When you have an unexpected Friday afternoon with no plans and your man asks, “What should we do today?” The Idaho response would be, “Let's take the dog to the brewery”! If you have never been to Idaho there are a few things you must know. We love three things, beards on our fellas, cold microbrews, and our dogs. One of the most well-known local taprooms is Barbarian Brewery and their Downtown and Garden City locations, thankfully they are known for all three.
We decided to venture downtown with our new pup, Ayla the Mini Aussie, and enjoy a beer and some people-watching. The inside is decorated in a comfortable hipster chic style with a beautiful wood bar and what seemed like a million beers on tap. The overhead menu helped narrow our choices by navigating ABV (Alcohol by Volume) and IBU (International Bitterness Units). Even Though Barbarian is known for its sour beers, I went with an Oktoberfest lager and Jeremy was adventurous with a creamsicle brew, Ayla on the other hand was her nervous little self, never having been someplace like this. Only being five months old, everything is new and scary, but once we brought our pints to the patio, all was well with the world.
After a clink of the glasses and a cuddle from the pup, we sat on a bench overlooking Main Street watching the world go by. Ayla made a new friend in the form of a nine-year-old husky, who greeted us with a low and friendly howl. They sniffed, as dogs do, and were instant friends. We watched cars drive by and pointed out our favorites. At about 5:00 pm, people were leaving work and walking down the sidewalk. It was a people-watching delight. Ayla sure seemed right at home relaxing at our feet and enjoying time with her humans.
Now that we have Ayla, we're exploring all of the dog-friendly places Boise has to offer. There are of course the obvious spots like the thousands of hiking trails in the foothills, but sometimes it’s nice to find someplace that's more lounge than lunge. All in all, it was the perfect fall afternoon.
