2020, THE COVID YEAR IN REVIEW

 TEN NEW BREWERIES OPENED IN 2020

Bud and Greta Mohr at Idaho's newest brewery

by Bob Hubler

The Year 2020 will always remembered as the COVID Year.  The year that the government shut down small businesses to attempt to control the COVID Pandemic.  Many small businesses did not survive the shutdowns and there will be more that will fail in 2021 due to the impact of the COVID Pandemic. Please remember to support your local breweries!

SURPRISINGLY TEN NEW IDAHO BREWERIES OPENED IN 2020

100 Eight Twelve Main Brewery in Caldwell
101 Groundwork Brewing in Lewiston
102 Off The Rails Brewing in Pocatello
103 Loose Screw Beer Co. in Garden City (formerly Bella Brewing)
104 Trails End Brewery in  Coeur d'Alene
105 Spring Creek Brewing Company North of Eagle
106 Blue Pit Brewing in Mountain Home
107 Idaho Farm House Ales in Shelley (No Tap House)
108 Star Route Brewing in Pocatello
109 Twisted District Brew Co. in Garden City

The numbering system above is based on the number of total breweries opened in Idaho during the Craft Brewing Era.   Idaho started 2020 with 73 active brewers and ended the year with 81 active breweries for a net gain of 8 breweries.  Two Breweries closed during the year and Bella Brewing added new owners and became Loose Screw Beer Co.

THE LIST OF BREWERIES THAT CLOSED IN 2020:

16 Bertram's Salmon Valley Brewing in Salmon
31 Von Scheidt' Brewing in Twin Falls

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SUMMARY OF THE IDAHO BREWERY ACTIVITY IN  2020

  The Treasure Valley now has 29 breweries with two more ready to open in 2021, but the biggest brewery boom is in Eastern Idaho where Pocatello now has 4 breweries within one mile of one another.  Two years ago, there was only Penny Pink's Portneuf Valley Brewing.  Forty five minutes to north, Idaho Falls has 3 breweries and another forty five minutes to the east of Idaho Falls, there are two breweries in Victor and another two breweries in Driggs. Teton County in southeast Idaho can claim the most breweries per capita with a brewery for every 3,000 people. 

North Idaho has two new breweries bringing the number of their total breweries to 29 tied for the most with Southwestern Idaho.   Lewiston has a brewery again with the  addition of Groundwork Brewing.  They lost MJ Barley Hoppers in 2018.

Idaho added 75 new breweries in the last decade while closing 15 breweries over the same period.  Only 21 breweries open today started pouring their beer before this decade. Idaho has approximately one brewery for every 22,000 people living in Idaho.  That puts Idaho in the top ten states by brewery per capita.

The question is "Are there enough breweries in Idaho or are there too many?"  I know Eagle needs a brewery and Caldwell could use another Brewery.  How about Meridian?  I think there is still room for new breweries in the state and I am really looking forward to a new brewery near Melba.  Is this the year that it opens?

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CURRENT LIST OF IDAHO BREWERIES

List of Idaho Breweries - Includes a list of every craft beer brewery  that has opened in Idaho since Time Batt's Snake River Brewery between Caldwell and Notus.  Also includes a complete list of all the breweries that have opened and closed in that time.  There is a list of breweries that plan to open in the near future too.

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IDAHO BREWERY #109 TWISTED DISTRICT BREW CO

TWISTED DISTRICT BREW CO IN GARDEN CITY

By Bob Hubler

Ed Danti and Greta Mohr opened Idaho's 109th Brewery on Friday,  December 18, 2020.  Twisted District becomes the Treasure Valley's 29th brewery and the 81st Idaho brewery currently  in operation.  It also fills the gap between Western Collective and Loose Screw in Garden City.  Garden City now has 7 breweries, but only one Brew Pub!  That would be Twisted District Brew which has a kitchen.

This brewery is the most unique brewery in Idaho as the beer is actually brewed in New Zealand and Germany.  The wort is then sent to Bud Mohr where he ferments it in one of his four 5BBL fermentors.  Bud also dry hops the soon to be beer.  That means their German style beer really was brewed in Germany.  Bud works with the foreign brewers to develop the recipes for the beer brewed over there. You can't get that anywhere else in Idaho.

Twisted District Brew Co is the 11th Brew Pub in the valley which means they serve food from their own kitchen.  Twisted District is Garden Cities only Brew Pub. They have no grill, so no burgers or fries,  but a decent array of Dogs, Salads, Briskets, and Chili.  Check out their menu here.

I had the Buffalo Brat which was excellent and my wife had the deviled eggs that were very good too.  Buddy Mike really liked the Guinness Beer Brat.

Twisted District will open at 11:00 7 Days a week.  Check their facebook page for closing times.

P.S.  These guys are a Beer Buddies Hub

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Bud Mohr, Head Brewer

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This brewery is a family affair with one of the co-owners, Greta working with her son, Bud, the Brewer.

Brewer Bud Mohr with his mother, Greta Mohr

The other owner is Ed Danti, Greta's boyfriend.
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Check the Flight Holders in the photos below:

Bud preparing flights of his beer

Bud serving the Beer flights to customers

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The brewery has no HTL, Mash Tun, nor Brew Kettle.  It has four 5BBL refrigerated Fermenters.  I asked Bud if there were any plans in the future to brew their own wort.  He told me probably not, as they were very happy with the current plan.

Front View of the Fermentors

Side View of the Fermentors

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Twisted District Brew Co. is another great addition to Brewers Row in Garden City.

Twisted District Webpage

Twisted District Facebook

Current List of Idaho Breweries

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The Star Route Brewery opened in Pocatello about a week prior to the opening of the Twisted District Brew Co.  

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BLUE PIT BREWING IN MOUNTAIN HOME

By Bob Hubler

Blue Pit Brewing becomes the 106th Idaho Brewery to open since breweries returned to Idaho in 1984.  They become the 78th Active Brewery in Idaho.

Jeff Paradis, an Air Force Veteran, and his wife Melissa realized their dream on Friday, October 16th as their brewery (formerly a tattoo shop) opened to the thirsty patrons of Mountain Home.  The Mayor and City Council were there for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:00,  the doors were then open to the public.

Mountain Home gets their first brewery! Located downtown, Blue Pit Brewery will certainly help revitalize downtown Mountain Home.

We arrived at 4:30 and milled around with other anxious customers awaiting their chance to drink a few brews from the new brewery.  We met up with Stacy from Boise Beer Buddies and talked about the excitement surrounding the new brewery.  As the clock counted down to 5:00, the ribbon was there and the scissors, but no mayor.   In the nick of time the mayor arrived, gave a short speech welcoming the new business to downtown, the ribbon was cut and the crowd poured in to the new brewery.

We found a small table (whiskey barrel) to sit at and watched as the noisy crowd fill up the new venue.

I ordered the porter for my wife and the IPA for me.  A little later we ordered the flight so we could try all five of the beers on tap.

List of Beers on Tap:

• Gunfighter Blonde
• The Shocker (Jalapeño)
• Wonder Dog Rye Pale
• Lucky Dog IPA 
• Pit bull Porter

In a few weeks a sixth beer, a Belgian Triple, will be added to the tap list.

The Food Truck was conveniently located in the alley behind the brewery, easily accessible by the back door.  Friday's Food Truck was Main Street Tacos.  I ordered tacos and they paired well with my IPA.

While enjoying our beer and tacos Nelda, Stacy and I were joined by Matt Roth, a local member of the Air Force and a Craft Beer fan.  Matt is part of the Hops News group that vlogs about craft brewing across the nation.  Matt is the Northwest representative.

Overall, our group had a great time.  The people of Mountain Home will love this place and if you are passing through, make sure to stop and try some Blue Pit Beer.

The new sign out front

The Front Entrance

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People wait for the ribbon cutting ceremony:

Here come the Scissors

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The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Complete with a speech from the mayor.

Jeff and Melissa Cutting the ribbon

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The Interior of the Brewery is set up for 50% capacity to allow for social distancing during the COVID restrictions.

Our Whiskey Barrel Table

Bob and Stacy ordering their beer

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You can buy a flight of their beer served on the fancy flight tray.

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Check out the photos of the Seven BBL Brewing System

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Remember:  Blue Pit Brewing is the latest Boise Beer Buddies Hub.  Use your Boise Beer Buddies card to receive a dollar off of your first pint.

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Blue Pit Brewing on Social Media

Untappd

Facebook

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List of Idaho Breweries

AUGUST 2020 BIT & PIECES - IDAHO BREWERIES

By Bob Hubler

MIDYEAR UPDATE ON WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH IDAHO BREWERIES

LOCAL BREWERIES WITH UPDATE STORIES

2C Family Brewing in Nampa adds new outdoor seating in front of the brewery.  Great place to sit outside and watch all the people walking around downtown Nampa while drinking beer and eating a chorizo.

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Bear Island Brewery becomes a Brew Pub with the addition of Food Menus

Beth and Steve opened their small production brewery in 2014.

Beth and Steve in their garage brewery

Brewery in the Garage

 

After years of searching,  they found Fire House #6, a perfect location for a brewery.  They opened their new tap house in 2019, but were unable to use their new brewery equipment until July 2020 due to government paperwork.

The new Fire House  Brew Pub

Recently, they turned their brewery and tap house into a Brew Pub with the addition of a food menu.  Matt Gelsthorpe is their new chef.  You may remember Matt as the beer guy at Boise Coop.

I had the opportunity to visit the new Brew Pub last week and loved their food which can be paired with one of their own great beers.

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SIX NEW IDAHO BREWERIES HAVE OPENED IN 2020

100 Eight Main Brewery in Caldwell

101 Groundwork Brewing in Lewiston

102 Off The Rails Brewing in Pocatello

103 Loose Screw Beer Co. in Boise

104 Trails End Brewery in  Coeur d'Alene

105 Spring Creek Brewing Company in Boise

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TWO IDAHO BREWERIES ARE LICENSED TO OPEN IN 2020

106 Idaho Farm House Ales in Shelley.  This brewery does their own fermentation, but has no brewing equipment on site.  They contract other breweries to brew their wort.  They plan to have their own brewing equipment in the near future.

107 Blue Pit Brewing in Mountain Home.  Equipment has been delivered.

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ONE IDAHO BREWERY WILL OPEN IN 2020 WAITING FOR LICENSE

108  Star Route Brewing in Pocatello. Equipment has been delivered.

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TWO IDAHO BREWERIES THAT MAY OPEN IN 2020

??? Danelion Brewing  - Melba

??? Black Lodge Brewing - Coeur d'Alene

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THREE IDAHO BREWERIES OPENING DELAYED TILL  2021

??? Gem State Brewing in Eagle

???  Bench House Brewing in Boise

??? Vantage Point Brewing - Coeur d'Alene

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TWO BREWERIES CLOSED PERMANENTLY IN 2020

Bertram's Salmon Valley Brewery in Salmon opened in 1998

Von Scheidt Brewing in Twin Falls opened in 2009

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BREWERY THAT CLOSED IN 2019 REOPENS IN 2020

26 WolfTrack Brewing in Cottonwood

List of Idaho Breweries - 76 Active Breweries are open in Idaho

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Email:  BoiseBeerCulture@gmail.com

IDAHO BREWERY #105 SPRING CREEK BREWING CO.

 by Bob Hubler

SPRING CREEK BREWING COMPANY IS A DESTINATION BREWERY  AND PIZZA RESTAURANT LOCATED IN THE AVIMOR COMMUNITY ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF SHADOW VALLEY GOLF COURSE ON HIGHWAY 55 ON THE BANKS OF SPRING VALLEY CREEK.

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Jeff & Lori Badigian and Marc & Gina Grubert's new brewery at Avimor is Idaho's most beautiful brewery in my opinion and I have been to nearly every brewery in the State of Idaho.  Spring Creek becomes the 28th active brewery in the Treasure Valley and the 76th active brewery in  the State of Idaho.  It is the second brewery in Idaho to be built from the ground up.  Almost all Idaho breweries took over buildings that housed a different business prior to being converting into a brewery.

Check HERE to see a list of all the breweries in Treasure Valley.

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Lots of outdoor seating in the back and on the southside of the brewery.

Southside of the Brewery

Backdoor Deck of the Brewery

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This is where the pizza is made and cooked over a wood fire.

Plenty of wood to keep the fire going

Big Pizza oven to cook multiple pizzas at one time

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The Brew System

Seven Beer Barrel Brew System with fifteen bbl fermentors and bright tanks.  It should be  big enough to have eleven Spring Creek beers on tap. 

View from the left side of the Brew System

View from the front of the brew system

View from the right side of the brew system

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Indoor Seating Area

View from setting at the bar.

Ample space between tables for social distancing

Note one of the overhead doors behind this group of Happy Customers.

Large Overhead doors connect the main dining area to the West Side Out Door seating area.

As you enter the dining area, you can see all the overhead doors to the deck

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View from the backside along Spring Valley Creek over looking the creek and bike path.

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Other Links

Spring Creek Facebook
Spring Creek Webpage
Spring Creek Brewing Background story about the owners

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The last blog I wrote was about Idaho's 100th brewery, Eight Twelve Main in Caldwell.  Here is a list of the breweries that have opened since then.

101 Groundwork Brewing in Lewiston
102 Off The Rails Brewing in Pocatello
103 Loose Screw Beer Co. in Boise, formerly 62 Bella Brewing
104 Trails End Brewery in  Coeur d'Alene

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Sad to report that 2 breweries have closed in 2020

16 Bertram's Salmon Valley Brewery in Salmon opened in 1998
31 Von Scheidt Brewing in Twin Falls opened in 2009

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List of Idaho Breweries

EIGHT TWELVE MAIN BECOMES IDAHO'S 100TH BREWERY

IDAHO BREWERY #100 IS OPEN

by Bob Hubler

Owner Keith Hall

The 100th Idaho Brewery to open since 1984 is EIGHT TWELVE MAIN located at 812 Main Street in Caldwell, Idaho.  Idaho's 1st brewery in modern times was the Snake River Brewery also located near Caldwell, Idaho.  It also becomes the 75th currently operating brewery in Idaho and the first brewery in Caldwell since the defunct Gem State Brewery.

Eight Twelve Main is a brew pub with emphasis on their food with consists of burgers, french fries, and hot dogs. Owned by Keith and Heidi Hall, it is operated as a family business.  On opening day, they had aunts, uncles, cousins, parents and many other family members helping out.

Their brewer is Eric Roberts who has experience as a home brewer.  They have a one beer barrel system which is twice as big as most home brew systems and is considered a nano brewery.  They currently have four of their own beers on tap.  In addition to their own beer, they carry a lot of the local brewery beers on their 22 taps.  They offer flights and tasters, and plan to become a member of BoiseBeerBuddies.

My wife and I really love their burgers.  You get to pick from a large array of toppings and the beef is procured locally.  They pride themselves on using local ingredients from Canyon County.  Great fries actually dipped in the grease from their burgers.

Interior of the Brew Pub

Eight Twelve Main is a great addition to the Revitalized Downtown Caldwell and becomes another great place you can stop for a local craft beer in Canyon County.  I am excited to actually have a brewery in my home town again.


Facebook

Website

See a list of all Idaho Breweries HERE.

TEN NEW BREWERIES TO OPEN IN 2020

TEN NEW IDAHO BREWERIES TO OPEN IN 2020

by Bob Hubler

The Future Home of the Spring Creek Pizza and Brewery

Below is the list of Idaho breweries that will open in 2020. Most of these breweries are under construction and are in the process of getting their licenses.  All of the breweries listed have their land acquired.  At the end of 2020, Idaho will have 109 breweries that have opened since 1984 and 85 of them still operating assuming no breweries will close their doors in 2020.

Five of the breweries are in Treasure Valley, three of the breweries are in the Coeur d' Alene area, one is in Lewiston, and one in Pocatello.  The five new Treasure Valley breweries will bring the number of breweries there to 31.  North Idaho will have 36 breweries.  The remaining 18 breweries are in central and eastern Idaho.

It looks like Spring Creek Brewing and Eight Twelve Main Brewing will both open in the first quarter of 2020.  Gem State awaits paperwork before breaking  ground, so they will probably not open until the last quarter of 2020.  As breweries open, I will announce their openings on the IDAHO CRAFT BEER CULTURE Facebook Group.


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#	Brewery Name (Website)	Idaho Location	Brewery Type	Facebook
1	Spring Creek Brewing	Boise Area	Brew Pub	Facebook
2	Eight Twelve Main	Caldwell	Brew Pub	Facebook
3	Trails End Brewery	Hayden	Brew Pub	Facebook
4	Danelion Brewery	Melba	Tap Room	Facebook
5	Bench House Brewing	Boise	Brew Pub	Facebook
6	Groundwork Brewing	Lewiston	Brew Pub	Facebook
7	Gem State Brewing	Eagle	Tap Room	Facebook
8	Black Lodge Brewing	Coeur d' Alene	Tap Room	Facebook
9	Vantage Point Brewery	Coeur d' Alene	Brew Pub	Facebook
10	Off the Rails Brewing	Pocatello	Tap Room	Facebook

THE SIX NEW IDAHO BREWERIES THAT OPENED IN 2019

LIST OF  IDAHO BREWERIES

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IDAHO BREWERIES THAT OPENED IN 2019

By Bob Hubler

Six new Idaho Breweries Opened in 2019 bringing the number of breweries that have opened in the modern era to 99 and the total number of operating breweries to 74.  Unfortunately, Idaho had three breweries close their doors in 2019.  Idaho only had a net gain of four breweries in 2019.

THE NEW IDAHO BREWERIES THAT OPENED IN 2019

#94 CITIZEN 33 BREWERY IN DRIGGS

When this brewpub opened  in Driggs last summer, it became Drigg's second brewpub and Idaho's 70th active brewery.  Christian and Lisa Hanley are the owner/operators of this new brewery.  When we visited last July, they were very busy serving some really delicious entrees.  They are located in an older renovated house about six blocks north of the Teton Thai Brewery which opened last year.  They only had a couple of their own beers on tap and were having trouble keeping up with the demand.  Nice problem for a new Brew Pub.

Website

Facebook

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#95 2C FAMILY BREWING IN NAMPA

Alvin Mullins opened his Nampa Brewery in  July across from  the PreFunk Tap House.  This is my favorite brewery to hang out at, as it is only 11 miles from home and has some excellent beer.   The brewery is in a completely renovated historical brick building in Nampa and has a great basement that will be used for barrel aging.  The entrance has a regular door and a large roller door that is open in nice weather.

Great beer and great people in a great location.  Thankful to have this brewery in Canyon County.

P.S. You can use your Boise Beer Buddies Card to get $1 of your fist pint or flight.


Website


Facebook


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#96 BENT TREE BREWING IN ATHOL

Steve & Janet Pegg built this brewery in their shop next to their house.  Their beer is available only at their brewery.  No regular hours in the winter.

Facebook
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#97 LONE MOUNTAIN FARMS IN ATHOL

This brewery is very unique as it is located on a hop farm.  Their tap room sells produce from the farm and beer from the brewery.  Owners Luke & Emily Black incorporate their own hops and grains in the beer.

Website

Facebook
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#98 GERALD TURNER BREWING IN EMMETT

Gerald Turner opened his nano nano brewery in the Summer of 2019.  He uses his home brew system to brew beer that he sells in 22oz bottles from his brewery in his garage behind his home in Emmett.  He brews three kinds of dark beer and told me that he will never brew an IPA.  Fun little brewery to visit if you live in Emmett or just passing through.

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Facebook

#99 MILNERS GATE BREWING IN TWIN FALLS

We visited the Milners Gate Brew Pub in July 2013.  They have a beautiful 2 story brewing system that was not in production when we were there.  They were waiting on their brewing license which they received in October 2019.  They are one of only eight breweries in Idaho that also have a liquor license.  The brew pub is a great place to hang out in Twin Falls.  Their food was very good, and I look forward to visiting again to try their beer.

Website

Facebook

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THREE IDAHO BREWERIES CLOSED IN 2019

#41 RIVER OF NO RETURN BREWERY IN CHALLIS

The River of No Return Brewery in Challis, Idaho closed it's doors in August 2019.  This brewery opened in 2012.  Sad to see another brewery bite the dust.

#48 WOLFTRACK BREWERY IN COTTONWOOD

Wolftrack Brewing and Tasting Room in Cottonwood, Idaho closed it's doors in January 2019.  This brewery opened in 2014.  It was the only brewery between Riggins and Moscow.

#58 DOWN DRAFT BREWING IN POST FALLS D

Down Draft Brewing in Post Falls, Idaho closed. This brewery re-opened in 2017 and closed it's doors for the second and final time in 2019.
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THE 10 NEW IDAHO BREWERIES THAT WILL OPEN IN 2020

UPDATED LIST OF IDAHO BREWERIES

BACK TO BOISE BEER CULTURE

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