The holidays have come and gone and with them all that cheer that we all hear so much about. The January grumps are back and yours truly has witnessed them on the road and in our local neighborhood Costcos. Just people being mean everywhere you go. The culprit: Sober-January. This backward trend of over-imbibing during the holidays and trying to make it up to your liver in January needs to be stopped. People are just mad as hell out there, pretending that Hop Water and Athletic Brewing IPA will get them through game night with the family, Taco Tuesday, after church, 5pm and any other reason why we drink. It’s unnatural and I don’t care how many months we take off the end of our time on this big blue marble, it must be stopped. Or, you know what, it’s your month, do what you want. I tried to do Sober-January this year, but that Washington Husky Sugar Bowl game literally drove me to drink, so here we are with another epic week of Friday Night Pints that includes a new brewery and some bomb-ass beers. Without further ado …
Bert’s Pacific Coast Hopway West Coast Style IPA
I visited Bert’s Brewing in Garden City. The pub is just lovely, with views of the brewhouse from inside along with a nice bar and what appeared to be a patio (I went the Saturday before Christmas, so it was not exactly patio weather). The owners, I’m told, are from the Golden State and wanted to explore brewing here in Boise. I say welcome!
Perhaps an ode to Bert’s old stomping grounds or just a clever name, the PCH IPA pours golden with a nice white head. Grapefruit, lime zest and lemon on the nose. Very West Coasty. Grapefruit zest, lime and lemon on the palate. Finish is smooth, not bitter. Refreshing and light with a good lemon zestiness on the finish. Not bitter enough for me, but a nice IPA all the same and worthy of the beautiful stretch of highway it’s named after. 6.7% 60 IBU. Found on tap at Bert’s Brewing.
Bert’s Helles Lager
Pours golden with a thin white head that sticks nicely to the glass. Lots of corn on the nose with a touch of grassy hops. Corn and cracker malt on the tongue with a faint hint of hops. Not sure this is a true lager. It tastes good, but isn’t crisp. It’s missing that lagery funk. 4.2% abv 15 IBU. Found on tap at Bert’s Brewing.
Bert’s Czech It Pilsner
Yellow in the glass with a sticky white head. A good amount of malt, sugar and grassy hops on the nose. Refreshing and light on the palate with a touch of grassy hops. Good malt character. A nice beer and, I’m told is Bert’s best seller. 4.9% 29 IBU. Found on tap at Bert’s.
Bert’s Lagers R Us Dry Hopped Lager
Pale yellow with a light white head that slowly dissipates. Fruit punch, cracker malt and fresh cut grass on the nose. Good esters. Light and punchy on the tongue with a good grassy finish. Not too bitter. Refreshing beer with a fruit-punchy flavor. Nice lager. 5.7% 20 IBU. Found on tap at Bert’s Brewing.
Mad Swede Sunstone Hazy IPA
I happened to wander into Mad Swede at the behest of my friend, Stacey Connoly (the owner of the excellent Boise Beer Buddies card and blog) and was happy that I did. Not only did I find a couple of regulars from Edge, but I found this little hazy IPA just waiting for me. Sunstone pours hazy gold with a thin white head. Stonefruit, citrus and orange peel on the nose. Nice flavors of orange, grapefruit rind and lime with just a hint of malt and cracker. Smooth finish. Probably the best IPA I’ve had from Mad Swede. Light and refreshing for a hazy. 6.3% 40 IBU. Found on tap at Mad Swede and in cans around town.
Barbarian Kolsch
Went back to Barbarian to give this Kolsch a try on a recommendation. It pours nice and clean, golden colored with a thin white head that quickly dissipates. Banana, cracker malt and grass on the nose with just a hint of clove. The beer is nice and light with fruity esters in the flavor and a nice smooth finish. Tasty enough to drop in and it’s always great to see my fellow Vikings at Barbarian. 5% abv 20 IBU. Found on tap at both Barbarian locations.
Barbarian Peppermint Bark Golden stout with a Morrigan topper
In my opinion, Barbarian’s first great beer was The Morrigan barrel-aged stout. Bitter, with tons of coffee, whiskey and chocolate flavors, The Morrigan has long been one to look out for when Barbarian releases it. On a tip from one half of the dynamic Barbarian duo, Bre Hovely, I tried this mixer mash-up of The Morrigan with the holiday treat Peppermint Bark Ale. The mix was outstanding. Peppermint, whiskey and oak on the nose. Peppermint, whiskey, coffee and roasted malts on the tongue. Very tasty. Yeah, it’s a peppermint patty with booze. Makes this fat boy very happy. 7.5% 25 IBU. On tap at Barbarian.
Western Collective + Boise OG Collab Hazy IPA
Apparently, a long time in the making, Western Collective and Boise OG teamed up to bring us this hazy IPA. The label is badass, not surprising since Boise OG is sort of a label guy. He’s also the guy, Kelly Knopp to be specific, responsible for some of the badest label art to ever hit Idaho and one of the founders of Crooked Fence Brewing. This beer is pretty good. Pours hazy yellow with a thin white head. WC, not that WC, primarily used Southern Hemisphere hops in this one giving it some white wine funk on the nose along with a pretty hefty dose of stonefruit, lime zest and grapefruit pith. Drinks super smooth for a higher gravity hazy IPA, with all those flavors coming in on a wave of oaty, crackery malt. Probably my favorite IPA from our friends at Western Collective. 7.5% abv 25 IBU. Available wherever you find Western Collective four-packs.
Mother Earth Project X Series Fantasia Hazy IPA
Mother Earth isn’t playing. The Project X Series has been a group of bangers and Fantasia fits right in with everything else. Big grapefruit on the nose; we’re talking zest, pith, seeds … the whole deal. On the first sip, you would swear that you just took a big ol’ bite out of a fresh grapefruit. Super hoppy on the tongue, with grapefruit zest flavor providing the little bit more than bitter finish you would expect from a hazy. This beer rocks. 7% abv 65 IBU. Found wherever you find Mother Earth 16oz cans.