Looking for the next big craft brewery out of Idaho? If you haven’t tried Payette Brewing yet, it should be at the top of your wish list from the West. We had the opportunity to check out the new brewery, taproom, and offices the night before they started moving in. Boise natives will be impressed with how Payette re-imagined the former Bronco Elite Athletics gym on S. Pioneer St as a brewery. Check out the photos to see how they transformed the racquetball courts into a their fermenting area, an upper deck running track into an observation deck that overlooks the brewery, and an indoor pool area into a tap room. The original Garden City brewery will still be used for experimental beers. This means that you can look forward to their Hoop Stave line of beers aged in wine and whiskey barrels.

This is a Big Expansion

Payette Brewing opened just 5 years ago in mid-May. Since then, they’ve built their production to 10,000 barrels in 2015. With the opening of the new location they’re planning on quadrupling production in 2016 to 40,000 barrels with room to grow to 100,000 barrels over time. They are about to move from their 15 barrel system in Garden City to a 60 barrel, four vessel brewing system closer to downtown Boise. This brewery includes five 240 barrel fermenters and two 240 bright tanks. Their quality control manager finally gets a proper room instead of a corner of a break room. The grain storage is going from a small closet-like room to two towers outside the building. The cold storage in the old facility is about the size of a 20 box container. The new cold storage can fit a forklift and has an automatic insulated door. This $4.5 million facility is quite the upgrade.

This is a company that likes to keep employees around to help them grow the business. Paige was our tour guide and started out as a server in Payette’s original Garden City taproom while in college. She’s now putting her design degree to use by handling marketing, social media, and graphics design. They previously had 25 employees and now have about 45 employees. This hiring surge is mostly to staff the new taproom, which is expanding from 8 taps at the old room to 20 taps and 4 Proletariat wines on tap at the new room.

Distribution is about to expand as well. In mid-May 2016, Payette’s distribution included Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Washington. In late May, they began distributing to Montana and Wyoming. In the near future, they expect to be in Oklahoma, Alaska, and Arizona. So get ready to see a lot more Payette.

The Beer

Do you like Ninkasi-quality beer that’s been clarified by a centrifuge named Johnny Five? If yes, then you’ll like Payette Brewing. Their head brewer, Ian, is from Ninkasi and they recently hired another Ninkasi alum for production. Their flagship/bestseller is the Rustler IPA. My personal favorites were Rodeo Rye Pale Ale, Mutton Buster brown ale, and Pistolero porter. Check Untapped for Beer47’s reviews of the entire portfolio that they had on-tap while were there in mid-May.

The Taproom

The community’s enthusiasm for the new taproom is very obvious. As we took our private tour on a quiet Sunday afternoon, at least 5 people stopped by to peek in the windows during a 30 minute period. There’s a lot to be excited about. It’s a colorful industrial space with tables for big groups, an L-shaped wood bar, refrigerators so that you can take your beer to-go, and side doors that slide open into a grassy area where they hope to have summer music events. The furniture bears the Payette logo and is crafted by a local welder. Imagine hanging out here with your friends and your dog after a day on the river. They’re hoping that the proper Idaho laws are passed this summer so that taprooms can welcome guests under 21 years old and be more family-friendly. They are even hoping to server root beer that is made on-site. Speaking of public policy, Payette’s new taproom is waiting on city approval of their permits so let’s cross our fingers that they can open by mid-June.

Around Boise

I want to thank Paige for taking the time to give us a tour on a Sunday afternoon. She offered great recommendations for food on the town including Bittercreek Alehouse in downtown Boise. This restaurant has an extensive craft beer list, solid pub food, sidewalk seating, and TV’s so that we could watch the Warriors game. I recommend the duck carnitas street tacos. We continued to follow Paige’s advice and took a short drive from downtown to Goody’s Soda Fountain and Ice Cream in Hyde Park. This charming neighborhood spot is a must-do if you like old-fashioned ice cream and candy shops. This led us to be walking around while a neighboring bistro’s outdoor sound system played Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was 9:15pm and I was so thrilled to be singing, “Well, it’s eight o’clock in Boise, Idaho.” Perfect timing!

Well, its eight o’clock in Boise, Idaho

I’ll find my limo driver

Mister, take us to the show

** — Lynyrd Skynyrd, “What’s Your Name”**

More Photos

A few more photos from the tour are provided below or checkout the Payette Brewing Tour album on Flickr.