Slate Creek Brewing Co.

a very cool little brewery to check out while in northern idaho here. its a narrow space with limited capacity, but its quaint and comfortable, well appointed, and welcoming. the place is set off the main road a little bit, but there is plenty of parking in the lot or on the street. the bar is kind of in the back, with the brewery equipment not visible but just behind it on the side. they had only a couple of their own beers on, but some well curated guest taps too. i guess they used to be open years ago, closed down awhile, and have recently come back. production is small, but the beers were clever and good. i only had time for two, a decent oatmeal stout and a very good pale ale with juniper in it, an intelligent recipe and rather distinct, yet still an easy drinker, a delightful surprise. some really friendly locals in here, bartender included, offering beer advice and knowledge, and genuinely interested in an out of town visitor having a good experience, which was immediately cool, and gave this place a humble, local charm. i liked the beer a lot, didnt expect it to be as impressive as it was, and would recommend this for anyone spending some time in the area. there are a surprising amount of breweries up here to choose between, but i have a lot of respect and admiration for whats going on here. cool beer, no pretension, and great vibes. ill be in again for certain. my only wish was for a few more of their own beers.

Love every beer here + awesome down to earth people. Live music added a great feel and staff was super friendly. Very chill vibe, great place to spend an evening with friends.

 

 

This place is OK, especially for Coeur d'Alene. Their offerings are fresh. The 6 weight IPA is what I would call an APA that's good but only just into medium bodied. Their Single Track (Belgian single) is ok but only available in the warmer weather and rather light bodied.
The Paddleboard Porter is pretty good but I'm not a porter fan.
5/9/14: The "Mountain Hop" has changed. It's much less amber malt tasting and in my opinion less hop bitterness. Plenty of hop flavor. Reminds me of Victory Headwaters.

Just opened in spring of 2013, this is the first Kootenai County brewery that really grabbed me with their beers. It's a small starter venture but oh what a start.

Located in what was once a car dealership wash bay and work bay, Slate Creek has a semi industrial feel with block walls, a 6 person bar and a few tables and chairs. Decor is scant but they're more on quality than quantity. Slate Creek is named for a tributary of the St. Joe River. Brew names are based on fishing and outdoor areas and activities. Tap handles are the hand end of wooden paddles with the business end of the paddles used for taster servers. No food but plenty of peanuts in the shell and the concrete floors allow old school feel of shells on the floor.

The IPAs are named according to IBUs using fly fishing line references. Their 1st was the 7 Weight 75 IBUs and they will rotate with 6 Weight and 8 Weight. I loved the 7 Weight, 1st pint I had there. Other brews included Norse Nectar juniper pale ale, Salmon Run Irish red, Backcountry Brown, Harper's Stout and the wonderful Double Black IPA.

Small batch production and quality, tasty brews have us locals excited about their future.

Small batch production to start, us locals are excited about a bright future.