Grizzly Growler

Popped open a bottle of Dogfish Head’s Pangaea the other day, which I bought last March in Arizona. The idea behind it was to make a beer that contains ingredients from every continent: crystallized ginger from Australia, water from Antarctica, basmati rice from Asia, muscavado sugar from Africa, European yeast and North American maize.

Here’s Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione explaining the beer:

After trying the beer, I’m honestly not sure what to say. It was a little bitter and a little sour with notes of the ginger coming through. I don’t think I was quite prepared for it. If you find it on your travels when it’s available, then take the plunge. But be warned, it’s definitely unique.

- Matt Pritchard

Missoula’s Draught Works is gearing up to host the first official Frosters Anonymous party on Friday, Jan. 27., in an effort to bring a little warmth to our neck of the woods.

So what is Frosters Anonymous?  Well … it’s “a new thing where you pretend to act like the weather is nice (and) take a photo of yourself.” (Read more here.)

On Friday from noon to 8 p.m., Draught Works will make its patio look like a beach and is asking everyone to take part by dressing up like it’s summer and displaying their favorites summer activities. Those who do will get their picture taken and a free pint to boot.

Sweet, now I can dust off my Speedo.

- Matt Pritchard

The 18th annual Micro Brew Review and Cool Dog Ball heads to the Helena Civic Center Ballroom on Friday, Jan. 27, as part of a fundraiser for the Race to the Sky sled dog race. Seventeen breweries will be on hand, including Blackfoot River Brewing, Lewis & Clark Brewery, Big Sky, Bayern, Bitter Root Brewing, Harvest Moon, Beaver Creek and more. Tickets are $18 in advance and can be purchased in Helena at Bert & Ernie’s, Topper’s Cellar, The Overland Express, Staggering Ox, The Man Stores and the Downtown Helena Office, or they are $20 at the door. Music will be courtesy of Destiny and Johnny Rawls and festivities get started at 6 p.m. and last until 11:30 p.m..

And just a note, the dog above has decided not to compete in the race.

- Matt Pritchard

Big Sky Brewing Co. has a far out take on one of their staples.

Cleverly called Space Goat, the beer is a variation of Scape Goat brewed with galaxy hops. That may sound familiar from another excellent beer that Flathead Lake Brewing Co. put out over the summer, Galaxy Pale Ale. Galaxy hops are an Australian variety that bring heavy doses of citrus flavors to beer. The difference can really be tasted in Space Goat, imparting pineapple and grapefruit and a burst of hops into Big Sky’s traditional pale ale.

Space Goat can only be had at the taproom in Missoula and there are no plans, at least for now, of bottling the beer. It’s in limited supply (around four to five kegs left) and it’s been pretty popular, so don’t wait. Plus, it’s free to taste.

- Matt Pritchard

Higherground Brewing Co.

Finally got the chance to head over to the Bitterroot Valley’s newest brewery, Higherground Brewing Co., over the weekend. The brewery, located in Hamilton at 518 N. First St., opened about a month ago and has a bit of different feel. It seems more like a cafe with a brewery inside, with checkerboard floors and wooden tables throughout. On the Saturday afternoon that I was in there, plenty of families stopped by not to drink but to have some wood-fired pizza that’s available in the brewery. The pizza is pretty good, by the way.

Continue reading Visit to Higherground Brewing Co.

Lewis and Clark Brewery’s Sean Tobin, left, and Gary Hicks help guide in one of two new tanks that arrived Tuesday from Portland, Ore. Photo by Eliza Wiley/Independent Record

We here in Montana are lucky. Not only are new breweries opening up all around us, such as Higherground Brewing, Bowser Brewing, Draught Works and 406 Brewing Co., but existing breweries are expanding just as rapidly. Lewis and Clark Brewing in Helena is one of those places. The brewery last year moved into a new and much larger location, and just this week installed some new tanks in one their first moves to meet growing demand for their beer. Hit the jump for the full story from the Helena Independent Record. Continue reading Lewis and Clark Brewing works to meet growing demand

I’ve been looking forward to what would have been the 2011 version of All Souls Ale from Big Sky Brewing – especially after having a few glasses of the first batch over the past few weeks – and it looks like I’ll have to wait a bit longer. A friend told me Big Sky ran into trouble with the latest batch (supposedly issues with carbonation), and indeed the release date has been changed to April. On the bright side, in addition to April, Big Sky is on track to release the beer in 750 ml bottles again in December.

- Matt Pritchard

Looking for a last-minute weekend getaway near the Crown of the Continent?

The Belton Chalet in West Glacier is holding a dinner paired with Tamarack Brewing beers on Friday beginning at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $50 for the dinner or $185 per couple for dinner and a room, which seems like a pretty decent deal. There’s limited seating, so to make a reservation call (406) 888-5000.

- Matt Pritchard

Not much to do about craft beer, but beer news nonetheless.

Missoula-based Zip Beverage Co. recently completed its purchase of Butte’s Thompson Distributing Inc., which has been in business since 1976. The Montana Standard reports the Thompson family decided to sell after seeing the trend of small distributors being bought up by larger companies in the wake of InBev’s acquisition of Anheuser-Busch in 2008. With the sale, Zip will expand to Dillon, Twin Bridges, Three Forks and Butte, and projects to have annual sales of 2 million cases of beer per year.

Read the full story here.

- Matt Pritchard

If you’re heading to Denver anytime soon, or just want another reason to go, check out this promotional video about the fine craft brewers in the Mile High City via craftbeer.com. I’ll be heading there in a few months, and this video is making me thirsty.

- Matt Pritchard