Wallace Brewing

This isn’t your typical brewery. First, they’re known for their Lagers, which is a rarity in and of itself. Second, they are multi-award winning. Wallace Brewing is one of the ONLY Idaho breweries to win a Gold medal at Craft Beer Week in Bend, OR.

The Full Lineup

Chase, the owner, greets us and brings out flights of all their beers. He sits down and gives us the scoop on each one. All eight varieties were unique, memorable and worthy of a mention.

• Huckleberry Shandy – The first ever Shandy was invented in Germany for a bike race. The organizer didn’t order enough beer so he cut it with lemonade, which now has become a staple for cycling. With Wallace being such a mecca for summer biking, it makes sense they needed a Shandy. Wallace Brewing starts with house-made lemonade and throws in over 25 LBS of Huckleberries, locally picked. On a hot summer day, this is a nice light lager with a slightly tart finish that isn’t overly sweet.
• Compressor Smash (Amber Lager) – Between the town of Wallace and Mullan, an industrial region sits named the “Compressor District.” During the mining heyday, this area housed all the compressed air units needed for the mines to power the drills and pump fresh air underground. The complex flavors compressed into this light bodied lager fits it’s name perfectly.
• Red Light Irish Ale – Wallace was home to a “red light” district until the late 1980’s and was only shut down because the FBI was relentless. This apricotty Irish Ale has a texture reminiscent of marshmallows. It’s understandable that they won a bronze medal at the North American Beer Association.
• 1910 Black Lager – Out of all the beers on the list, this is THE beer everyone should try. A German Schwarzbier, this is the one that earned a gold medal at the Best of Craft Beers in Bend, OR. Just as the Great Fire of 1910 was the largest forest fire in US History, this beer will knock your socks off! The chocolate malt is cold steeped allowing you to taste the grain kernels. Words honestly cannot describe how delicious this beer is.
• 6:60 Pale Lager – The 6:60 stands for 6% ABV with 60 IBUs. This crisp brew doesn’t have the bitterness a 60 IBU would normally hold. The introduction of orange citrus notes allows the beer to finish smooth.
• Vindicator IPA – Named after the Mullan mine, this IPA goes back to the original style guidelines of what an IPA should be. This means you should taste the malts along with the hoppiness.  Definitely a good option for anyone that enjoys an IPA.
• Jack Leg Stout – This slightly sweeter stout was off the menu for a few years, but it’s now back! Made with crushed oats, it tastes of dark chocolate and cherries. Normally stouts aren’t summer beers but this one pairs extremely well with vanilla ice cream.
• Wallace Strong Ale – Another medal winning beer.  It’s a big, malty English strong ale that packs a wallop in taste and ABV. Once a year, they release an oak barrel aged version filled with oak spirals soaked in rye whiskey. If you find one of these limited edition ales, be sure to pick it up because they only produce 1000 bottles a year.