Yo, Boise: New brewery opens with wood-fired pizza, big room, owner ‘shocked’ by response
Spring Creek Brewing Company has been nearly three years in the making, so co-owner Marc Grubert figured that a few neighbors might be stoked when it finally opened for business.
But maybe not this stoked — not during a COVID pandemic.
“I’m shocked right now,” Grubert said Thursday afternoon. “It’s booking up.”
Located in Avimor, a planned community in the Foothills north of Boise, Spring Creek will open at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. Because of the coronavirus, Spring Creek is requiring reservations for the majority of its tables. (Ten-percent of capacity is left for walk-ups.) If you don’t hustle, plowing through some pizza and beer this weekend might not be a convenient option. (Check using online restaurant reservation system Resy.)
Most customers will come from Avimor and nearby Eagle, Grubert expects. But active Boiseans will find their way, too. Avimor’s hiking and biking trails make it an attractive spot for outdoors enthusiasts, especially if they believe that exercise necessitates a cool-down session of hot pizza and cold ale.
Built from the ground up, Spring Creek can seat 155 inside and 60 on the outdoor patio. But the brewery wants to follow Central District Health coronavirus protocols, Grubert said, so those numbers are roughly 75 and 25 for now. At about 6,000 square feet, Spring Creek is a spacious place. It has high ceilings and garage doors that open for air flow, so social distancing is easy to do, he said.
Signs will ask customers to wear masks as they enter, but Spring Creek will not require it. The community-owned brewery hosted an owners’ event recently, and “for the most part ... everybody wore a mask as they came in,” Grubert said. “It seems like people are really just starting to fall into line and just do it at this point.”
Once they’re seated, Idaho beer enthusiasts will find two Spring Creek microbrews available from the seven-barrel brewhouse: Calibrator, a light, English-style bitter ale, and Cascadian Dark Ale, a black IPA. Mother Earth Brew Co.’s Cali Creamin’ is pouring from a rotating guest tap. Spring Creek also has Proletariat red and white wines on draft, plus a Meriwether cider.
More beer
Spring Creek’s Star Hazy IPA is expected to be available next week. And once the ball gets rolling, 14 taps will flow. At the moment, the new brewery is trying to crank out beer and build up its keg stock. So initially, growler fills will not be available.
Unlike some breweries, food is a key component at Spring Creek. “We have a pretty legit chef,” Grubert said. The menu will be limited this weekend, however. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., customers will find chips and salsa or the South Park Hummus Plate ($10), chickpeas, roasted garlic, olive oil, fresh veggies and applewood-roasted house flat bread.
During dinner after 4 p.m., Spring Creek will offer wood-fired pizzas, which cost $15. (Add $3 for gluten-free crust.) Spring Creek has four signature pizzas, ranging from the Veggie and Italian to Sheep Camp and the Chainbreaker: herb oil, mozzarella, spicy chicken sausage, arugula, habanero, Granny Smith apples and spicy honey drizzle.
In two weeks, a full menu should roll out with additional food options such as a 1/2-pound Angus burger, tri-tip dip sandwich, fish and chips, and butternut squash tacos: “Pretty elaborate stuff,” Grubert said. All Spring Creek food is available for dine-in or takeout.
Still, this is a brewery. So Grubert and his partner, head brewer Jeff Badigian, have been quite concerned about the quality of the initial beer batches.
After a few sips, that has changed.
Raise a toast, beer aficionados.
“It’s a brand-new system, right?” Grubert said. “We were pleasantly surprised.”
▪ Spring Creek Brewing Company, 18651 N. Streams Edge Way, springcreekbrewing.com. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays for brewing. Phone: 208-440-3295. On Facebook: facebook.com/springcreekbrewing.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 12:27 PM.