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I moved here two years ago and am still getting used to the different beers offered here from what I'm used to. I've got two problems. I finally found a beer that is available here that I like, Kirrin Ichiban. The only problem is I can't find it anywhere other then the Co-op. I saw Albertson's has the single large bottles but not the 6 pack. Does anyone else carry it?
Secondly, a friend has one of those personal keg taps which I thought was pretty darn cool. The only personal kegs I see are Heiniken though. Does anyone know of any brands available in the Boise area that come in those nifty little bad habit forming personal kegs?
I'll second the lack of personal kegs. I believe it's something that only Heineken does on a mass-distribution level. Apart from Heineken, I've only seen personal kegs for Virgil's root beer. You can always get a growler from one of the local brewpubs.
And I know after reading another thread that you're no fan of the Co-op, but that's your best bet when it comes to an away-from-the-norm beer selection. With liquor being confined to dispensiaries in Idaho, there's unfortunately no authoritative beverage store or warehouse with a large supply of options. The only other place I'd check is Cost Plus.
The Co-Op has some personal kegs, usually European brews. If they don't have what you want ask the Beer department and they might be able to order what you would like. There is also a French wine/food store/restaurant in the Boise Towne Square Mall by Macy's that has small european beer kegs on occasion.
Also, I have noticed that the downtown Albertsons offers a wider variety of imports than most of the other valley Albertsons I have been in.
I moved here two years ago and am still getting used to the different beers offered here from what I'm used to. I've got two problems. I finally found a beer that is available here that I like, Kirrin Ichiban. The only problem is I can't find it anywhere other then the Co-op. I saw Albertson's has the single large bottles but not the 6 pack. Does anyone else carry it?
Secondly, a friend has one of those personal keg taps which I thought was pretty darn cool. The only personal kegs I see are Heiniken though. Does anyone know of any brands available in the Boise area that come in those nifty little bad habit forming personal kegs?
Thanks
Try Cost Plus or Fred Meyer they may even have it. But I am sure that Cost Plus has it.
I moved here two years ago and am still getting used to the different beers offered here from what I'm used to. I've got two problems. I finally found a beer that is available here that I like, Kirrin Ichiban. The only problem is I can't find it anywhere other then the Co-op. I saw Albertson's has the single large bottles but not the 6 pack. Does anyone else carry it?
Secondly, a friend has one of those personal keg taps which I thought was pretty darn cool. The only personal kegs I see are Heiniken though. Does anyone know of any brands available in the Boise area that come in those nifty little bad habit forming personal kegs?
Thanks
Here's what you can do......Ask Matt, the beer buyer at the Co-op who's the distributor of Ichiban. Call the distributor and find out what products they carry and who they sell them to. I think it's Stein Distributing.
As far as the personal kegs, same thing, ask Matt. You can also contact the local distributors, Idaho Distributing, Hayden Beverage Co and Stein Distributing and they can tell you what they have available and where to buy.
You need to go to Sockeye Brewery on Cole and have the beer at Sockeye. You won't ever drink "heiny" again. I like Precocious Pale Ale, Hopnoxious (summer brew only I think), Dagger IPA...SLURP!
Boise has a pretty d&mn good local brew scene.
The Co-Op is a great place to buy beer. Fred Meyer on Chinden is not bad either.
You need to go to Sockeye Brewery on Cole and have the beer at Sockeye. You won't ever drink "heiny" again. I like Precocious Pale Ale, Hopnoxious (summer brew only I think), Dagger IPA...SLURP!
Boise has a pretty d&mn good local brew scene.
The Co-Op is a great place to buy beer. Fred Meyer on Chinden is not bad either.
You should try Chimay.
Second that. As a huge fan of Western microbrews, I have the same problem as the OP when I go back East. The Pacific and Inland West do produce some of the best ales in the world, hence my particular taste for the bitterness of ales.
To not be able to find a likeable beer in the Northwest is almost inconceiveable to me. However, the OP appears to prefer pilseners and lagers, or at least a more predominant barley taste (sweetness), over the bitterness of ales; so I guess I can see how beer shopping wouldn't be immediately rewarding in Idaho. On a side note from a recent trip I took, the OP would love the beer selection in New Zealand.
To the OP: Have you tried the two Albertson's on State St. (16th or 36th Sts.)? A trip back into the cooler used to yield an ample selection for import lovers, even when I visited about a year ago.
Chimay is a pretty good recommendation, too, as the switch from pilseners and lagers to Belgian style ales is pretty smooth. The "fluffiness" of Belgian ales is a preference all its own, though, and I actually find my own taste to randomly fluctuate anywhere from "love it" to "hate it" with Belgian style ales.
Sockeye Brewing is good, too. For a brief stint after college, I moved in with some friends right behind their location on Cole near Fairview. Oh what a place to have in walking distance!
Finally, as the micro/import enthusiast that I am, I feel pretty confident in recommending that the OP start exploring the local microbrews, specifically anything in the following categories: Pilsener (or Pilsner), Golden Ale, Lager, or Summer Seasonal. Many of these will offer a similar taste/consistency to European and Asian imports. Also, Pilsner Urquelle is quite commonly stocked by Idaho vendors, and is a marvelous European import for those of the OP's taste, and it's a fairly reasonable price (as reasonable as Kirrin Ichiban and cheaper than Heineken). Also try Liberty Ale from Anchor Brewing in SF, CA... best balance I've ever tasted in a basic ale, and much the same balance seeked by fans of Asian imports. In any case, following my tasting advice with microbrews should help the OP find good, commonly available beer for his taste.
Rogue, brewed in Portland, any of them are the best beers I've had. (but they are spendy, the cheapest place I've found it is Cost Plus) Moose Drool, from Montana is good as well. Check out anything from DeSchuttes brewery from Bend, Or.
I tried Ichiban and thought it tasted like Bud Light, I was pretty disapointed, but I don't like brews without any color.
I have had Beck's in a personal keg.
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I like Precocious Pale Ale, Hopnoxious (summer brew only I think), Dagger IPA...SLURP!
