Severely Overdue Boise Beer Log

The Mountain States have an enviable brewing culture, even in highly conservative states like Idaho. I wouldn't put it on par with Montana, but Boise definitely ranks as a solid brew town.

Boise did not have a centralized place such as Bozeman's Montana AleWorks, which made made sampling the massive state's brew much less stressful.

However, it had just four locally based microbreweries, with one a chain, making it slightly easier to keep my list at three. It also features the Bardenay Distillery, the nation's first small-batch distillery pub, but I couldn't stomach a sampling of spirits.

While I had nothing from Oregon, my travails in the mountains and a dust storm rumbling through the valley left me sorely tempted to stop at Mt. Emily Ale House in downtown La Grande. After an afternoon at Walla Walla's wineries, it wasn't in the cards. But that is the beauty of the old commercial blocks in those isolated valleys - someone will find a way to brew.

Before I dive into the brewpubs, I must mention the Boise Co-op and its intimidating selection of beers both regional and nationwide. It wouldn't be a stretch to call it the best beer selection between Portland and Denver, representing every major craft brewer and dozens of lesser known ones, plus a robust selection of English, German and Belgian winners.

Boise had neighborhood brewpubs without much crossover, although one of the bartenders told me there was a strong collaborative spirit and little competition between them.

Heart's in the Highlands (Hollow)
The brief tour started Friday at the Highlands Hollow Brewhouse tucked near an office park just below Boise's snowy foothills.

Ginger Wheat - Shiver me timbers. It might have been in the 50s outside, but this could be the feel-good beer of any summer. HH did just sprinkle some ginger into the brew kettle - this ale soars thanks to ample doses of fresh ginger, which adds a great counter-balance to the citrus flavors erupting from the wheat.

While not a world-changer like the Ginger Wheat, HH's Berry Good Wheat was an impressive specimen, striking a good tone between the wheat and the raspberry tartness.

Keeping it on the light side - I think the way brewers handle lighter beers generally tells a better tale than anything with "double" or "imperial" in its name - I moved onto Spoon Tongue, a light ale brewed for the calorie-counting crowd. Its complement of florid Willamette hops ensured no one would confuse it for Michelob Ultra, and aptly demonstrated that even low-alcohol beer can brim with flavor. This is session ale for the long haul.

I closed my trip with a Full Moon Stout, a creamy example that served well as a nightcap. HH uses six types of malt in this exceptionally smooth, silk stout. With barely a trace of bitterness, it easily avoided the pitfalls too many stouts cannot. Nor did it easy the easy route of overly malty oatmeal stouts. With last pint, HH proved it can handle darker beers as well as its strong docket of lighter choices.

Spreading out at the TableRock
Following my trip to the Snake River Canyon, I took Sunday's lunch at the TableRock Brewpub and Grill. Brewmaster Bob McSherry commandeered the bar on a lazy, overcast Sunday and never steered me wrong.

I went with the pub favorite, its Whitebird Wheat, to keep myself on even keel prior to lunch. "Local beer always tastes the best" should be an beer-culture axiom, because this wheat-malt dynamo was pretty original. The hops were assertive and lively but not overwhelming. Despite being one of the hoppier low-alcohol wheat beers I have tasted, Tablerock really found the sweet spot with its Bluebird.

Shortly after sitting down, I got talking with Blake and Bryan, two locals who biked up the Boise Greenbelt to have a few pints during March Madness. For the next hour, we talked nothing but beer culture in the west, and they pointed me toward the next libation, easily the most memorable on the trip.

Now, my timing could have not been more fortunate, as a few pints remained from TableRock's St. Patrick's Day keg of a Jameson-infused version of their O'Leary's XXX Imperial Stout. Don't ask me how you infuse a cask-aged nitro stout with Jameson, just let me tell you how it trumped every other strong stout I ever tasted. It was rich, with some roasted characteristics, a touch of oak and the impact of Irish whiskey. Truly transcendent brewing from Boise.

The Oregon hops in the Spring Celebration were a little overzealous, leaving only traces of the orange blossom honey it touted. However, it had the misfortune to come while I was still in awe of the nitro stout.

With its caramelized wort and English hops, St. Andrew's Amber was another winning sessions ale, good for all evening - or all Sunday afternoon, in this case.

Sockeye To Me?
I had to venture into a sprawling suburban section of Boise for third pub, the Sockeye Brewing Company - it even had that old sit-down restaurant appearance from the outside. Inside it was understated; this place had history and was embedded in a neighborhood, much like Highland Hollow.

Sockeye spared me a rough night by offering a sampler with pours from all nine of the day's draughts. Not all hit the mark - despite the snowy backdrop, I cannot enjoy a barleywine when it's 65 outside. Both the Angel's Perch Amber and the Salmon River Bitter were fresh and hoppy, but mostly unspectacular. Sockeye did get the hop balance right on its regular pale ale, Hell Diver, but it lacked that jene se quois needed to push it over the top. As much as I saw potential the rich chocolate and nuttiness of Seven Devils nitro stout, it paled next to the complex, unique nitro poured by Tablerock.

But Sockeye poured plenty of its own masterpieces, namely its Powerhouse Porter. Despite an underwhelming name, it embraces the light stout concept without shucking off any of the flavor. A little chocolate, some sweetness and a bitter finish with traces of toffee and molasses project an amazing roasted character.

Once again, a Boise brewer slayed dragons with a wheat ale. In this case, Woolybugger Wheat possessed a deep orange flavor with occasional creamsicle overtones,

Dagger Falls IPA was the best IPA, thanks to a nose borrowed from a farmhouse ale - it was like wandering into an herb garden. The bitter but fruity hops made the Hell Diver seem limp by comparison. Although I avoid IPA as a rule - too overdone, too over-hopped - Sockeye got the recipe correct.

Sockeye presented the only kolsch-style ale I saw on the trip, and Galena Summit Kolsh didn't disappoint with a floral, perfumed nose and grainy malted textures coating the palette. Its bone-dry finish could push away domestic macrobrews all summer long.

In this lifetime, this might be my sole visit to Boise. Its small but feisty beer culture displayed some unique plumage and innovative takes on traditional styles that could translate well far beyond the Snake River Plain.