happen until February, but the brewing equipment has been ordered and they are in the process of applying for all the local, state and federal licenses.  Dan still hopes to be brewing by June in his new production brewery.  I  told him it would probably be closer to August, but I am hoping for June  too.

The City Peanut Shop

City Peanut Shop

Dan from City Peanut Shop

We got some snacks  from Dan at the City Peanut Shop Booth.   All  really good, but the caramel corn flavored with Centennial Hops was really special.  Sweet up front with that hop bitter at the back.  We really like to shop at the City Peanut Shop for Christmas Stocking Stuffers.  Well worth the visit when you are in downtown Boise.

News from Post Modern Brewers

After we left the Black Friday Black Beer Event, we stopped by The Grind/Post Modern Brewers to warm up and have a Great Grind Burger.

While there, we got to visit with Head Brewer Marvin Kinney who had some very interesting news about Simian Brewing. Marvin is still persuing his dream of owning and operating his own brewery, most likely to be located in Canyon County.

Come Down and Celebrate The First Anniversary of The Grind/Post Modern Brewers on Wednesday, December 2nd.  Click Here for Details 

While at Post Modern Brewers, we met Jen Anderson.  Jen works at the PreFunk in Meridian Idaho.   She invited us to stop by and check it out, so we went there on our way  back home.

PreFunk Meridian

This was our first visit to the Meridian Version of the PreFunk Growler Fill Station/Beer Bar. Click here for their Facebook page.

The first thing we noticed was the great ambiance of the downstairs beer bar.  Reminded me a little of the Cheers Bar in the old TV show.  This is the third and newest PreFunk in the Valley and provides the same great beer choices of the first two.  This one is larger and has more tables and a larger bar.  Great place to stop and have a beer and get your growler filled.

We got a bottle of the Goose Island 2015 Bourbon County Brand Stout while we were there.  The highly sought after beer was in the back, so we had to ask for it.  Then we filled our Growler  with some Brown Shugga and headed home.  

Take the Stairs to head down to the bar

Side view of the Stairs

Lots of taps at this L shaped bar

Boise Weekly's Beer University

Not a Blog This Week, Just a Link To:

Tara Morgan's Beer University Story in The Boise Weekly

Great Job Tara and Thank Your for the Shout Out for the Boise Beer Culture Blog.

Intro To Story:

Welcome, prospective students, to Boise Weekly's Beer University. The Treasure Valley is currently home to 18 craft breweries, and three more are slated to open in 2016. With so many microbrews making their way onto the local market, it's important to learn a little about what's going on in your glass. From ABV to zymurgy, BW has your buzzed back


In the following brochure, you'll find an outline of our prestigious and totally fictional BW Beer University curriculum. From a 101 class on basic beer terms to an upper division course on homebrewing, this course will help you get your beer smarts on in Boise. With a little study and a lot of sampling, you can walk away with an imaginary degree in Treasure Valley Beer. Your parents will be so proud.

DON'T MISS THE 2015 BLACK FRIDAY!!!

.Payette Brewing Company

Black Friday 2015

A celebration of dark beers - Imperial stouts and porters

Only Two Weeks Till Black Friday!!!

And I do not mean that shopping thing the day after Thanksgiving.

I mean the Dark Beer Festival for all the Craft Beer lovers in the Treasure Valley on the day after Thanksgiving!  So when your significant other leaves to do their  Black Friday thing, you can do your Black Friday thing.   Mark your calendar now.  Friday, November 27th from Noon to 8:00 PM!!!!

This will be the 4th Annual Payette Brewing Company Black Friday, but Bigger and Better than ever!!  Bigger you say?  Yes, Bigger!!!  The first three Black Friday events were held at the Payette Brewery location in Garden City.  This event will be at the soon to be new location of the Payette Brewing Production Brewery and Tap Room.  The event will be held in the parking lot as the building is under construction.  This area is a lot bigger than the Garden City Site.   And Better!!  Better because this is the 4th Annual Black Friday. And Black Friday just keeps getting better every year with a bigger selection of beer than ever before!

I got to sit down and visit Mike Francis, the founder and owner of  Payette Brewing, at the Grand Opening of the Powderhaus Brewery.  Mike was very excited about the 2015 edition of Black Friday.  He said that he has been collecting and aging kegs of Stout and  Porters from all over the Northwest specifically for Black Friday.  He has promised to have some very unique and one-of-a-kind beer that can only be found at this event.

Most of the Breweries in the area  will have special beer for the Black Friday event including Boise's newest brewery, Powderhaus Brewing.  I talked to Tyson Cardon, co-owner of Powderhaus last week about their opening and Tyson mentioned that they are brewing a very special stout for the Black Friday event.  Also, Marcus Bezuhly, owner of Edge Brewery said the they will have a special barrel aged version of their Blackwater Imperial Stout at Black Friday.

Black Friday will only have Stouts and Porters from other Brewers, but if you need a break from the Dark Beer, Payette will also have many of their other great beers on tap!!!!!


If you are interested in being an event volunteer, there will be two volunteer shifts. Each volunteer will receive a 2015 Black Friday snifter, 3 drink tokens, and 1 Free Pint Card to redeem at the brewery. Volunteers are still needed!  Email: Ashlee@PayetteBrewing.com if you are interested. 

Food provided by Archie's Place with will have special dishes for Vegans, Vegetarians and the Gluten-Free crowd. There will be a large outdoor beer garden with tables and chairs so people can get off their feet. There will also be bistro tables for standing, drinking and mingling inside the tent.


The Official Press Release from  Paige Coyle:

"Black Friday Returns and New Location Announced

Garden City, Idaho (November 2, 2015) – Payette Brewing Company announces their annual Black Friday event, a celebration of imperial stouts and porters, on Friday, November 27^th at their new facility, 733 South Pioneer Street, from 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The event will feature over forty beers from local and regional breweries plus music, food and the 2015 release of Bourbon Barrel Aged Twelve Gauge Imperial Stout. Admission is free for those over the age of twenty-one with drink tokens and glassware at an additional charge. 

Payette Brewing has been collecting imperial stouts and porters from breweries such as Sierra Nevada, Odell Brewing Company, Deschutes and more to showcase on Black Friday. In additional to those beers on tap, Payette will release their Bourbon Barrel aged Twelve Gauge Imperial Stout in twenty-two ounce bottles. 

Payette Brewing has once again partnered with Joe Cans and Big City Coffee and Café for the event to raise funds for breast cancer detection services. Attendees can support the cause through a silent auction of two Holiday trees or purchasing coffee from Joe Cans. Big City Café will also be serving treats alongside City Peanut Shop, who has created once again, a special peanut brittle for the occasion and Archie’s Place food truck will be serving up some tasty eats throughout the event. 

Payette Brewing Company will also have merchandise available for sale to get a jump start on that holiday shopping at a special discounted price only available on Black Friday. Payette Brewing also encourages responsible consumption of alcohol so they have teamed up with UBER to offer safe rides to and from the event at special rates!

If you or your group would like to volunteer for the Black Friday event, please contact Ashlee Struble with Payette Brewing Company at Ashlee@payettebrewing.com. To purchase advance tokens for the event, please visit www.payetteblackfriday.com"

Aerial View of the Black Friday Location at the new Payette Brewery location (Click on Picture to see larger size):

Note the  convenient proximity to the Boise Greenbelt.

WARNING!  MANY OF THESE BEERS WILL BE IMPERIAL STOUTS RANGING FROM 9 TO 12% ABV!!!!!  So Plan ahead with a DD or other alternate means of transportation that will keep you from behind the wheel after this event!  Check out the local services below to take you home.

Contact BUDDIES DESIGNATED DRIVER SERVICE 7 Days a Week, 7:00 pm to 4:00 am, getting both you AND your vehicle home safely. Call or Text 208-870-7271 or for more infohttp://buddiesdd.com/ (Use Your BOISE BEER BUDDIES Membership Card and Receive $2 Off!) 

Contact MyDD, DESIGNATED DRIVERS FOR HIRE, 7 Days a Week, 6:00 pm to 3:30 am, getting both you AND your vehicle home safely. Call or Text 208-918-0987 or for more info http://www.myddrivers.com/ (Use Your BOISE BEER BUDDIES Membership Card and Receive $2 Off!)

Story by Bob Hubler

IDAHO GETS BREWERY #50

And the  Boise Area Gets Brewery #18!

Powderhaus Brewing will become Idaho's 50th Active Brewery when it opens this Friday, November 6th.  Their Beer is already starting to show up around town.  There will be a tasting on Tuesday at Bittercreek and a tasting on Wednesday at Bier:Thirty and a tasting at the Front Door on Thursday for their initial beers.

This Week's Schedule for Drinking some Powderhaus Brewing Beer:

Tuesday Bitter Creek Tasting 6:00 to ????

Wednesday Bier:Thirty Tasting 5:00 to ????

Thursday Front Door Tasting

Friday Tap Room Opening  3:00  to ????

Saturday Tap Room Opens at Noon!!!


THE LIST OF IDAHO'S 50 BREWERIES

Details about Idaho's Newest Breweries from the Idaho Statesman

Here is a list of the Breweries in Treasure Valley:

1. PostModern Brewers - Boise Brew Pub
2. Highlands Hollow - Boise Brew Pub
3. Sockeye BrewPub - 2 Locations -Boise Brew Pubs
4. The RAM - 2 locations - Boise Brew Pub
5. Cloud Nine - Boise Brew Pub
6. Edge Brewing - Boise Brew Pub
7. 10 Barrel Brewing - Boise Brew Pub
8. Crooked Fence Barrel House -Boise Brew Pub
9. Payette Brewing Co.- Boise Brewery with Tap Room
10. Crescent Brewery - Nampa Brewery with Tap Room
11. Slanted Rock - Meridian Brewery with Tap Room
12. Woodland Empire Ale Craft - Boise Brewery with Tap Room
13. Boise Brewing- Boise Brewery with Tap Room
14. Haff Brewing  - Boise Brewery with Tap Room
15. County Line Brewery - Boise Brewery with Tap Room
16. Barbarian Brewing - Boise Brewery with Tap Room
17. Powderhaus Brewing - Boise Brewery with Tap Room
18. Bear Island Brewing - Boise Production Brewery

MOTHER EARTH BREW CO ARRIVES IN NAMPA

My wife and I went to the Official Press Conference and Event to Welcome the folks at Mother Earth Brew Co. to Nampa. Those that attended the event were rewarded with free beer from Mother Earth along with free beer pint glasses and free shirts with the new Mother Earth  Nampa Railroad Logo.

Jana Jones, Director of the Economic Development Services started the press conference by reading a statement from Governor Otter welcoming Mother Earth Brew Co. to Idaho.  Then Bob Henry, the Mayor of Nampa, Idaho talked about all the jobs that Mother Earth will bring to Nampa and Canyon County.   Finally Jana introduced Daniel Love, co-founder and general manager of Mother Earth Brew Co. to the enthusiastic crowd composed the local craft beer fans.

Daniel  Love Talks to the Crowd at Wall Street Nampa next to Prefunk Nampa in the above photo:  Click Here to hear the six minute talk.  Dan explains the origins of Mother Earth and how Mother Earth came to Nampa, Idaho. I found it very interesting that Mother Earth has many ties to Stone Brewing.


Daniel Love Meets Mike Francis, Owner and Operator of Payette Brewing Company in the photos below:

Mother Earth and Payette will be the Two Largest Breweries in the State of Idaho by the end of 2016.

It looks like the new Nampa location will be ready in February to start construction and most of their major brewing equipment should be ready to ship in March.  They are hoping to start production in June 2016 with their tap room opening shortly thereafter.

Kamron Khannakhjavani and Mike Westley from Mother Earth also accompanied Dan to the Event.  After the event was over and most of the crowd had left,  Dan mentioned that he would like to meet Jerry Fergusson, the owner of the Crescent Brewery.  So Stacy Connelly (Boise Beer Buddies), Dan, Mike, Kamron, and my wife and I all walked down to the Crescent Brewery just three blocks down the street.

The Mother Earth guys got to meet Jerry and tour the Crescent Brewery and sample some of the Crescent Brewery's finest beers.  It is very important to Dan to become part of the Idaho Craft Beer Community and work with all his fellow brewers in the area.

On the walk back to Prefunk, Daniel Love talked about the "lack of a Local Beer Culture in Idaho comment." The comment was actually from Brandon Hernandez, a writer for a local beer magazine in San Diego.  In an article that he wrote about Mother Earth opening a Nampa plant, he  wrote "At first, it may seem a bit of an odd choice, constructing a second production facility so far from home, and in a part of the country that lacks a defined craft beer culture."  Dan said that he and those at Mother Earth who planned the Nampa Brewery are very aware of Idaho's current and growing Craft Beer Culture.

After meeting Dan, Kamron, and Mike; I know these guys will be a perfect fit for our Idaho Craft Beer Culture.

 Click Here to hear the six minute talk by Daniel Love.

Check out the Nampa Logo for Mother Earth Brew Co. below:

Logo is a photo from the shirt.

Another Story about the History of Mother Earth

WELCOME TO IDAHO MOTHER EARTH BREW CO.

Exciting News about a new Brewery coming  to Nampa, Idaho.

Mother Earth Brew Co.located in Vista, California will be building their second production brewery in Nampa, Idaho at the old Rogers Seed location 1428 Madison Street shown below:

MEBC will be the second Brewing Company to add an Idaho location.  Bend's 10 Barrel Brewing located their second brewpub in Boise two years ago.  10  Barrel knocked down the barriers to other brewing companies moving to Idaho by working hard to change the laws prohibiting breweries from other states adding Idaho locations.

This will be a four vessel, 40 beer barrel production brewery with a tap room and company offices located in a 40,000 square feet facility.  The Nampa brewery will be larger than their Vista Brewery increasing their total capacity to over 100,000 beer barrels per year with plans to ship their beer throughout the Northwest.

About their beers:  Sin Tax Peanut Butter Stout is one of their more unique beers. This Beer won the Gold Medal for Specialty Beer at the San Diego International Beer Festival.



Hop Diggity Double IPA is another award winning beer.  Winning Silver and Bronze Medals.




Their other beers can be found on their website listed below.

One of the cool things about this brew company is that they have maintained  close ties with the Home brewing Community offering hands-on brewing classes on a 10 gallon system and selling home brewing equipment and supplies at their Vista location.  I hope they will also do this at their new Nampa location.

This will be fourth Brewery with a planned opening in Idaho in 2016.  See complete list here:  List of Idaho Breweries.  Idaho will have 54 breweries in operation when these four breweries open for business.  That will give Idaho one brewery for every 30,000 people.  This will be the second Brewery in Nampa joining the Crescent Brewery Downtown Nampa.

City of Nampa reports a welcome event/tasting Oct 23rd 3-4:30pm in Wall Street, Downtown Nampa. Hayden will be their distributor and ME beer should hit Idaho shelves this month.  Thanks to Troy Oppie for this tip.

Link  to the Opening Nampa Brewery Article

Mother  Earth Brew Co. Website

Mother Earth Brew Tap House Facebook

Mother Earth Facebook

Boise Valley Economic Partnership Story

P.S.  There is another Mother Earth Brewing Company.   It is in Mother Earth Brewing LLC located in North Carolina!!!!!

I Survived BEER WARS 2015

This will be brief.  I was going to  do a longer story with interviews, but as I began my journey  of drinking 30 four ounce pours, I lost my way. Check out the menu below.  That is an impressive list and the main reason that I lost my way.

I arrived early...about 3:00 and checked out the layout.  I talked to Whitney, the Beer Wars General, and she said they were almost ready to  go.   Then  I returned to to the 10 Barrel Brewery and Restaurant to eat my Fish and Chips and prepare to start tasting beer with a full stomach.  I was fortunate to have a Designated Driver, so it was "No Holds Barred" for trying all those IPA's.


Celeste Giordani is one of the volunteers that wore the Army Brown Shirts and the Camo Beer Wars Hats:

It  cost $5 for the taster glass (A nice collectible for your collection). Only $1 per chip that  got you a generous 4 ounce pour.  There were 5 booths pouring beer from 4 States...Idaho, Washington,  Oregon and Idaho. Idaho was divided into 2 categories....Boise and The Rest of Idaho.

Snake River Brewers were represented by Bob, Mike, Derek, Joe and Chris!  They were doing their best to empty those Kegs.  Steven Koonce was there doing his part too. Plus too many familiar faces to mention.  Great turn out by Boise's Craft Beer Drinkers!

Stacy from Beer Buddies was represented:

The Entrance:

The Oregon Booth:

Okay, the  funnest part was trying  to identify the Breweries and the States.  Consensus among friends was that Beer # 1 was Grapefruit Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point, So we identified the California Booth.  The next beer we agreed on was Double Dagger IPA from Sockeye and Outlaw from Payette, we had the Boise Booth identified.  I was pretty sure that #9 was Alpha Dog IPA from Laughing Dog.  So that was "The  Rest of Idaho"!  So we had three of the five I.D.'d, only two to go.  We really had a hard time with beers #25 to #30, we figured they had to be from Washington which meant the last group had to be from  Oregon. And #14 was Pallet Jack IPA from Barley Browns.  It was just so  familiar, I was sure that I had  drank it before.  So we pretty much had it figured out by 7:00 PM when they announced the beer identities.  California Won, but  with Firestone Walker Double Jack and the Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin, how could they lose.

Blind Tastings are challenging and fun.  I had a lot of fun tasting with my buddy Mike,  We shared our Chips so we only drank two ounces per beer.  It was a good strategy, because 120  ounces of IPA's  ranging in ABV from 7% to 10% would have hurt me.  There were a lot of Imperial and Double IPA's in the group.


The Protesters Across the Street (Beer is Evil):

And The Crowd:

The Band got going about 8:00 and so did we.....Great Time...highly recommend this event for all you that missed it.  Hope they  do it again in 2016.

Update:

And the winners were:

1st - California

2nd - Oregon

3rd - Rest of Idaho

4th - Washington

5th - Boise

And they were All winners in my book.

***Some of the photos provided by Stan Brewster****

BOISE CRAFT BEER NIRVANA SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

So, what are you doing Saturday, Septembeer 26th??

I am amazed at the Choice of Events that we, as Craft Beer Fans, have this weekend in Boise and the surrounding area.  Many of these events are easy walking (crawling) distance of one another.  I would never imagine this happening in Boise 5 years ago.

I used to make any annual trip to Bend Oregon, to try new beer and add badges to my Untappd Account.  I have not been to Bend the last 2 years.  Don't need to go to Bend with all the great local beer offerings in Boise and the state of Idaho.  Just one more reason that I am proud to be an Idahoan.

Click on the "Event" to see the details of each event.

Downtown Boise Events by Start Time

1  - ALEFORT @ Boise Farmers Market 3:00 - 8:00   Event
       Fresh-hopped creations and unique tastings by:
       SOCKEYE BREWING,  PAYETTE BREWING,  BOISE BREWING
       BARBARIAN BREWING,  MERIWEATHER CIDER,    BITTERCREEK ALEHOUSE
       Tasting cups are $3, Tokens are $2.50 for 7 oz pour

2 - Old Boise  Octoberfest 2015  3:00 - 10:00  Event  
     This event will be held in Old Boise at 6th & main.  $15 cover charge.  They will have authentic          German beer, food, and Music.

3 - Beer Wars IPA Festival sponsored by 10-Barrel 4:00 - 10:00    Event
      This event is for IPA lovers Only.  It will be at the 10 Barrel Brewery and feature 30 IPA's from   Idaho, Oregon and Washington Breweries.  $5.00 for the Taster Cup and $1.00 per token good for     a 4 ounce taste.

4 - Taco Beer Taco Fest @ Woodland Empire Craft 4:00 - 11:00  Event
      This Free event located at the Woodland Empire Craft Ale Brewery will feature specialty tacos            paired with specialty beer and there will be live music starting at 7:00


Events in other parts of Boise:

5 - Octoberfest @ Edge Brewing  11:00 - 11:00 Event

•      BRATS- We will have a German menu all day long
•      BEER-We will be serving our delicious Oktoberfest
•      BBQ- We will have an outdoor brats BBQ in the Parking lot
•       MUSIC- Emily Tipton 5-7pm

6 - 4th Annual B'Arc and Brew Festival @  Harrison Hollow Brewing 12:00 - 8:00 Event
      Dogs, bring your people and join us for some delicious craft beer, great live music, and good times! There will be a costume contest and dog parade at 1:45pm. It's going to be a doggone good time! Don't miss it!!

Events in other parts of the Valley:

7 - Blues at The Flats 2:00 - 8:00  Event
     Doors at 2:00. Music starts at 2:30.
      Tickets $8 in advance or $10 at the door. 

8 - Snake River Brewstock in Ontario, Oregon  2:00 - 9:00  Event
      Brewfest featuring 60 different beers. $25.00 Cover Charge.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEER WARS UPDATE:

Attending Breweries:

 

Boise

·         10 Barrel Boise

·         Boise Brewing

·         Edge Brewing

·         Sockeye

·         Payette

·         Woodland Empire

California

·         Ballast Point

·         Firestone Walker

·         Green Flash

·         Pizza Port

·         Stone Brewing

·         21^st Amendment

Oregon

·         10 Barrel PDX

·         Barley Brown’s

·         Boneyard

·         Breakside

·         Deschutes

·         pFriem

Rest of Idaho

·         Broken Horn

·         Laughing Dog

·         Grand Teton

·         Salmon River

·         Sawtooth

·         Slate Creek

Washington

·         Backwoods Brewing

·         Elysian

·         Everybody’s Brewing

·         Georgetown

·         Naked City

·         Silver City

WHY SHOULD YOU GROW YOUR OWN HOPS?

Why would you, a home brewer, want to grow your own hops?

1 -  You control the freshness of your own homegrown hops.
       I usually harvest around 100 ounces of hops every year,  I am still using hops from the 2014 season, but I            never use hops more than 2 years old.  All of my hops are stored in vacuum packed freezer bags          in my freezer.

2 -  Pride,  you have the satisfaction of knowing you have grown your own hops.
      When sharing my home brew beer, I never fail to mention that the beer is brewed with my own           home grown hops. 

3 -  If you want to make organic homebrew, you can be 100% sure that your hops ARE organic.
      You never know the history of those store  bought hops.  What is their definition of organic?  It            may different from your definition of organic. 

4 -  You can make fresh hop ales in August and September every year.
      This is one of my favorite reasons for growing my own hops.  Every year, I make a fresh hop ale.       The last two years, I made Fresh Hops IPA's, this year, I made a Fresh Hop Pale Ale.

5 -  You can decrease the cost of brewing your own beer.
       Raising Hops takes a lot of labor, but if you use a lot of hops in your beer (IPA's) you can save            money by raising your own hops.

6 -  Less impact from Hop shortages.
      With the increased demand created by the fast growing craft beer breweries for certain hops,                some hops become very hard to find.  Check out The Hops Shortage of 2008.


I started growing my own hops in 2002 when my wife bought me two rhizomes.  One was a Tettnanger, the other was a Fuggles.   I only raised those 2 hops for about 4 years. Then over time, I increased the number of hops to 12 varieties and 25 hop plants.  Now that was over kill.

I now raise 8 varieties and 16 hop plants which yield about 300+ ounces of hops per year.  But I harvest only about 1/3 of those hops.  I raise the hops I need to make the kind of beer I like to drink. I use a lot of Cascade and Centennial hops which are easy to harvest, because they have many large cones that grow in large clumps. Picture of my Chinook Hops below.

I will not go into how to grow your own hops here,  you can get information from:
Growing Your Own Hops from More Beer

And to find other home brewers in the Boise area that grow their own hops, check out:
Idaho Hop Growers on Facebook

P.S.  I have non-brewer friends that raise ornamental hops for shade.  We use Sunbeam Hops on our back deck for shade.  And they really are beautiful. See photo below:

Edge Expands Distribution

It is been a couple of months since Head Brewer Kerry Thomas suffered her severe burns as she was brewing at Edge Brewing Company.  Kerry is recovering nicely, but it will probably be a couple of months before she can return to her job.

I was concerned that Edge Brewing might have to take step back from their plans to increase their sales through entering new markets.  Very happy to see they moving forward while Kerry convalesces.  

That is why I was thrilled to see the attached press release from Edge Brewery. 

The following is the official press release from Steve Koonce with the details.

Greetings!

Exciting news from Edge! We are expanding our distribution into the southern and eastern ends of Idaho with Watkins Distributing. This means our delicious draft and upcoming 22oz bombers will soon be available to our friends in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Magic and Wood River valleys! 

Please read the attached press release and let me know if you have questions about anything at all.

Cheers!

Steve

Steve Koonce
Edge Brewing Company
Director of Sales and Marketing
steve@edgebrew.com
208-996-5639

EDGE PAIRS WITH WATKINS DISTRIBUTING

(September 4, 2015) Boise, ID – EDGE BREWING COMPANY and WATKINS DISTRIBUTING have combined forces to bring Edge’s traditionally brewed ales and lagers to the people of southern and eastern Idaho. Edge currently distributes in the Boise/McCall/Mountain Home area with Stein Beer.

Watkins Distributing will carry Edge’s full line-up of 22oz bottles that includes Obligatory Double IPA, Blackwater Imperial Stout, Odelay Vienna Lager, Onomato Pale Ale, Edge Amber Ale and a seasonal rotator release. The first seasonal release that Watkins will receive will be Edge’s Oktoberfest Marzen Lager. Watkins will start with a limited number of beers on draft from Edge that will include Obligatory Double IPA, Edge Amber Ale and Edge’s Apple Cider.

“EDGE couldn’t be happier to partner with Watkins Distributing,” said Edge Sales Director Steven Koonce. “Watkins represents everything Edge does in terms of being an Idaho based family business interested in bringing great beer to the people of this great state. We expect great things from Watkins in helping to build our brand and spread our delicious beer around the Gem State.”

EDGE will send its first shipment of beers to Watkins by the middle of September.

Watkins Distributing, celebrating 25 years of doing business in Idaho, is owned principally by Mitch and Tony Watkins. Watkins has distribution centers in Idaho Falls, Twin Falls and Coeur d’Alene.

Edge Brewing Company was founded in 2013 by Marcus and Sherry Bezuhly. Edge’s investors include many experienced and award winning home brewers. Edge’s true to style ales and lagers are available throughout the whole state of Idaho as well as in Eastern Oregon. For more information on Edge, please visit www.edgebrew.com. 

Berts Growler Garage in Ontario, Oregon

Although, not located in Idaho, Ontario is part of the Treasure Valley and also includes the Beer Valley Brewing Company owned and operated by Pete Ricks.

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Berts on Friday, August, 21st.  We were very impressed with the 50's style decor.  With the checkerboard tiled floor and the old fashioned diner style stools and chairs, it has the charm of a time gone bye.  The Garage has 3 vintage vehicles inside and there is plenty of seating for large groups.

We got to meet the owner and operator, Michelle Bertalotto.  Michelle is knowledgeable about the local craft beer scene and seems to have a knack of finding those rare highly sought after beers.  Did I mention that they have food!  Good food, but I am here to talk about the beer.  Because Berts in in Oregon, they can offer beer that is not available in Idaho.

The picture below shows the beer that we took home Friday Night (We actually took home 6 bottles of Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA  plus 2 growlers of Barley Browns Beer in addition to those shown above).  Notice the variety of Dogfish Head Beer and the Pelican Mother of All Storms. Make sure to click on the photo see see the large version.

Michelle also had a case of the nostalgic Tim Batt's Snake River Brewery's Amber Lager on display.
Twelve bottles still full of beer in the case.

We highly recommend this venue.  Well worth the short trip to Ontario.

P.S. The reason we were at Berts was for a meeting with the Ontario based Malheur Mashers Homebrew Club.  If you live in the Ontario Area and you homebrew, join this club.  They had a great education presentation from Jack.  He raised 2-row barley malt to make his beer, so we learned how to raised the barley, harvest the barley and malt the barley.  Kudos to Jack for the in depth presentation.  Malheur Mashers Facebook Page.



You can find Berts on the internet:

• Berts Growler Garage - Facebook Page
• Berts Growler Garage - Website