Boise Brewing | Hip Check
India Pale Ale 7.6%
Boise, Idaho
Look: 5/5 Deep Golden Color.
Smell: 3/5 Not much in the line of smell, clean, clear
Taste: 3.5/5 Very hoppy, bitter, simple. Not too much alcohol taste, Great flagship IPA
Feel: 5/5 Not heavy, medium body
Drinkability: 4/5 This one sits a little heavier on the stomach, maybe 3 or 4, but that may be how much I’ve missed IPAs the last few days
Overall: 4.5
So wouldn't you know - after leaving Kansas, and driving into nothingness for what seemed like a mildly hungover eternity, we arrived in the oasis of Colorado. Breaking the border of CO from KS doesn't bring much change to the landscape, but once you get to Denver - well, that's where any similarity ends.
Through the rockies we went - an incredible drive, and demanding as well. All of the day's travel brought us to the beautiful city of Aspen. Hot damn, is everything expensive though. We came all this way to hang out with our old friend David, and met his shiny new wife, Sarah (she's awesome).
To make the long story short, I bought david a bottle of tequila for his wedding gift, and we had a few drinks (pronounced shots). We all had a quite lengthy discussion about yoga, travel, energy, home - a whole slew of Colorado-centric topics. We took a break from beer for the day, and centered ourselves, regained our chi, and expelled the bad energy. I have no idea what I'm saying. It was a blast of a night though, and wonderful to see a friend that has been out of touch for 3/4 a decade!
The next morning found us traveling to what I think is one of the most underrated cities I've ever been to. Boise, effin Idaho. Being from the southeast, and never having traveled further west than Denver, an experience like this reminded me just how little of the world I have seen.
Boise has 3 things I love: organized & active community, college athletics (Go Broncos!), and a blooming beer scene! It very much reminded me of my home in Knoxville, which is a great thing. On top of those aforementioned perks, the city has nearby ski access, is a great city for touring bands, and is clean (a city pet-peeve of mine) as a whistle!
So once in town, Bryan and I grabbed an Uber to the brewery of which our focus falls on today. Boise Brewing Company. BB is such a neat story - and I don't want to take away from the owner's ability to tell it, so I'll just present it to you here:
Awesome, right? It really makes me want to co-op a brewery somewhere in Knox County. And just think...you get paid in beer. Delicious, scintillating idea.
So, along with a fresh approach, BB has a great vibe inside of their downtown brewery/taproom as well: tall tanks everywhere, a brewer forward warehouse style space, where the taproom was fit in around it. As soon as you open the door, you can smell the scent of barley and hops. I don't know too much about brewery construction, but it felt cozy. Like a brewer's taproom - not a commercial facade in any way. You know they are serious brewing, but they also have a lighter side when it comes to naming their beverages. Titles like Dark Daisy, Fair Dig, and Snow Boarder Porter really make ordering an adventure in itself. This all brings us to one of my most well-liked IPA's to date. Enter Hip-Check IPA.
The Hip-Check is a a dry-hopped American IPA, and check's just about all of my boxes. Does the beer have meaning? Check. This one is meant to bring out the 'Hop-hound' in craft lovers by using all hops from the Pacific-Northwest - one of the premier regions of hop production around the world. I love a beer that represents its region. The color is warm gold (Pantone: Nectar of the Gods). Check. and the taste? Well, if you like a dry hop, then heck yeah, this pint's for you. With a medium light body and a perfect head (great pours, Lindley & Danni), man did this go down easy. I mentioned it in my notes above, but if my imaginary brewery had a flagship IPA, then this would be it. Hops, a slight dry bitterness, and a clean finish all together make this a beer that I would sit down and have again and again. Actually - while sitting writing right now, my mouth is watering for one. I guess I'll have to find a reason to fly out to Boise, watch those Bronco's play on that crazy blue astroturf, and have a seat at Boise Brewery. Or maybe the hip-check is that reason. Either way, Idahaveanother.
Cheers, Boise!
P.S. Check out what all you get with a Boise Brewing CSB (Community Supported Beer) Membership @ http://www.boisebrewing.com/membership/ !
So wouldn't you know - after leaving Kansas, and driving into nothingness for what seemed like a mildly hungover eternity, we arrived in the oasis of Colorado. Breaking the border of CO from KS doesn't bring much change to the landscape, but once you get to Denver - well, that's where any similarity ends.
Through the rockies we went - an incredible drive, and demanding as well. All of the day's travel brought us to the beautiful city of Aspen. Hot damn, is everything expensive though. We came all this way to hang out with our old friend David, and met his shiny new wife, Sarah (she's awesome).
 |
| Landon, David, & Bryan in Aspen |
To make the long story short, I bought david a bottle of tequila for his wedding gift, and we had a few drinks (pronounced shots). We all had a quite lengthy discussion about yoga, travel, energy, home - a whole slew of Colorado-centric topics. We took a break from beer for the day, and centered ourselves, regained our chi, and expelled the bad energy. I have no idea what I'm saying. It was a blast of a night though, and wonderful to see a friend that has been out of touch for 3/4 a decade!
The next morning found us traveling to what I think is one of the most underrated cities I've ever been to. Boise, effin Idaho. Being from the southeast, and never having traveled further west than Denver, an experience like this reminded me just how little of the world I have seen.
Boise has 3 things I love: organized & active community, college athletics (Go Broncos!), and a blooming beer scene! It very much reminded me of my home in Knoxville, which is a great thing. On top of those aforementioned perks, the city has nearby ski access, is a great city for touring bands, and is clean (a city pet-peeve of mine) as a whistle!
So once in town, Bryan and I grabbed an Uber to the brewery of which our focus falls on today. Boise Brewing Company. BB is such a neat story - and I don't want to take away from the owner's ability to tell it, so I'll just present it to you here:
"Started back in 2012, Collin Rudeen first came up with the idea of opening a brewery when he signed up for a community garden. He wondered why there couldn’t be a fresh pint of his favorite malty beverage for pickup along with his monthly box of vegetables. Just like that, Boise Brewing was born. From idea to opening day was about a two-year process. Collin hired on Lance Chavez from Sockeye Brewing as head brewer and together they began working on recipes, scoping out locations, and raising capital.
Boise Brewing raised some of their start-up costs from an online kick-starter campaign. However, Collin saw an opportunity in the idea of community funded projects. After many meetings with lawyers and banks…A LOT of meetings… they came up with the idea of a community supported brewery. Much like a co-op, owners could buy “stock” in the brewery and own a portion, with dividends paid out in BEER! Boise Brewing is currently one of only a couple breweries in the country to offer an ownership program of this kind. With the help of over 280 individual owners and businesses; Boise Brewing was able to raise enough money to open its doors to the public on June 13, 2014."r. http://www.boisebrewing.com/about/
So, along with a fresh approach, BB has a great vibe inside of their downtown brewery/taproom as well: tall tanks everywhere, a brewer forward warehouse style space, where the taproom was fit in around it. As soon as you open the door, you can smell the scent of barley and hops. I don't know too much about brewery construction, but it felt cozy. Like a brewer's taproom - not a commercial facade in any way. You know they are serious brewing, but they also have a lighter side when it comes to naming their beverages. Titles like Dark Daisy, Fair Dig, and Snow Boarder Porter really make ordering an adventure in itself. This all brings us to one of my most well-liked IPA's to date. Enter Hip-Check IPA.
The Hip-Check is a a dry-hopped American IPA, and check's just about all of my boxes. Does the beer have meaning? Check. This one is meant to bring out the 'Hop-hound' in craft lovers by using all hops from the Pacific-Northwest - one of the premier regions of hop production around the world. I love a beer that represents its region. The color is warm gold (Pantone: Nectar of the Gods). Check. and the taste? Well, if you like a dry hop, then heck yeah, this pint's for you. With a medium light body and a perfect head (great pours, Lindley & Danni), man did this go down easy. I mentioned it in my notes above, but if my imaginary brewery had a flagship IPA, then this would be it. Hops, a slight dry bitterness, and a clean finish all together make this a beer that I would sit down and have again and again. Actually - while sitting writing right now, my mouth is watering for one. I guess I'll have to find a reason to fly out to Boise, watch those Bronco's play on that crazy blue astroturf, and have a seat at Boise Brewery. Or maybe the hip-check is that reason. Either way, Idahaveanother.
Cheers, Boise!
 |
| The only Idaho sunset I've ever seen. 10/10. |
P.S. Check out what all you get with a Boise Brewing CSB (Community Supported Beer) Membership @ http://www.boisebrewing.com/membership/ !
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