THE ORIGINAL GROWLER GUYS COMING TO IDAHO

A couple of years ago I wrote a story about my first experience at a Growler Fill Station.  It was The Growler Guys East Side Bend Oregon Growler Station where I filled 2 growlers with Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA for $9.99 per growler before heading back to Boise with my Bend Ale Trail Silipints in hand.

Upon my return to the Boise Area, I told everyone about my experience at the Growler Fill Station and how I wish we had Growler Fill Stations in the Treasure Valley.   One of my friends in the Snake River Brewers Club told that a Growler Station would be opening in Boise and it would be called the PreFunk Grower Fill Station.  Well since then, it seems like everyone has a Growler Station.

But now the guys that started it all are actually coming to Idaho.  And they are looking for Staff Members to work at their Meridian Location: Craigs List.

Here are some details provided by Boise Beer Buddies:

*** THE GROWLER GUYS *** 

Grand Opening! April 10th & April 11th @ 2020 E Overland, Ste 100, Meridian (next to Harry's Meridian Grill);

Show your BUDDIES card opening weekend and receive a FREE Glass Growler w/purchase of a fill! Now the newest BUDDY HUB: Receive $2 Off Growler Fills all the time with your BUDDIES card! (Cannot be combined with any other offer);

Grand Opening Events:

Friday April 10th 4-6 pm Sockeye - Todd Marshall - Dagger Falls, Sockeye Maibock

Friday April 10th 6-8 pm - Payette - Nick Harvey - TBD
Saturday April 11th 2-4 - Sierra Nevada - Michael Morehouse - Hoppy Lager, Hop Hunter
Saturday April 11th 4-6 - Woodland Empire Ale Craft - Keely Chanteloup - City Of Trees
Saturday April 11th 6-8 - Lagunitas - David Hatteberg - Capp Stout, Undercover Investigation Shut Down Ale
AND Laughing Dog -  Greg Barnes - 219 Pils, Laughing Dog IPA
Saturday April 11th 8-10 - (Other events TBD with more local brewers incl. Crooked Fence, Grand Teton, and others)

I assume that their staffing for their Meridian Station is complete, but the good news is that they are also opening a Boise Location..

I would like to Welcome The One, The Only, Original Growler Guys to Idaho!!!

GROWLER FILL STATIONS.....Everyone's Got One!!!

My first experience with a Growler Fill Station was in Bend, Oregon last Summer.  We were headed back to Idaho after spending two days visiting every Brew Pub and Brewery in Bend.  We did the Bend Ale Trail and were awarded Silipints at the end. We had a trunk full of craft beer not available in Idaho.  After visiting every bottle shop in Bend and not finding any Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, we stopped to fill up with fuel for the trip back to Idaho at the Shell Gas and Growler Guys Fill Station.  I was blown away buy the selection and low and behold, they were pouring Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA for $9.99 for a Growler fill.  I got two.

Upon our return to Boise, we raved about Bend, their breweries, bottle shops and Growler Fill Up Station.
We heard the rumour that Boise would have a Growler Fill Station in the near future.  Then a few weeks later the PreFunk Grower Fill Station opened on Front Street in Boise. It was only the beginning.

Fast Eddys Growler Fill Station opened a few months later in three Boise Area Locations and PreFunk recently announced that they would open a Nampa location in the Summer of 2014.  The Gem Stop on Middleton Road in Nampa Idaho added a Growler Fill Station.

Now the Idaho based Albertson's Grocery Chain has announced their first Growler Fill Station inside their store on 36th and State.  It will be the first of many Growler Fill Stations in their stores.   Rumor is that the Boise Area Fred Meyer Stores will also add Growler Fill Stations.  M&W Markets, Chevron Gas Stations, Jackson and Stinker Station Convenience Stores are all adding Growler Stations.

Soon, most of us will live within a few miles of our nearest Growler Fill Station.

A Partial List of  Current Treasure Valley Growler Stations:

  The Growler Stations listed here are all part of The Growler Station Franchise

Gem Stop - Nampa 1520 S. Middleton Road , Nampa, Idaho 83687 P: (208) 467-9908	Fast Eddys - Ustick 770 West Ustick, Meridian, Idaho 86346 P: (208) 898-0034	Fast Eddys - Ten Mile 750 North Ten Mile, Meridian, Idaho 83642 P: (208) 884-8822
Fast Eddys - Locust Grove 770 West Ustick, Meridian, Idaho 86346 P: (208) 898-0034	Jacksons Food Store - #7 Boise, ID 3110 W State St, Boise, Idaho 83703 P: (208) 343-6926	M&W Market 1835 Warm Springs Ave., Boise, Idaho 83712 P: (208) 342-1744
Beacon Light Chevron 12795 Highway 55, Garden City, Idaho 83714 P: 208-939-2340	Stinker Store 32 1620 N. 13th Street, Boise, Idaho 83702 P: 208-387-0430	Albertsons, Boise - 36th & State 3614 West State Street, Boise, Idaho 83703 P: (208) 426-9614
Gowen Chevron 6450 S. Eisenman Road, Boise, Idaho 83716 P: (208) 342-1006

WELCOME BOISE BREWING (IDAHO BREWERY #41) TO DOWNTOWN BOISE

It has been a whirlwind ride for Collin Rudeen over the last two years since he started a kickstarter project to build Bogus Brewing somewhere in Boise.  The official opening of the BOISE Brewing Brewery will be next Friday, June 13th, with their Grand Opening on June 21st.  Boise Brewing will become the 41st Idaho Brewery and the 14th Boise Area Brewery.   Read the Michael Deed's story to see the story about how Bogus Brewing became Boise Brewing here.

John Lemp owned and operated the Boise Brewery from 1864 to 1907 on Main Street between 3rd and 4th street.  This new incarnation will be roughly 5 blocks away south and west of that location at 512 West Broad Street, Boise, Idaho 83702.  It will also be Boise "Brewing", not Boise "Brewery".  The original served beer and cold cut sandwiches to their patrons. Boise Brewing will be a Brewery with a tasting room similar to Payette Brewing and will not serve food.

Visit the Official Boise Brewing Website here.  It may take several months to change the name on all the website/facebook and other other social media and of course the name on the building and all the glasses, shirts etc.   But by the time ski season rolls around, Bogus will only refer to the Ski area.

Boise Brewing on Twitter

BOGUS BREWING.....NUMBER 40.....NOT SO FAST

Over the last few months, Idaho has been of the verge of 40 Breweries.  Seems like every time we get to number 40, we lose a brewery.  First there was the closure of Biplane Brewing in Post Falls.  The latest is the closing of the landmark Table Rock Brewery in Boise.

We were waiting on the opening of Bogus Brewing in Boise to become Number 40 when we received the unexpected news that there will be no Bogus Brewing.  Latest casualty in the Craft Beer/Brewery Copyright wars is "Bogus" Brewing. Apparently, the Bogus Basin Ski Resort has issues with a brewery using the name Bogus.  So in an agreement to appease the Ski Resort People, the Bogus Brewing Owners will change their name.  You can have input on the new name...click here.

I guess this will make all those growlers, beer mugs, t-shirts and stickers with the Bogus Brewing logo instant collector items.

This will make their June 13th Grand Opening very suspenseful.  Come to the Opening to try their beer and to find out the name of the Brewery!!!!!

GOODBYE TABLE ROCK - BACK TO 39...WAITING ON BOGUS BREWING

I remember going to the opening of the Table Rock Brew Pub back in 1991 with my wife.  We were in the first group that came thru their door and one of the first to order and sample a beer.  We hung out at Table Rock for a few years.  We knew the owners, Mike and Peggy Fitzgerald and the Head Brewer, Terry Dennis.  It was great to be able to drink beer in Idaho made by Idahoans from mostly Idaho Ingredients.

Table Rock was our restaurant of choice.  Loved their Bangers and Mash  and their Scottish Egg.  Really like the TD's Brown Nut Ale and their Shillelagh Stout. My wife's favorite was the Orange Blossom Special.  When family and friends came to town, we always took them to TR.  Spent many birthdays there.

We will always have our fond memories of the times we spent there, but it really was time to go. It seemed apparent that the management was more concerned with the restaurant side the the business to the detriment of the brewery side of the business.

So now we drop back to 39 breweries in Idaho, but only for a few weeks.  Bogus Brewing is on the verge of opening with expected opening dates of June 13th or June 20th from reliable sources.

There is a bright side to losing Table Rock.  We will gain another Brew Pub at the same location.  Rick Boyd of Brewforia and The Grind will opening another Brewforia and The Grind around September 1st.
I am thinking the will once again have some great food and great beer at 705 West Fulton.

P.S.  We may even get to drink some Simian Beer there.....

IDAHO BREWERY #40 PARAGON BREWING - COUER D'ALENE

Looks like Bogus Brewing in Boise Idaho will NOT be the 40th Brewery in the State of Idaho.
Paragon Brewing in Couer D'Alene is now open for business..
Paragon Brewing is a full service Brewpub.
Here is there webpage: http://www.paragonbrewing.com/

For a full list of Idaho's 40 Breweries and the list of Breweries slated to open in the future, Click Here.

Big Brew Day at HomeBrewStuff - New Breweries coming to Garden City

My Wife and I had a great time at Big Brew Day sponsored by HomeBrewStuff.com on Saturday.
The smell of boiling wort permeated the area with lots of homebrewers brewing their beer and some of the homebrewers talking about taking the next step and opening their own Breweries.

There were four Brewers offering their samples there that plan to open new Breweries in the Area. We got to sample beer from CountyLine Brewery, Haff Brewing, Powderhaus Brewing and BearIsland Brewing.

Both Haff Brewing and Powderhaus Brewing plan to open the Breweries in Garden City within the next 5 months.  They would become the 15th and 16th Craft Breweries in the Area.

I enjoyed talking to Tyler Schmidt about his new Powderhaus Brewery which will be located in a building that will be built on a vacant lot in Garden City.  He had a one barrel brewing system at the Big Brew Day that will be their R&D Test system in the new brewery.

Brian Haff was pouring his Lucky Peak Ale with Citra.  He was very excited about hiring his new head brewer, Derek Anderson.  Derek is well know in the area with brewing experience both at The RAM and Table Rock Brew Pub.  I look forward to drinking the beer at Haff Brewing next August.

We had a great time meeting Beth from BearIslandBrewing.  She would become the third female brewmaster in the valley when she opens her brewery.

I plan to divulge more information about these new area breweries in upcoming blogs.

In the mean time, check out the latest additions to the breweries list the the BoiseBeerCulture Website.