Grizzly Growler

Could Missoula soon become a Mecca for brewery taprooms from around the state? The idea is not inconceivable. With the new Tamarack slated to go live sometime this fall, and Flathead Lake Brewing Company opening up a tasting room here, it’s a safe bet that other breweries are thinking about it. Scratch that, they ARE thinking about it. And why wouldn’t they be?

I love that there are breweries in small towns like Stevensville, Lakeside and Hamilton with good local followings, but let’s face it, brewery owners aren’t explicitly in the business for the good of others, though you’d think so some times. Growth is a factor in all brewery projects, and growth over time is something they all think about. In Montana, resort towns might see a boom in business during summer or winter high tourist seasons, but there is a fall off during the opposite season. It can be difficult to maintain continuity during that time in staff quality and education.

The first logical step for many production craft breweries is getting their beer into bigger markets like Missoula. When I moved here, it was tricky to find any Red Lodge Ales, Glacier Brewing Company or Great Northern Brewing Company beers in or around Missoula. It made for fun road trips to visit those breweries, but that’s not going to sustain a business.

After getting your bottled or canned beer into cities like Missoula, opening a tap room might be the next great evolution for breweries needing a revenue stream during times when the traffic stream through Big Fork, Polson or Stevensville is reduced to a trickle.

The benefit for Missoula is more beer choices, of course. I would love to see a Blackfoot River Brewing Company tap room in Missoula. To be able to try their great selection of beers fresh and more than once or twice a year would be awesome. I’d love to see the Billings breweries here in Missoula. I’ve tried only a handful of them, but they are really good.

My point is that making Missoula a Mecca for Montana’s craft beers is good for the city, good for tourism and jobs and craft beer lovers.

Would it be good for our local breweries? Probably not. In fact, I suspect they would take a hit early on as the novelty of new and generally hard-to-find beers excites local beer drinkers. But in the end, making Missoula the city of craft beers even more than it already is would make those breweries shine. A little competition can be a really good thing.

As far as the Tavern Owners go, well, I suspect they’ll throw a world-class fit and throw a lot of money at their expensive lobbyists and raise a stink about these evil craft breweries. I don’t care. Montana is rapidly becoming a craft beer Republic. Defeating the TOA Empire is reality.

Prost,

GG