If you’re familiar with Eagle, Idaho, then you are well aware of the vacant and abandoned building in the heart of downtown Eagle. Gem State Brewing – a soon-to-be production brewery and taproom is hoping to change that.
Owned and operated by Eagle residents Chris McGinnis and Kristl Caron, Gem State Brewing has submitted plans to remove the abandoned building and put a spectacular new brewery and tap room on the land!
“Our vision for the brewery is to provide a fun, safe, and family-friendly space that will act as a community gathering point and become a true community anchor here in Eagle. We are proposing a nearly 4,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art brewery with a taproom that will seat nearly 150 people across two levels, and allow our community to observe the brewing process while they enjoy our delicious beer.” said, Chris McGinnis.
Check out the plans they are currently waiting for approval by The City of Eagle:
What began as a homebrewing hobby led to a great opportunity to brew commercially for a local brewery for a few years. Chris’ passion for brewing beer continued to grow over this time and this inspired him to take the next step of owning his own brewery.
When asked about their choice to build in Eagle, Chris said: “When we decided that we wanted to begin our own brewery, there was no question that we wanted to be in Eagle – it’s where our roots are. Kristl’s family began farming in Eagle nearly 100 years ago and, while we didn’t have the luck of growing up in Eagle, we are now grateful to call Eagle home and live on a piece of what used to be the family farm.”
With so many breweries around, we wanted to know what will make Gem State Brewing and their beers different & what they will specialise in brewing.
“Both Kristl and I personally love dark beers and I’d say we specialize in coffee beers but we will brew it all. We plan to have 16 taps in the taproom. We’ll have our core beers that will range from a light beers to big stouts and IPA’s. We also plan to have a variety of small batch one off brews and barrel aged beers...
...One thing I’ve learned in my brewing experience is never skimp on flavor. If we say we are putting out a vanilla beer or a fruit beer of some sort, it better be packed full of flavor. We never brew with extracts or artificial flavors either, always fresh fruits and quality sourced ingredients. It's tougher and a more expensive way to brew but nothing beats real, authentic flavors.” --Chris
Gem State Brewing will have small bites available in the pub like popcorn, peanuts and chips. But, the Eagle food scene is growing and they will be within walking distance of dozens of Eagle restaurants. Wild West Bakery, One Haute Cookie, Bodacious Pig, Casa Mexico, Dougs Burger Den, Davinci’s, Rembrandts, Rice, Schnitzel Garten, Smoky Mountain Pizza, Sweet Valley Cookie, Grit, The Stuffed Olive, Zen Bento, China Palace.
We are thrilled to have another brewery in the Treasure Valley dreamed up and ran by local residents.
Chris McGinnis and Kristl CaronTotally Boise will keep you updated on any future news of Gem State Brewing.
Check out their social media here:
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