Wind River Brewing Company
Wind River Brewing Company – Pinedale, Wyoming
12
JULY, 2021
The Wind River Brewing Company is similar to our beloved Smoky Mountain Brewery in Gatlinburg. Both serve great food and beer and are mandatory dinner stops before hiking the iconic backpacking areas they serve. But unlike the hustle-and-bustle of Gatlinburg that surrounds the Smoky Mountain Brewery, the Wind River Brewing Company is located in relatively sleepy Pinedale, Wyoming. It’s just down the street from our mainstay lodging in the area, the Log Cabin Motel. The food is typical bar food fare, but it’s well prepared and tasty. They are undoubtedly best known for their award-winning craft brews made on-site.
“When you’re planning your trip out to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, be sure to save time for a stop at Wind River Brewing Company. We’re a locally owned restaurant and brewery in Wyoming that offers our guests a chance to sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery in Pinedale as well as the award-winning beers we make right here in-house. – WRBC Website
Third visit before July 2021 Winds hike
My third visit to the Wind River Brewing Company was when Carl, Christian, Justin, Travis, and I visited there the night before our 2021 Wind River Range hike. The place hadn’t changed a bit. In the summer, there are numerous seating options. It is a two-level restaurant. They have indoor and outdoor seating options on both levels. There is live entertainment occasionally, and in September of each year, they host the Wind River Brewfest. My recommendation… if you’re hiking in the Winds in September and not basing your trip on the Beer Festival, either avoid the area during the Beerfest or reserve your lodging long in advance. Carl and I made our 2019 trip during the beer festival, and it was nearly impossible to get a place to stay.
Atmosphere inside the Wind River Brewing Company
I’m always in a good mood when I’m in Pinedale. It means incredible Wind River Range backpacking and relaxing on the porch of the Log Cabin Motel with great friends. And it also means a relaxed dinner with craft beers at the Wind River Brewing Company. During our 2019 Wind River Range hike, Carl and I enjoyed their ‘Loaded Sweet Potato Basket.’ A basket of sweet potato fries with bacon, cheese, chives, and sour cream. Heart-stopping goodness there! (Literally). Wow, was that good. I can’t say the food at Wind River Brewing is 5-star, but it is certainly solid. It’s the perfect food for the night before a hike.
The Craft Beer – The Star of the Show
The locally-brewed craft beer is undoubtedly the star of the show when you visit the Brewing Company. How do you take locally crafted beer to the next level? They start by using only the finest ingredients for a clean, refreshing taste. Then combine it with the purest mountain spring water from the famously frigid Fremont Lake near Pinedale. Wind River Brewing brews an array of beer varieties to satisfy every craving. Blonde Ale, Wyoming Pale Ale, Porter, Stout, fruited summer ales, experimental IPAs, sours, lagers, barrel-aged beers, and rotating seasonal beers. They have a canning line on-site in Pinedale where they package their Wyoming Pale Ale, Wind River Blonde Ale, Ghost Town IPA, and award-winning Porter so that you can purchase and take home all their great beers.
Conclusion – Wind River Brewing Company
Wind River Brewing Company is an integral part of every Wind River Range hike I have done and plan to do. Travis gave me my first exposure to the Brewing Company the night before our 2018 Wind River Range hike. Pinedale is where I plan to start every Winds hike from. I can’t think of staying in Pinedale without staying at the Log Cabin Motel, stopping by the Great Outdoor Shop, going to the Brewing Company for dinner, or going to the Heart and Soul Cafe for breakfast. Doing anything else in Pinedale before a Winds hike isn’t done. I highly recommend you stop by the Wind River Brewing Company if you’re ever in Pinedale
