This Boise brewery hadn’t made beer in a year and a half. It’s back — with $5 pints
If the founders of Clairvoyant Brewing had known the future, perhaps they would have ruminated over a pint before launching their Boise beer brand.
Either way, prepare to raise a toast at 2800 W. Idaho St.
It’s been a winding, uphill road, but the neighborhood brewery is tapping its own fresh kegs again. After surviving by pouring from existing stock and guest-brewery taps, Clairvoyant is rolling out the first beer it’s made itself in a year and a half, according to a press release.
Clairvoyant’s Czech pilsner will be unveiled Friday and sold for $5 a pint — one day only at that price. It’s the same amount a beer cost when the brewery opened in 2017, according to the release.
Clairvoyant co-founder Ryan Kowalczyk has sold his stake in the business, leaving co-founder Mike Edmondson fronting the brewery with a new “leadership team,” the release explains.
“The past two years have presented a number of challenges for the brewery,” it adds.
That’s almost like calling an imperial stout a light beer.
The hurdles started in 2022 when Clairvoyant bought the defunct County Line Brewing in Garden City and relocated beer-making operations to that site. Clairvoyant’s expansion wound up closing two years later.
Meanwhile, lease challenges at the Boise brewery sent Clairvoyant reeling. Kowalczyk told the Statesman last year that the brand would fold without a “miracle.” Well, the miracle actually happened — in the form of a new building owner.
In a tough economy for local breweries, Clairvoyant has found a way to keep its heart beating.
“Edmondson and Kowalczyk moved the brewing equipment from the (Garden City) location to Idaho Street,” the release says, “and incorporated what they could into the operation there, working weekends and evenings to build a new brewing facility.”
They brewed a hard seltzer first. Then made the Czech pilsner.
The comeback beer is “crystal clear, smooth and finishes so dry you want another sip. It is the perfect compliment for refreshment on hot summer days,” the release promises.
Next on the brewing agenda? Clairvoyant’s Transcendence IPA, Nostradamus IPA and Curandero Mexican Lager.