Portneuf Valley Brewing in Pocatello has a new owner, a new name and a new signature item: New York-style pizza made with dough that spends 72 hours cold-fermenting before it ever sees a stretch. Tyson Hinz took over the brewery, now called Portneuf Valley Brewing and Pizzeria, and reopened the business at the end of October in the same historic building at 615 S. First Ave.
A Historic Building Gets a Pizza-Focused Reboot
According to KPVI, the building itself is 110 years old, giving the brewpub a sense of permanence even as it changes hands again. Hinz told the station that a pizzeria paired with beer was a good fit for the area, and he has leaned hard into that combination since taking over. The Idaho State Journal reported the grand opening was set for Oct. 30, describing the new venture as a pizza-focused restaurant and event venue under Hinz's ownership.
Hinz spends much of his time in the kitchen himself, working the dough rather than staying buried in paperwork. “I love making pizza. If I'm feeling sad or depressed because I'm doing paperwork and worrying about finances, as soon as I start stretching a dough, I just feel so much better, so I'm back there as much as I can,” he said. The station's report notes that garlic knots and the white pie have already become popular items on the new menu.
New York-Style Dough and a Menu Built Around It
The Idaho State Journal reported that Hinz's menu centers on New York-style pizza built with his specialty dough, cold-fermented for 72 hours before baking. The business's own food menu page echoes that focus, describing a lineup built around handcrafted New York-style pizza alongside classic favorites, PVB originals, calzones, stromboli, fresh salads, shareable starters and desserts, all intended to pair with a cold PVB beer. Per the amp version of the same report, Hinz planned to handle delivery with his own drivers rather than through DoorDash or Uber Eats.
The business publishes its hours on its Facebook page rather than through a formal release, per KPVI. The Idaho State Journal had earlier reported that the restaurant planned to open Thursday through Monday during its first six months, closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with hours running 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.
Honoring the Brewery's Roots While Building Something New
Portneuf Valley Brewing isn't a brand-new name in Pocatello. Penny Pink founded the brewery in 1996, and the Idaho State Journal reported that Pink was training Hinz and his staff on the brewing equipment, with Hinz planning to brew her original recipes for the grand opening. Hinz said he eventually plans to design his own beers specifically to pair with his pizzas, building on that foundation rather than replacing it outright.
Pink had closed the business near the end of 2023, citing health complications and a desire to deep-clean and renovate, according to the same outlet's earlier coverage. The brewery later reopened on a limited weekend schedule, serving local taps and homemade food Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 9 p.m. with the kitchen open until 8 p.m., before Hinz's ownership change brought the full pizzeria concept to life. At the time, Pink said she intended to stay on for six to 12 months to help with the transition to a new owner.
Under Hinz, the business now also offers live music and what he describes as a family-friendly environment, according to KPVI, rounding out the brewpub's shift from a weekend-only taproom back into a full-service restaurant and event space in the same century-old building that has anchored this stretch of First Avenue for generations.
