Big Horn Brewing Company
“Affordable Food and Fun for Fans and their Families”
709 Park Blvd.
Boise, ID 83712
208.345.2929
(This location now called RAM Restaurant & Brewery)
www.theram.com
Founded: The first Big Horn Brewing Company opened in 1995. Big Horn is part of the Ram Family of Restaurants, which was launched in 1971. Ram currently operates 17 locations across the U.S.
When we stopped in for a pint: September 2000
Microbrewery#: 12
Big Horn Brewing Company, Boise, ID
The Beer hunt: Once again, we found ourselves at a chain brewery. There’s just no way to figure these things out from a phone book listing. A step up from BJ’s, Big Horn rolls out a family-friendly, sports-oriented restaurant with over-sized puffy-booth seating and enough TVs to ensure that you won’t have to pay any attention to who you’re with while you’re there.
What a let-down. We were hoping to find a locally-owned, unique craft brewery. What it felt like we got was a corporate Chili’s look-alike that decided to brew beer on the side as a gimmick to go along with their greasy burgers and fried everything else.*
That being said, we sucked up their beer and their food and shelled out the cash for a freakishly tall and heavy pint glass. As a big horn sheep would say, “Baaa!”
Find out what’s currently on tap!
*This is a bit mean. According to their website, The Ram is a private, independent, family-owned and operated restaurant business that decided to brew their our own beers in order to offer their customers “superior quality, nationally recognized, hand-crafted beers at value prices.”
BJ’s Pizza, Grill and Brewery
825 N.E. Weidler St.
Portland, OR 97232
(This location closed in 2008)
www.bjsbrewhouse.com
Founded: The first BJ’s opened in Orange County, CA in 1978. BJ’s currently operates over 100 locations across the U.S.
When we stopped in for a pint: September 2000
Microbrewery#: 10
BJ's Pizza, Grill and Brewery at 825 NE Weidler, Portland, OR (now closed)
The Beer hunt: We arrived in Portland hungry and struggling with directions. It took us over an hour after entering the city to reach Bridgeport BrewPub on NW Marshall Street, and then we found out that all they were serving that night was pizza. That’s not good news for someone who’s allergic to tomato sauce like me. We abandoned the place and headed for the next closest brewery we could find – BJ’s Pizza, Grill and Brewery. We were worried that it would turn out to be another pizza-only place, but luckily they had other menu options. We didn’t stop grumbling for long, though. We were disappointed to find out that BJ’s was a chain brewery. The exterior shot above shows that it looks kind of like an upscale Kentucky Fried Chicken. The family-friendly atmosphere inside and the unhealthy food and the plastic-ness of the furniture definitely emanated a McMicrobrewery vibe that neither one of us liked. But hey, satisfied or not, BJ’s was a technically a microbrewery, so we added a pint glass to our tab.
Find out what’s currently on tap!*
*At other, still open locations, like the one at 12105 N. Center in Portland
American Pint 