Snake River Brewing Company & Brewpub

 

Have heard good things about Snake River Brewing for many years, and finally got a chance to stop by for a brew or two. We actually came as a slightly tired foursome after a great day at Jenny Lake and hiking Grand Tetons national Park.
We took an outside patio table and enjoyed a gentle evening of food and brews.
Snake River is reported to be the oldest brewery/brew pub in Wyoming, and its quite large building spoke to both age and growth. It was very simple and nice outside. Inside was a cacophony of rooms and levels; lots of people; a great fun looking bar and some areas brighter; some darker. It was lively, energizing and bustling with business. It also was easily navigable and facilities very clean/attended to. If alone I would have loved just sitting at the bar and enjoying the vibe.
Our food was very good. Ranged from full plates like son-in-law’s Elk Bolognese pasta dish to my huge and tasty Walnut and Gorgonzola salad. Hand helds we had were included a delicious dry aged beef Big Hole burger to a great “Roper” smoked brisket sandwich. Earlier Hummus/veggie/flat bread plate and wood fire grilled Flatbread apps were shared and enjoyed.
Beer selection was pretty good offering multiple styles of lagers, IPAs/Pale Ales and Stouts ( both straight up and nitro). I really enjoyed the Speargun milk/coffee stout that had received 2 GABF gold and 1 bronze medal over 5 years. 3 of us shared/loved the tart brewed Belgian-style Dubbel. It was excellent.
Our server, Karla, did an awesome job assuring we had any questions answered, getting our orders taken ( including a cancel and new choice)… all happily and efficiently. This despite a very busy “ house” both inside and outside. All others who brought food; bussed the table were equally good and pleasant to us tired travellers.
I highly recommend a stop. The people, place, food and beers just made for a stress free, quality meal and perfect little respite at the end of the day.

In Jackson, working our way back to Portland from the furthest point traveled out to, which was Lander 3 hours to the east. Hotelled, walked the awful 2ish mile incline into town at a zillion altitude, hit a brewery for a beer(s) & a bite, and then felt the disappointment of finding the Wyoming Whiskey storefront to be closed on a Monday afternoon (seriously?). Well, what else to do while in town? Say, do you know what’s twice as good as going to just one brewery? So, we wandered off the strip to here, a large stand alone with wafting wort aromas conveniently located across the street from a Marriott I’m not staying at (sigh). Past the outdoor seating pen and in…

‘L’ shaped wood plank topped bar, vertical curvy corrugated base, and a foot bar. Seating for nearly a dozen on wood steel framed hightop chairs, and 3 shortys on the end for accessible. There are 2 crazy ass mounted extension arm drop periscope copper tap towers with 12 logo handles each, 6 & 6, along the bar. Brick wall barback on the stretch with windows on center offering brew room views. Glassware shelved alongside with growlers atop, and flats to both sides of the windows. Behind the bar on the short end, caging fronting the tanks (so stupid you doesn’t touch them and ruin everything, as usual), with horizontal slat boards mounted listing tap selections (beer, style, ABV, & IBU) in rows.

Concrete floors, brick walls & panel windows, upright pillars & erector set crossbeams, and mad high vaulted ceilings on center with phat ductwork and strung egg lighting. Corner wood stove, light art, flats on all walls, and dangle disco ball action. 6 squared hightops off the bar, and 4 low recs along the perimeter on shared benchings. Through that door there (me, pointing), the aforementioned outdoor pen holding 6 picnic tables, + another 6 on the lawn, an Adirondack chair circle around a fire pit, a large tank pasted with stickers, and cornhole beyond. It’s a pretty big space.

Beer in hand, I set out on walkabout. Look! A secretish corner staircase, I wonder where that goes (it goes upstairs is where it goes. Actually, there’s another staircase at the other end for upstairsing, as well). Upper floor mez wraps around the center space. Like, a dozen and a half tables there, and then more in the side room and outside deck. Foosball, Phil’s Golf Game, & darts for all your gaming needs.

And a straight wood topped bar on the end, horizontal plank base, & a foot bar. Seating for 9 on hightop chairs & shortys as downstairs. ‘T’ tower with 12 logo handles 6 & 6 on the bar. Windows on the white subway tile barback wall overlooking, yep, more tanks. Flatscreen on center and glassware & growlers shelved around it. Drop filament pear bulbs tracing above & a ‘BEER’ neon atop. Upper brew room views from here, and lots of ’em.

12 beers up (Pub Lite, American Light Lager, 3.2%; La Cerveza, Mexican Style Light Lager, 4.5%; Jenny Lake Lager, Vienna Lager, 4.8%; Horchata, Spiced Cream Ale, 5.1%; Cross Czech Pilsner, Bohemian Style Pilsner, 5.5%; McCarthy’s Irish Red Ale, 5%; Snake River Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, 5.2%; Pako’s IPA, American IPA, 6.8%; Earned It IPA, NEIPA, 6%; Nitro Borrego Modelo, German Style Schwarzbier, 5%; Powder 8 Porter, English Style Porter, 5.5%; Sweet Babu, BBA Barleywine, 11%).

Most of it is session or sessionable, so thank you for that. I don’t feel that having both an American Light Lager and a Mexican Style Light Lager is the play when you only have 12 beers on, and a Horchata, just no. And why is the Schwarzbier on the Nitro line instead of the easy obvious and probably perfectly suited Irish Red Ale (or English Style Porter, for that matter)?

Czech Pilsner was good, I suppose, okay, goodish, no, it was okay. Had to let it warm a bit to get there; English Style Porter was nice, but came across a little smoky, I don’t know what’s up with that, roast, okay, smoke, not so much; German Style Schwarzbier, tasty, but seemingly strange on Nitro. Porter & Schwarzbier for the Wins. Would have liked to have gotten further in on the list here (Irish Red Ale, American IPA, Barleywine), but it’d been a long damn day.

The service we received, if you want to call it that, absolutely sucked. I mean ‘completely ignored in a not crowded bar’ kind of sucks. (Do you not see me scribbling in super tiny serial killer-like print in a small unlined Moleskin book with many different colored pens? I WILL bust out the red pen on yo’ ass). Someone finally stepped up but I’m still giving that other guy ‘the lookin’ at’.

Would have liked to explored the food menu some (Wyoming Bison & Beef chili, Smoked Trout dip, Elk Bolognese), but it was not to be. A real nice facility. Did I mention beer to go, merch, and a million framed beer medals? Someone knows what they’re doing here. I feel like we just caught an off day, is all. It's 2 miles back down the hill hotelbound for us now, but next time in Jackson…

Seemed to be one of the more relaxed places for dinner downtown so we walked here from the hotel. Atmosphere and vibe were what was to be expected midweek although they closed surprisingly early. Typical pub food options and an extensive draft list. Bison burger was dry and disappointing but the beers were tasty. Has a very Jackson feel even for a brewpub so I’m not sure I’d return, especially during the peak seasons.

Large warehouse building a bit south of downtown. Sprawling layout, with a couple of patios and table areas, and an L-shaped bar around the right hand corner from the entrance that seats 10 or so. A dozen beers on tap, the 2 I had were ok. I did not try the food.

First thought - a lot of weird rules here. If you wish to drink outside, you order at the bar, unless you want food, in which case you order on the patio...?

Vibe is pretty typical for a brewery of this age, reminds me of Odells in CO. Interior is pretty spacious, and we never wandered upstairs. A couple of small patios offer table service, with one patio on the main level and an additional patio on the second floor overlooking the main entrance. Some casual seating and picnic tables are scattered around the lawn, which is where you can take your beer from the bar to sit outside.

Service was pretty good.

Beer selection was solid. They had all their flagships available and a handful of other styles, mostly centered around session beers. Would like to see a little more diversity here.

Only ordered some appetizers for food, but everything was good to great. Smoked trout dip was the winner of the appetizers.

Overall, a good visit. Best part was the to-go beer pricing, which was lower than any store I wandered into during the trip. Ended up being ~$10 for a 6 pack of Zonker Stout to-go, when pricing around town seemed to start at $12 and go up.

 

This is my favorite brewpub — the place of my first exposure to craft beer (Zonker Stout) many years ago. We re-visit here multiple times each summer on vacation between backcountry trips in the Wyoming mountains. Nestled under the Teton Mountains in Jackson, WY, under an outdoor umbrella on a sunny afternoon, at an indoor table, or served at the bar by the long-time-tender Jeff, what’s not to like? The menu has changed in the past few years — I do wish they’d bring back the Roper sandwich — but is still solid.

Go here — you won’t be disappointed.

Spacious set up, awesome beer garden with lots of fun games to play

All beers tried met the mark or better

Friendly, prompt service

Good variety of beer styles

Food menu looked good, but we ran out of time

It’s a brewery and gastropub

I had fresh beers and delicious local foods: trout and potatoes , recommended

Had a nitro Zonker stout on draft and an ipa on draft , both good

Zonker stout, great

been wanting to get out to jackson and check out the brewery scene for years now, so this trip was long overdue, and this was our first stop. an awesome space, the seem to kind of have a whole block here now, just off the strip, with production seemingly on one part of the property and a newly renovated or expanded taproom and pub on the other. they have a big fireplace and courtyard sort of area out front for games, picnic tables abound, no dogs apparently which is lame in a space like this, but cool vibes anyway out here. inside its new and bustling, with a view to a smaller brewery area behind the bar that cannot possible be all of their capacity. there is a lofted seating area up top, a long bar, and packed in tables, it was absolutely popping on a friday afternoon. solid beer selection too, all the classics, a couple of new ones, even a barrel aged fruited wild beer. i enjoyed the old bills session and the hefe a lot, was less stoked on the oud bruin/framboise hybrid, but overall was pleased with the offerings. the food was also very good, a killer beet salad, cauliflower wings with a great buffalo sauce, and a house made pretzel. service started off really brutally slow but steadily improved, still not the strong part of the experience for us, but again, they were packed. this is a solid and even memorable mountain town brewpub experience, these guys are legends for a reason, their spot has a lot to offer, and its definitely a cool spot to hang out and down a few pints! nice to see some innovation in the brew house too. great times!

 

20200629

Big, clean modern interior, ski lodge crossed with a factory. Mostly normal flagship brews on tap. Did not try the food. Lineup reflected the lighter end of the beer spectrum.

 

 

Just outside the main drag in Jackson WY (and conveniently located near the rodeo) a must stop for travelers in the area. Large indoor/outdoor space, with fire pits and yard games while you wait. Lengthy menu, typical pub fare with some Wyoming influence. Good selection of beer on tap, which march, to go options and the all important sampler.

Of the 3 breweries I visited in Jackson, honestly this was my favorite. Two floors and an outside seating area. Semi-industrial feel, with all the brewing in plain sight. The service was good, the staff was friendly. The beer was average, nothing terrible and nothing outstanding, but a lot of good stuff that you could easily just sit back and relax with. And good food to boot, with decent prices.

Stopped in for a quick lunch - first stop after spending 6 hours on a commercial flight. Boy did that first beer taste good...
TSnake River Brewpub is a somewhat eclectic venue, with bits and pieces of the brewery intermingled with the customers. (How does their insurance company allow that? Mine wouldn't.)
Crowd was mixed old/young, but with a definite skew towards the young side. Service was excellent - prompt, courteous, and attentive. Can't ask for more. As far as I could tell, their beers are all their own - but it's quite a list and a great variety of styles. Something for everybody on there. Food was great too. Highly recommended if you're in Jackson!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 brews on tap. Delicious gastro-pub food including excellent beef-bison chili and whole trout. Lively and a bit loud with limited bar space but 3-4 seating areas.

 

 

 

Enjoyed visiting this brew pub. A bit older but it definitely has its own little vibe. Staff was friendly enough, beer was fresh and the food I had was great. A good place to hit up for a beer lover visiting Jackson.

 

 

 

 

Easy to find and if using the SMART bus (free service if staying in Jackson) get off at the 49'er stop and walk a few blocks. Arrived @ 6:30pm with spouse and another couple; place was packed with those waiting on table to eat. We were interested in the beer and went up walkway to bar area.
There is additional seating upstairs for eating.

Crowd appeared to be mid 20-30's with a few old geezers like me sprinkled about. Fermentation tanks are in center of building. Bar seats approx. 30 people with a counter high top across from it that will seat 10 or so. Tables are also available. TV's abound - yep it's a place to hang out.

Brews are limited to Snake River with a nice variety of 8-10 including lager, IPA and stout. I had the Jenny Lake Lager and my friend had the Zonker Stout. Wine is also available for the ladies. Service seemed a little hectic with one guy trying to attend the bar and wait staff popping in to draw a few for their customers. We were served within two minutes of arrival at the bar. Noisy from conversations which is to be expected.