Our story
“Brewed with a touch of the tetons”
Albert and Joni Upsher opened Snake River Brewing in 1994. As a former Anheuser Busch distributor in McMinville, Oregon Albert knew the beer business. He took notice of the expanding microbrewery scene in Oregon and decided to open a brewery in his favorite ski town, Jackson Wyoming! Snake River Brewing started as a family owned business, and in 2008 a local family took over the ownership of the brewpub.
Our beginning seemed pretty simple. We bought an old cinder block building that was previously the base of operations for a Coca-Cola distributor. It seemed to be the perfect spot for Wyoming’s first brewpub. We wanted an open industrial look, with lots of light and exposed steel beams. The brewing equipment and wood burning oven would be our artwork.
The concept was to create a restaurant and brewing space that was open to our customers, to draw guests into the process of making beer. We wanted a simple and unpretentious neighborhood watering hole for locals to gather and Jackson Hole tourists to taste beer from the Great State of Wyoming. From the beginning we were determined to create a brewpub building that was both excellent in style architecturally and offered excellent food and beer. We felt strongly about the quality of workmanship in the restaurant, from its beautiful windows and ceiling to its mahogany curved bar.
We decided to plan for quality, substance and longevity. We knew that Jackson Hole’s citizens would judge us on the quality of our beers and food. Our mission statement became- “The world doesn’t need another beer, but a better beer!”
Breweries and Mountain towns go together.
Jackson Hole is widely known for its abundant outdoor recreational opportunities. From skiing to fly fishing, from mountaineering to wildlife viewing and from biking to dog sledding there is no shortage of activity for those who are afflicted with the desire to test their limits in the outdoors.
Activities That make you thirsty.
When word-class athletes in Jackson are drinking our brews then it was only fitting that our beer was world class in its own right. Snake River Brewery has won numerous World Beer Cup medals, Great American Beer Festival medals, and Small Brewery of the Year (twice!).
“2X Winner: Small Brewery of the Year
Our brewery employees generally share two passions: love of the outdoors and a deep enthusiasm for craft beer. The natural environment and the Snake River Brewery working environment have combined to keep our staff pleasantly incarcerated in our little mountain “hole” that we call home.
Beer Sales
As Wyoming’s oldest brewery our beers are a staple on the shelves of our Rocky Mountain regional beer and liquor stores. But, that doesn’t mean that people don’t enjoy our beers across the country (poke around NYC and you may just find Pako hanging out on a tap handle).
Interested in distributing Snake River Brewing beers? Send us an email at [email protected]!
Donations
If you are interested in setting up a fundraiser to be held at SRB, requesting an in-kind donation, or looking for SRB sponsorship, please fill out the request form below.
Once your request has been processed we will contact you if your request can be fulfilled.
Our Team
-
Bryan Boynton BrewerHe loves hunting everything (elk, deer, moose!, pheasants) and fishing here and in Bahamas (or anywhere). His favorite beer is his own signature brew, the Golden Buck.
-
Cameron Hieronymus Brewer and Barrel MasterHe comes from a serious brewing family- he has relatives who are brewers, brewery owners (Sun King Brewery) and beer writers (the famous Stan Hieronymous). His favorite beer is the Earned It.
-
Eric Navratil Sous ChefHe loves to go rafting (and getting sunburned), has two dogs, is a very proud Texan and will never turn down barbecue. His favorite beer is Pako’s or whatever fun seasonal happens to be on tap.
-
Faraday Melchior Front of House ManagerShe worked her way up from a host and has worked every front of house position. Her nickname is Felony and she is a very talented Rolfer! Her favorite beer is the Snake River Pale Ale.
-
Jason Fariss BrewerHe enjoys economics and playing outdoors when he’s not brewing. His favorite beer is his own signature brew, the Schwarz- a black lager.
-
Lisa Pelletier General ManagerShe has worked every position in the place, including dish-washing! She has an infectious laugh that can be heard anywhere in the Brew Pub when she is in the building. Her favorite beers are the sours released every 3rd Sunday of the month!
-
Ryan Brogan Executive ChefWorking at SRB was his 2nd kitchen job ever! His nickname is Mambo because he used to dance around other players in soccer with his fancy footwork. His favorite beer (and the only beer he drinks…) is Snake River Pale Ale.
-
Melissa Kryger Front of House ManagerShe has psychic ability and a thing for fine champagne. Her favorite beer is the Snake River Pale Ale, but she always loves whatever specialty sour is on tap!
-
Mitch Rowe Head Hop CounterOver 300 months on the job. He is passionate about horses, rodeo and roping. His favorite beer for special occasions is the Cherry Serpent, but he loves the Pako’s IPA for day-in and day-out drinking.
-
Rudy Borrego Head BrewerHe enjoys teaching pottery and building things with his hands when he’s not brewing. His favorite beer is his own signature brew, the Blank Czech Pilsner, but he loves all of his children/beers!
-
Tommy Arena Sous ChefHis favorite animals are squirrels… and he loves to cuddle while drinking beer. His favorite beer is Pako’s IPA and he would love a beer shot of that now please!
-
John McCarthy BrewerHe loves fishing, mountain biking and skiing. His preferred nickname is Handsome John. His favorite beer is his own signature St. Patrick’s Day brew, McCarthy’s Red Ale.
-
Christine Schnier Front of House ManagerShe has her first level of cicerone completed and is a passionate dart competitor. Her favorite beer is Pandamonium, which is our Belgian Quad.
-
Rachel Mazari Longtime BartenderRachel has been with SRB since 1994 slingin’ approximately 1,000,000 beers since day 1. She LOVES Great Danes and the Caribbean Islands. Her favorite beer is the Gold medal winner Speargun Coffee Milk Stout.
-
Josh Wilkinson BrewerHe is a brewer by day and DJ Das Vader by night. Josh was a military brat and has lived all over the world. From traveling, he’s become a huge music and beer enthusiast. His favorite beer is the Hoback Hefeweizen!
-
Rachel Hansen BrewerAlso known as FNG. She was a vintner in the wine industry and decided to try some beer one day. Since then, she’s become an avid beer and trivia enthusiast and she can do a mean Australian accent. Her favorite beer is the Earned It New England style IPA!
-
Luke Bauer Director of SalesLuke has lived in 11 states not counting Wyoming 3 separate times. After brief stints manufacturing hair care products, training birds at a raptor rehabilitation center, and being the 35th fastest bike courier in North America (in no particular order), Luke found himself in Jackson, WY for the first time. He is definitely a summer guy but can cope with Jackson winters by ice climbing with his favorite beer, the Snake River Pale Ale.
-
Ariel Koerber Director of MarketingShe is our go to computer savvy person whether it be marketing related or tech related, she can fix everything! Her first job was at an aquarium coincidentally and realized she didn’t want to be the little mermaid. This is fierce mama of twos favorite beer is the Nothing Rhymes with Orange Milkshake IPA. Beermosas anyone?
