Mother Earth Brewing expands in the Treasure Valley community

Mother Earth Brewing Company co-owner Daniel Love stands in the brewery’s new downtown Boise tasting room, which opened in December. | Photo by Laurien Mavey

This story is the second stop in Project FARE’s 2022 Idaho Brewery Tour. We’ll be featuring breweries around the state throughout April for Idaho Craft Beer Month and May for American Craft Beer Week (May 16-22). Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for more stories.

Story and photos by Laurien Mavey

Mother Earth Brewing Company expanded from a hobbyist’s garage in California to a craft beer business selling in 20 states and 12 countries in just 12 years. And the Treasure Valley is home to the company’s only tasting rooms outside California.

Daniel Love, his brother and his stepson are the founders of Mother Earth, a family-owned business without investors. When they decided to expand six years ago, Idaho offered everything they were looking for. 

They wanted to open shop in Boise because the city is where everything was happening, Love said. However, being the 50th-largest craft brewery in the United States at the time made them hesitate. Love worried other breweries and patrons wouldn’t think he was here to play nice, and he didn’t want to be viewed as competition.

After surveying the Treasure Valley, they found an ideal location in Nampa, Love said. There, they could become established and let people learn about them before opening the Boise tasting room. 

“I came here because this is where I want my business to grow and I want to be part of this community—that’s important.”

“I came here because this is where I want my business to grow and I want to be part of this community—that’s important,” Love said.

In December, his dreams of opening a brewery in Boise came to fruition.

Located on the east side of downtown Boise, the new tasting room has a prime location, Love said. There is access to lots of parking, it’s close to the Boise State football games, and it boasts a patio that both two-legged and furry four-legged kids can enjoy with visitors (as well as inside). 

The latest beers on tap at Mother Earth Brewing in downtown Boise on a recent afternoon. | Photo by Laurien Mavey

Among Mother Earth’s year-round beers are Cali Creamin’ vanilla cream ale (and an orange creamsicle variation), Heavy Cloud hazy IPA and Milk Truck latte stout, a dark ale with a hit of lactose. The tasting room also serves Mother Earth’s seasonal and limited edition beers, as well as guest beer taps, cider, wine, seltzers, kombucha and non-alcoholic drinks.

Mother Earth has also partnered with their distributor, Hayden Beverage, to sponsor concerts at Outlaw Field at the Botanical Gardens, which is a short bike ride away. 

The Nampa location is a production brewery and tasting room. It is where all the beer is brewed for the Boise facility.

Mother Earth’s brewing facility’s high-end laboratory is the secret to their great and consistent beer, Love said. It’s also a resource for other breweries. Love said he wants people to know he’s here to help his neighbors.

He purchases raw goods and other materials for a cheaper rate because he buys in bulk, often resulting in a surplus of supplies. Love then offers it to other brewers at a cheaper price than what they’d typically pay.

“That’s the best way to be a neighbor and partner,” says Love. 

He also offers to let others in the brewing industry bring beer to his laboratory if they want testing done to determine a beer’s bitterness, color on the official Standard Reference Method system or other measurements.

The lab guarantees consistent products from Mother Earth, Love said.

“If someone visits our tasting room because they like a certain beer, it will taste the exact same every time,” Love said. “And if it doesn’t, please tell us.”

Visit Mother Earth Boise:
406 S. Third St.
Noon to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
motherearthbrewco.com/boise

Visit Mother Earth Nampa:
1428 Madison Ave.
4-8 p.m. Thursday
4-9 p.m. Friday
Noon to 7 p.m. Saturday
Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
motherearthbrewco.com/nampa