I've been asking every beer enthusiast I know in Boise for the last several months what they know about McCall's new Salmon River Brewery, and no one seemed to have any intel.

Everyone, it seems, has been too busy to get up in the mountains to play this spring - myself included.

Well, last weekend we finally got up north to breathe the mountain air, strap on the hiking boots, and, I am happy to say, drink some delicious craft beer at the Salmon River Brewery.

Just to be clear, I liked everything about the Salmon River Brewery, at 300 Colorado St., just off Idaho 55 when you get into town.

The aesthetic of the pub is warm, informal and relaxed - the cabin-like building, rich wood interior and picnic tables on the back patio are a perfect fit for McCall.

The food, a mix of reasonably priced brats, ribs, appetizers (the queso dip and sesame crackers were especially appreciated by the Orr clan) and a sushi bar is eclectic but pleasant.

What I am really happy about is that the beers are top notch - a must for any upstart brewing operation.

Owners Matt and Jennifer Hurlbutt and Matt and Ellen Ganz are all about classic American craft beer brewed in the Pacific Northwest tradition, made with Idaho grain and Oregon hops.

Brewers Matt Ganz and Matt Hurlbutt, "the Matts," spent two years developing four strong flagship beers:

® PFD Pale Ale, a Pacific Northwest classic with a nice malt balance and citrusy hop aroma.

® Udaho Gold, a lighter, thirst-quenching golden ale with a smooth finish.

® Salmon River Quiver IPA, strong in malt and hop bitterness, with a fragrant aroma.

® Sweep Boat Stout, a dark and rich malt monster.

The Matts had imperial versions of the pale ale and IPA on tap last week, and they were killer.

The Matts visited and observed brewmasters all over the region, including Josh King at Boise's Sockeye Brewery and Grill, perfecting their brews before opening the pub in February, Ganz said.

They use all Idaho barley malt and brew with whole flower hops (Cascades, Willamettes, Mount Hood and Nuggets varieties) which they got from Hurlbutt's brother-in-law's hop farm in Oregon for "family prices" after working for a few weeks during last fall's harvest. They packed up a trailer and hauled the bales back to Idaho.

The brewing operation allows the Matts to dry hop all of the beers, except the Udaho Gold, with those fresh hops flowers (think a giant hop tea bag). That's a lot of work, but it's probably why I like their beers so much. You can't lose with attention to detail and quality control.

Ganz, a former smokejumper based in McCall who wanted to change careers a few years ago, met Hurlbutt, a contractor, through their wives, who are real estate agents.

Hurlbutt was a homebrewer, and Ganz's family had been in the brewing business in Washington and eastern Idaho at the beginning of the 20th century.

They decided, why not start a brewpub? Why not, indeed?

The Ganzes and Hurlbutts enlisted the help of a lot of their McCall friends to help with the construction, like hanging sheetrock and carpentry, and got the brewery opened by February.

"We got so much help - a friend here and friend there donated time and their skills. We were like 'Let us pay you in beer!'" laughed Ganz. "We really wanted to create a place where people could be comfortable."

They were also able to take advantage of a U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development program to help secure financing for the operation.

The whole operation is a little bit unusual.

Once they got the beer figured out, the Salmon River folks had to figure out a menu that could work in their small, bistro-style kitchen, which would fit with the community.

They settled on bratwurst, which are boiled in beer then grilled outside, for their main food business.

Their friends operate a sushi bar inside the brewpub, which is a separate business.

"People say, brats and sushi? How would anyone come up with that?" Ganz said. "McCall is a kind of an eclectic place. I think it helps to be a little bit funky, and there really wasn't a place to get yummy brats in town."

Business has been strong since February, Ganz said. The pub can fit 50 customers inside, and about that many will be able to sit outside, once the back patio is completed this summer.

Patrick Orr: 373-6619. Patrick Orr's beer column runs the first Friday of the month.