This Boise brewery can’t keep up with demand. So it’s swallowing up a Garden City brewery

When Clairvoyant Brewing owners Ryan Kowalczyk and Mike Edmondson asked an employee to go out and sell beer to bars and restaurants six months ago, they created a problem.

Just not one you might suspect. Not in the competitive Boise beer market.

Clairvoyant, which opened at 2800 W. Idaho St. in 2017, suddenly couldn’t keep up with demand.

“My guy came back,” Kowalczyk remembers, “and he said, ‘Hey man, you’re going to have to up your system. Because I’m going to sell you out of beer.’ ”

So Clairvoyant’s owners came up with a solution.

The neighborhood brewery is buying a Garden City operation: County Line Brewing, 9115 W. Chinden Blvd.

County Line is closing. Its owners, Zack and Laura Kiehl, will spend their final day serving beer there March 31.

For Clairvoyant, a second location is an opportunity to more than triple its production potential. And to grow its brand.

“Our five-year anniversary is coming up April 23,” Kowalczyk says, “and there’s people that haven’t even heard of us.”

For County Line’s married owners, it’s a chance to make a life change. To spend more time at home with family, Zack Kiehl says, and travel.

“We’re leaving on a good note, and I think it’s a win-win for all parties,” he explains. “We’ve been really fortunate.”

Clairvoyant plans to keep County Line’s staff working at the Garden City location, Kowalczyk says. He hopes to open the taproom by the end of May. The timing will depend on license transfers.

Meanwhile, Clairvoyant Brewing in Boise will keep pouring beer.

County Line opened in 2015. Even if its closure is disappointing for customers, there’s good news. Some of County Line’s former brewing equipment will continue to make familiar recipes.

“There’s some great beer there,” Kowalczyk says. “So we’re going to kind of incorporate some of that into our lineup. Maybe tweak it a little bit, who knows. Make it our own.”

One thing is certain. Clairvoyant needs to get cracking at its new digs.

Either that, or have a firm chat with its overzealous beer distribution staffer.

“He’s just doing a phenomenal job. It’s been slim keeping beer in house,” Kowalczyk admits. “He’s killing it.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 3:44 PM.