I've always wanted to go to Couer d'Alene. I've had several people, over the years, tell me how great the scenery was as they drove through the area. So, I made a two day sojourn to Couer d'Alene to check it out. It is beautiful there. I recommend driving all the way, two plus hours, around the lake and going up into the mountains near town. The lake is huge and impressive as are some of the properties on the shoreline. I knew the brewery scene there was going to be good.
The first place we hit was Vantage Point Brewing for lunch on a Monday. The facility is nice, big and open with a nice outdoor area. The brewer is a Siebel Institute grad so it shouldn't be surprising that Vantage Point specializes in German-style beers. They do other styles, like American, Mexican and English and lean towards the lighter side of the spectrum. Which is fine with me, I tried an English Ale to start off with. Honestly, if it had a name I cannot remember it and it isn't listed on their beer list, but it was good. Lighter amber in color, with familiar English caramel and malt taste. A bit of a head on it and it went down pretty smooth. I paired it with a smash burger. Again, and IBU of 35, but an unexpectedly smooth finish. I like some hoppiness, but a bite at the finish is less appealing to me. This one might have been an ESB, but I'm not sure. I thought it was delicious and balanced.
In case you have never heard of the Siebel Institute of Technology, it is the oldest brewing school in the United States, having been established in 1868. German immigrant, John Siebel, came here in 1866 and opened the school a few years later. It wasn't called the Siebel Institute then, but rather the Zymotechnic Institute. It was renamed in 1872 after it's founder. There is also a sister school in Munich and you can see why German beer techniques would be their focus. In the crime of the decade, the school moved to Montreal from its long-time home in Chicago this year. They claim that the majority of their enrollment is foreign students and Montreal, with its lax visa program, was easier for foreigners to get to, just ask all the Iranian IRGC members that have fled there. Sorry. The school really was a world leading brewing institute and if you look through their classes, you can see a lot of chemistry, genetics, microbiology, etc. They also have a pretty impressive alumni list.
- Teri Fahrendorf (born 1960), American brewer and founder of the Pink Boots Society
- Dan Carey, Master Brewer at New Glarus Brewing Company
- August Anheuser Busch III, former President of the Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (ABC)
- John W. Stroh Jr., Stroh Brewing Company
- August Pabst, Pabst Brewing Company
- Gregory Hall, Brewmaster, Goose Island Brewing Company
- John Mallett, VP - Operations, Bell's Brewery
- John W. Stroh III, Stroh Brewing Company
- Gari M. Stroh III, Stroh Brewery Company
- Tonya Cornett, 2024 Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing
I had one more beer after lunch was consumed. I wanted to try their Porter or Stout, but it was blistering hot out and I thought better of it. I will always remember the 100 degree day I was out fishing on my annual trip and we hit a restaurant on the lake. Everyone was having a beer and I decided to have a Sam Adams Boston Lager. Poor choice for the weather. It was like drinking sludge as I melted on the boat. I went for the Helles Lager. I'm pretty sure I've never had a bad Helles and that goes to reckon because they aren't as light a blonde's or wheat beers and tend to be more balanced with a malty sweetness to them. This was pretty darn good. If i remember, the IBU was under 20 and I enjoyed drinking it. Kudos to the waitress, who helped me find a t-shirt. I like their watch tower logo and I got the last of my size in stock. Huzzah! You will want to check Vantage Point Brewing out and I will go back.
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