About the Name

I get a lot of comments about the name of the brewery, Payette Brewing Company, some people love it, some hate it, some think the town, some the river.  I have a lot of thoughts about the name and I obviously like it because I chose it.  Like the town, county, river, mountain, lake, national forest, the brewery is named for Francois Payette, the fur trader that was stationed at Fort Boise and explored much of the Payette River basin. While the origin of the Payette name in Idaho comes from Francois, I didn't actually realize that until about a year ago, my inspiration for the name is the river and lake where I have had some of the best times of my life.  Part of the reason that I like the name is that it means different things to different people, but in the end, most people will relate it to some place in Idaho.  That is what I think is great about the name, it encompasses so much of the state.  So, whether you immediately think of the town, the river, the lake or the early pioneer when you hear "Payette," you're right.