Boise

Boise looks and feels like the great beer towns you already know. Like Boulder, it’s a college town in the foothills that’s brimming with turn-of-the-century architecture.

Its older neighborhoods are low-slung and dense, and oriented toward pedestrians—which is to say, those neighborhoods feel a lot like the best parts of Portland and Seattle. That comparison is an apt one culturally; Boise is a Pacific Northwest city in the mode those two cities set. It’s young and arts-centric. And like its more established Pacific Northwest cousins, Boise enjoys its hops. Its bars eagerly stock the biggest, most fragrant beers that Oregon and Washington can pump out. And its homegrown breweries are following that brewing tradition to great effect. Come see for yourself. These are the best beer destinations in Boise, as chosen by the BeerFly users on BeerAdvocate.com.

The city of Boise straddles a river of the same name, with the old downtown perched on the northern bank, and the state college spreading out along the southern side. Vast residential neighborhoods sprawl out to the south and west, away from the mountains. Most of the action is clustered around the downtown, though, meaning visitors can hit most of the highlights without driving far out into the plains.

Boise’s beer drinking scene revolves around a pair of neighboring restaurants, the Bittercreek Alehouse and the Red Feather. The two spots sit in the shadow of the Idaho State Capitol building. They share an owner and a kitchen, and a top-notch tap lineup to boot. Bittercreek is the pubbier of the two, and it’s the keeper of all those awesome tap handles, while the Red Feather focuses on pairing more upscale and regionally sourced cuisine with fine wines and bottled beers. Make a point of swinging by both, as well as the several other drinking hot spots nearby—the Table Rock brewpub, Bardenay and the Front Door chief among them. You will need a ride to reach Boise’s top brewing spot, though. The Sockeye brewpub, maker of several bold American styles, lies a couple miles outside the city center. And if a pile of glowing reviews can be believed, it’s well worth the cab fare.

Sockeye Grill and Brewery
So yes, the fish at Sockeye is a big draw. But what we’re concerned with is the stuff you wash it down with. Sockeye does big and/or dark quite well: Don’t leave without sampling the Dagger Falls IPA, the Hopnoxious Double IPA and the Purple Haze Espresso Stout.

The RAM Restaurant and Brewery
You know what you’re getting at the RAM—solid pub food and tasty, house-brewed beers. Generally, the darker the beers are, the better. Be sure to look up, way up, at the cavernous barroom ceiling; a sign way up top lays claim to the title of Boise’s tallest bar.

Table Rock Brewpub and Grill [closed]
Table Rock talks up their 100-IBU Hop Head IPA, but the beer that really gets BeerFly users going is Hopzilla, a blistering Imperial IPA with a big floral nose. Grab a growler and make a night of it.

Highlands Hollow Brewhouse
A raucous little brewpub at the base of the foothills, Highlands Hollow serves up excellent house beers across a broad range of styles. Of course, this being the Northwest, the star attraction is an IPA. Anything from the house fermenters is worth sampling, though. An excellent apres-ski spot.

Bittercreek Alehouse
Boise’s best beer bar is covered in dark wood, and it pours from 39 taps. The selection at this buzzing hangout rotates frequently, with a strong emphasis on local and regional brews.

The Front Door
BeerFly users rave about this tiny pizza place, which serves 15 regional taps alongside several dozen Belgian and German brews in the bottle. The pizzas are rather ridiculous, too.

Red Feather
Bittercreek’s cousin next door is less heralded by beer geeks, but equally worth a visit. The atmosphere is more industrial, and the menu favors small plates at the expense of Bittercreek’s pub grub, but the two operations are joined where it counts—at the tap list. Red Feather also sweetens the pot with its own formidable bottle selection (featuring, among other things, a killer Hair of the Dog lineup, and tons of rare Belgians).

Old Chicago
Boise boasts two outposts of the Old Chicago chain—one downtown and one in the mall. The tap lineups vary, but the promise remains consistent: 110 beers. And how do you argue with that?

The Flying Pie
There’s no secret recipe at work here. Take pizza. Add 14 taps (featuring Delirium, Deschutes, Rogue, North Coast and Lagunitas at last check). Repeat as needed.

Bardenay
Bardenay has a fondness for its own house-distilled booze (vodka, rum and gin), but we won’t hold that against them. That’s because Bardenay also serves up beers from Chimay, Deschutes, Schneider, Alaskan and more. The liquor thing? That’s just a phase.

Legends Pub and Grill
Legends is a massive sports bar with lots of TVs, pool tables, air hockey and the like. There’s also a really big movie theater next door, and a beach volleyball court that comes in handy when it’s not covered in snow. And the place also stocks dozens of beers on tap, which work some magic and make all that other stuff super fun and exciting (as long as nobody takes an air hockey puck to the face). ■