Daft Badger Brewing is a truly magical place. Nestled in a residential and partially-commercial zone off of 2nd and Poplar, one is likely to get lost navigating their way the first time or two. The secret is to remember that 2nd is found between 1st and 3rd and that Poplar is the tree that has nothing to do with beer, but is where 2nd ends if you’re heading North/South.
Daft Badger Brewing – where street parking and great beer are your friends.
Now, with the mapping out of the way – I think what is happening to Downtown Coeur d’Alene is starting to finally make sense. Midtown is becoming a food and beverage force to be reckoned with. Syringa, The Garnet Cafe, Bistro on Spruce, Angelo’s, Slate Creek, Satay, Grumpy Monkey, Capone’s, Mid City Pub, The Big Yellow Mobile Kitchen, Ace Hardware’s Free Popcorn Machine (okay, getting carried away)…it’s all in Midtown. All this and you don’t have to check for a parking violation every two hours.
What makes me happy about Daft Badger is Hoppypotamus. It has restored my faith in a good beer. I wasn’t really a pale ale guy until Hoppy came along. 6.05% ABV and so much “hopp”ening to the taste buds (drum with snare). There’s a lot of flight testers there – if you want to settle into one lane, Hoppy would be a worthwhile resting place.
The other piece of magic that the Daft is pulling off is how tasty their food is. Definitely give it a whirl because the bacon is ridiculous and the pulled pork nachos is a certified team event.
Don’t take it from guys like me, though. I don’t get out a ton, have two kids and spend most of my time trying to find homes to sell downtown – like the FSBO across the street from the bar.
“Daft Badger Don’t Care.”
