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Boise is no doubt a city with a thriving beer scene! There are many great breweries in the Downtown area and in Garden City (just north outside of Boise city limits), along with a few others sprinkled throughout the Treasure Valley. If drinking beer is on your Boise agenda, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from when visiting!
Here is a list of some of our favorite breweries in Boise, which by no means is comprehensive. There are still so many more we have yet to visit!
Payette Brewing
Located in Downtown Boise near the Greenbelt, Payette Brewing is a top contender for one of the best breweries in Boise. They have a great indoor taproom, as well as a spacious outdoor beer garden that welcomes rotating local food trucks.
Payette also has some of our favorite Boise beers! Their Aura prickly pear and yuzu sour, with its beautiful pink color, is one of their best sours (and nice and light at 4% ABV).
In terms of IPAs, the Sofa King Fresh (Fresh Hop IPA) and World Shaker (Hazy IPA) are the winners for us – drinkable, refreshing, and hoppy, just the way we like ’em!
Location: Downtown Boise near the Greenbelt (talk a walk and reward yourselves with some beer!)
Favorite Beer(s): Aura Prickly Pear & Yuzu Sour; Sofa King Fresh IPA; World Shaker Hazy IPA
Food Onsite?: Rotating food trucks are available at Payette. Check out their schedule here!
Western Collective
The beer brewed over at Western Collective in Garden City has some of the best tasting beers in Boise and they have a great lineup of IPAs to pour. We tried a few different types of “Volumes” of their Hazy IPAs and were impressed with each one.
Location: Garden City
Favorite Beers: All their hazy IPAs in the “Volume” series
Boise Brewing
Boise Brewing is another great brewery option when visiting the Downtown Boise area. They have plenty of indoor seating, along with an outdoor patio on the sidewalk fronting the taproom. It’s a perfect place to sit and people watch when the weather is nice!
In terms of beers, their Better Hazy Than Never is a good IPA choice but my personal favorite is the Nitro Chocolate Milk Stout. I tend to drink darker beers less than IPAs, but would consider keeping a stock of their stout in my fridge at all times.
Location: Downtown Boise
Favorite Beers: Better Hazy Than Never (IPA) and the Nitro Chocolate Milk Stout
Food on Site?: Beer only – but there are plenty of restaurants in the vicinity, including one of our favorites, The Wylder, where you can get delicious wood-fired pizzas!
Lost Grove Brewing
When we visited Boise, we had the chance to try a few different Lost Grove Brewing beers without actually visiting the taproom. It looks like they have a cool space Downtown, and I’d definitely like to make it there next visit.
While we haven’t yet visited the taproom, we enjoyed their First Sight IPA and Ghost Town Porter while wandering around the Idaho Botanical Garden during Fall Harvest. We even picked up a couple of packs of beer while at the local co-op.
They don’t have a full restaurant, but they do host food trucks on a rotating schedule (check that out here), and they are also located right next door to Madre Tacos.
Location: Downtown Boise (across the Boise River)
Favorite Beers: First Sight IPA & Ghost Town Porter
Food on Site?: Rotating local food trucks
Barbarian Brewing
Barbarian Brewing is the best brewery to visit in the Boise area for those looking for unique flavor profiles in their beers – especially when it comes to barrel-aged beers and sours.
Out of the flight we ordered when visiting their little Garden City location, the most memorable sips came from the Huckleberry Cobbler Gold Stout (a bold-flavored beer that practically tastes like dessert) and The Last Dragon (a nice kettle sour brewed with dragon fruit & acai).
I love when breweries get creative with flavor profiles and Barbarian is not to be missed for a unique experience!
Locations: Garden City & Downtown
Favorite Beers: Huckleberry Cobbler Gold Stout & The Last Dragon
Food on Site?: Beer only; although, they do host various foodie pop ups here and there (check out their Instagram for a heads up on these events)
Boise Brewery Wish List
Here’s a list of some breweries that we haven’t yet made it to yet, but would love to check out in the future:
- Bear Island Brewing – I hear they’ve got a potato ale that is a must try (when in Idaho, right?)!
- Mother Earth Brew Co. – A cool taproom in Downtown Boise!
I hope you enjoyed our list of favorite breweries to visit when in Boise! Is there anything we missed that you might recommend we try out to add here?
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