Snake River Brewing Company - Snake River Pale Ale

This beer has scored numerous awards for Snake River Brewing. Winner of the World Beer Cup Gold in 1996 and GABF Silver Medals in 1995 and 1996, among others, the beer most recently took home a Gold Medal at the 2008 World Beer Cup. Winning Gold in 1996 and in 2008 is quite remarkable—in the 12 years between, the number of beers entered into this esteemed competition has swelled to thousands of contenders, and people’s tastes change over time (consider that in 1996, this was judged as an American Pale Ale and in 2008, a “Best Bitter”). So, it’s rare to see “an oldie” Gold winner from the mid-90s get awarded a gold in the late 2000s—but this beer was great then and is great now. This markedly hoppy beer presents a very floral nose with some citrus and fruity notes. Look for notes of citrus and pine, capped by a faint edge of fresh mint, atop cereal grains and faint caramel. The beer coats the palate with citrus notes, bitty stabs of hoppy spiciness, toffee and grains. At times lemony, but mostly pine-resiny, the beer finishes with a comfortable bitterness that lingers on the palate, decaying into floral, citrus tones and finally, to clean graininess as the bitterness dissipates enough to let the malt backbone breathe its final breaths. A refreshing, well-crafted brew that will pair well with pizza spiced with red pepper flakes and spicy, thick-cut pepperoni.

The Snake River Brewing Company opened its doors in March of 1994 in skiers’ haven Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The debut of their establishment marked the appearance of the first licensed brewpub in the state of Wyoming. Not only are they the oldest microbrewery and brewpub in the state, they are the most award-winning microbrewery in America since 1994. In fact, when we were looking over all of their awards, we considered skipping the brewery write up and just printing the awards they’ve won and letting their long list of accolades speak for themselves. But guess what? The list was too long to fit on our pages! The Snake River Brewery/Brewpub operation is the brainchild of Al Upsher, a former Wall Street broker, and his wife Joni who had once taught school and worked in public relations. The spacious pub is a converted cinderblock warehouse that combines the industrial design of a brewery with the lavish splendor of mahogany wood finishes while offering a casual atmosphere and fantastic views of the town ski area. The focal point of the kitchen is a massive wood-burning oven which has never been turned off since the opening of the brewpub. Fueled by apple wood imported from Washington, it is used not only for pizza, but also for smoking meats and vegetables for pasta dishes. And while their food is a hit, their beer is internationally acclaimed. In both 2000 and 2001 they were named Small Brewery of the Year and Brewmaster Chris Erickson was named Brewmaster of the year at the Great American Beer Festival. In 2007, the Upshers retired and sold the establishment to another couple, Ted and Noa Staryk, meaning it’s still a family-owned, family-operated business. For more information about the brewery, brewpub and/or scheduled tours, call (307) 739-BEER or check out their website at www.snakeriverbrewing.com.