Snake River Brewing Company - Zonker Stout

Seven, count ‘em, seven different malts and three different hop varieties come together to produce the beer before you. We really love this stout! Look for a very deep dark hue, creamy head, and a nice roasted nose and rich, full flavor. The nose offers so much, from sweetened coffee to roasted barley to chocolaty marshmallow to molasses, black licorice, carob and brown sugar. This full-bodied, well-balanced stout is slightly sweet with a powerful roasted and extremely clean finish. Its hoppy finish is balancing and pleasant and the use of roasted barley, black, and chocolate malts is evident. This multiple medal-winning beer is one of America’s best ‘foreign-style’ stouts. It’s hard to say enough about this beer, and yet, its sublimity simply speaks for itself. Use about ¾ of the bottle as a base for your next homemade hearty stew and serve with a full bottle at the ready.

Oh, almost forgot, a “zonker”, for those who are interested, is a large underwater fishing fly, and like this Stout’s appearances at GABF and WBC, snagging the catch is made much easier when you’re fishing with good bait!

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.