Boise native Mike Francis' dream is finally coming to fruition, or should we say "fermentation." The Payette Brewing Co. has arrived to the place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. We are talking about a little place called Garden City (111 W. 33 st. to be exact). Mike was kind enough to take a break from the busy life a brewmaster to do an interview that, if nothing else, will make you thirsty.
The C.O.T.: Where did you learn how to make beer?
Mike Francis: Originally I learned on the stove in my apartment in Seattle. I read a lot of books and just tried my hand at home brewing. After a lot of batches of home brew, I went to the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago where I got my Associates in Brewing Technology. All of that is a fancy way of saying “brewing school.”
The C.O.T.: Describe your first beer making experience.
MF: A cluster fuck (not sure if you can publish that).
While brewing that first batch, I was all over the place trying to figure out what I was doing. Reading these steps in a book is one thing, but actually doing it and trying not to make a horrible beer is another. In hindsight, most of the chaos was unnecessary, but I didn’t have a clue what was going on.
"I was told once that a brewer should always have a beer in his hand, but never be drunk…so I’m working on that."
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| Mike Francis - Payette Brewing Co. |
The C.O.T.: After spending so much time in Seattle, why did you want to start your brewery in Boise?
MF: Boise is awesome and deserves great beer. Ever since leaving Boise for college at UW, I knew I wanted to get back here eventually. Boise doesn’t have an iconic brewery, you go into the majority of bars and restaurants and ask for a local tap and they will have 1 if you are lucky.
The C.O.T.: How many types of beer will PBC start out with?
MF: To start there will be the Payette Pale Ale and the Outlaw IPA.
The C.O.T.: What other beers do you plan on brewing in the future?
MF: I have a bunch in the works. I have a summer seasonal that should come out in June, it is Belgian Farmhouse Style Ale. I have a Brown Ale, Wheat Beer and Stout ready to make, but those won’t come out for a little while. I also want to make some experimental beers, like Barley Wine, Imperial Stout and Imperial IPA’s, but need to get running first.
The C.O.T.: When and where will PBC beer be available?
MF: There should be beer available Mid-May, but until there is something in the fermenter I can’t be sure. Right now, there are a handful of bars and restaurants around Boise that are going to put the beer on tap once it is ready and of course it will be on tap in the brewery tasting room. I have been talking with some different events that are going on this summer and hopefully PBC is the beer sponsor at some of these. That answer was really vague, but without beer out there, I don’t want to put any places on the spot.
The C.O.T.: Have your friends been bugging you about free beer?
MF: Yes, lucky for them I can’t sell any of the pilot batches that I have been making recently, so there has been free beer. The free beer supply is about to dry up.
The C.O.T.: Can we have free beer?
MF: Depends on how much publicity this interview gets me…
The C.O.T.: Busch Light or Keystone light...which is better?
MF: Easy, Keystone, next question.
The C.O.T.: Can you give us some details on how you chose the name?
MF: I wanted something that was unique to Idaho, but wasn’t off-putting for people outside of Idaho. I grew up kayaking on the Payette River and boating on Payette Lake, so to me Payette was a really fitting name. After doing some research, tons of things in Southwestern Idaho are named after Francois Payette, who was stationed at Fort Boise, so I thought it worked great.
The C.O.T.: Which beer are you most excited about?
MF: Of my beers? I’m really excited about the Mountain Man Barley Wine, it is delicious. Hopefully that is out in the fall.
The C.O.T.: Any big plans for the future as far as PBC goes?
MF: I have all sorts of plans, most notably putting in a canning line so PBC beers can be purchased in grocery stores, gas stations, etc. No idea on the timing for that, hopefully rather soon.
The C.O.T.: What's it like having an unlimited supply of beer?
MF: If I learned anything watching Breaking Bad, it is that you can’t get high on your own supply, Pinkman screwed up a lot of things that way. On the other hand, quality assurance is a big part of the process. So most of the day, any drinking I do is part of the job, not to catch a buzz. I say most of the day because there comes a point in the day where I just want a pint while I finish up. Having beer constantly on tap a few feet away from my computer is awesome. I was told once that a brewer should always have a beer in his hand, but never be drunk…so I’m working on that.
The C.O.T.: What's different about PBC from other craft breweries?
MF: Difficult question to answer since there are some great breweries out there making great beer and doing great stuff. Moving away from the P.C. response, we make awesome beers and are way cooler than everyone else. Very subjective I know, but just wait until the beer is out and we start participating in events, then you’ll understand.
For more information visit the Payette Brewing Co. website
