Brewfest rolls into Lewiston, Idaho, on Saturday
If you’re looking for a last-minute weekend trip that involves craft beer, and you don’t feel like the Bigfork Brewfest this year, consider heading over to the Lewiston Brewfest on Saturday. There will be more that 30 breweries, including Bayern, Deschutes, Stone, New Belgium, Big Sky and plenty more. The all-ages event goes from noon-6 p.m. at the Nez Perce County Fairgrounds and tickets are $10, which includes five samples, and the first 500 receive a free souvenir mug. Plus, if you’re leaving from Montana, remember that you gain an hour. So that four hour ride will really take three, sort of.
- Matt Pritchard
Second annual Bigfork Brewfest takes place Saturday
The second installment of the Bigfork Brewfest is set Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. on Electric Avenue in front of the Garden Bar. Tickets are $20 at the gate and good for 10 beers and a cup. Proceeds will go to area nonprofits and charities.
Eleven breweries are on board, including Tamarack, Great Northern, Harvest Moon, Blackfoot, Big Sky, Bayern, Madison River, Flathead Lake, Bitterroot, Glacier and Blacksmith. Each will be 2 or more beers and there may be some surprises.
In addition to beer, gifted Bigfork sculptor Sunti Pichetchaiyakul will attempt to create a bust of the Garden Bar’s Mark Langlois in less than 20 minutes starting at around 4 p.m., according to the Bigfork Eagle. That’d be worth seeing on its own.
It’s looking like it’s going to be cold, so drink up – responsibly, of course.
- Matt Pritchard
Big Sky Brewing Co. revives its Summer Concert Series
Big Sky Brewing will again hold concerts this year at its own Big Sky Amphitheater next to the brewery. The site has been dormant since 2005, when acts such as Widespread Panic, B.B. King and Willie Nelson rolled through. This year, the first act that’s been announced is Ray LaMontagne with Brandi Carlile and Secret Sisters. That show is scheduled for Monday, June 20, with tickets going on sale Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. for $34 at Big Sky Brewing and Rockin’ Rudys, or online at Ticketfly. Check out the FAQ for more info.
Glad this is staring back up. Stay tuned for updates.
- Matt Pritchard
Is this beer the next great sports drink?
Andrea Henkel of Germany poses with a giant mug of Erdinger Alkoholfrei after the women's sprint race at the Biathlon World Cup on Feb. 12 in Fort Kent, Maine. Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press
A German beer company is marketing its no-alcohol brew as the hot new “fitness drink” for athletes, in line with Gatorade and Powerade. Erdinger Alkoholfre supposedly is an “isotonic, vitamin-rich, no-additive beverage with natural regenerative powers that helps athletes recover from a workout.” It was recently handed out to several top European athletes at the Biathlon World Cup in Maine, and is popular overseas. Although it’s billed as a no-alcohol beverage, it still contains a trace amount, less than 0.5 percent. (more…)
Weekend excursion through Quarry, Lone Peak
I’m back in the office after a nice, long weekend of beer and snowboarding at Moonlight Basin and Big Sky. The weather cooperated and we had some great snow.
On Friday evening, my girlfriend and I stopped by Quarry Brewing in Butte. I’ve had their beer before but never had the chance to visit the taproom. Head brewer and owner Chuck Schnabel was nice enough to take me through the beers on tap, in between serving the thirsty crowd.
A couple that stood out were the Open Cab Copper, an Irish Ale that’s well balanced and slightly sweet, and the Gneiss IPA, an American-style India Pale Ale with citrus undertones that reminded me a lot of Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Co. The most exotic beer on tap was the Smokey Quartz Rauch, which lives up to its name. It packs a sweet, smoky flavor that’s interesting, but I couldn’t see myself finishing a pint of it.
On Sunday, we hit up Lone Peak Brewery in Big Sky and it was a less-than-memorable experience. I’ve been to Lone Peak before and had a great time. The beer is tasty and the space boasts a shuffleboard table – always an added bonus. I had the new Sheepeater Bock, which has an amber hue and a black liquorice finish, and the Headplant Pale Ale, an inviting blend of malt and hops that’s very easy to take down.
This time around though the problem was the service. Just as I started on my second beer, the staff all decided to take shots. The area is set up so the brewery portion is split away from the restaurant/taproom, so they can serve food and liquor. Now I’m all for having a good time, but it was 6:30 p.m. and having the people pouring me craft beer turn around and down vodka just wasn’t working. It’s not going to stop me from going there again, I just may go earlier next time.
- Matt Pritchard
Montana taproom hours bill tabled by Senate panel
In a contentious and heated hearing, Senate Bill 202, which aims to shift hours that breweries can serve beer from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. to noon-10 p.m., was tabled on a 10-1 vote Thursday by the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee of the Montana Legislature, in a meeting that lasted nearly an hour and a half.
The hearing turned from a talk about shifting hours to a talk about Montana’s liquor-licensing system in general. Not surprisingly, the Montana Tavern Association and most of those with cabaret and all-liquor licenses opposed the meaure, saying they don’t want to have to compete with taprooms that pay a fraction of the costs they do to serve alcohol.
At one point near the end of the hearing, Sen. Ryan Zinke, R- Whitefish, was asked by Chairman Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, “What were you drinking when you agreed to sponsor this bill?” (Zinke’s answer, jokingly, was “beer.”)
The measure now is effectively dead, but the issue could be brought up again attached to another draft bill relating to the brewing industry.
A proposal called the Made in Montana Brewery Act, which was mentioned during the hearing, is something Zinke has been trying to work on with the Montana Brewers Association and the Tavern Association, but talks have recently dissipated as the Brewers Association and the Tavern Association have not been able to agree on what licensing price would be fair for existing breweries and new breweries. The proposal could lift the restrictions on the amount of beer that breweries can export, currently 10,000 barrels, and still serve pints in their taprooms, among other changes. However, no progress has been made on the proposal.
Another possibility would be a bill to revamp the entire system, something that the Legislature has talked about for a long time with no progress.
- Matt Pritchard
You can now have a beer with your dog, sort of
www.frontcountry.com
More than a year ago, Mike Ries, a Montana State University student, noticed his dog going to town on the remains of a batch of beer he had just made. Intrigued, Ries and Meredith Leavens looked up some recipes online and decided to bake some treats out of the spent malt barley. The result turned out to be a hit with Stella, a border collie-Labrador mix, and other dogs around Bozeman.
A year later, the couple’s venture, Brewies, has grown and they’ve moved the operation out of their kitchen and into ovens at Great Harvest Bread Co. once a week. Since demand has been so high, they no longer use the actual remains of the beer-making process. Instead, they’ve modified the snacks to a mixture of “barley, flour, peanut butter, eggs, flax meal and olive oil.” Brewies are available in pet stores around Bozeman and can be ordered online.
Check out the full story from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle here.
- Matt Pritchard
Hearing on bill to shift taproom hours set Thursday morning
The Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee will hear Senate Bill 202 by Sen. Ryan Zinke, R-Whitefish, at 9 a.m. Thursday in Room 422 at the Capitol in Helena. As written about before, the measure aims to shift taproom hours from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. to noon-10 p.m. If you support the bill there are a couple of things you can do. First, you can attend the hearing and tell the panel why this bill is good for Montana. Second, you can contact your lawmaker and let them know you want this legislation to pass. Here’s a list of the committee members and their e-mail addresses: (more…)
Missoula Winter BrewFest deemed successful, crowded
Around 4,000 people attended the Winter BrewFest at the Historic Missoula Mercantile on Saturday, 1,500 more than organizers had expected, according to a report in the Missoulian.
I can vouch that it was extremely busy, and that I arrived far too late. By the time I walked through the doors at around 5:30 p.m., the glasses were gone (sold out an hour before) and volunteers were handing out plastic cups with an extra token inside. That would have been good if there was beer left to drink. Blacksmith Brewing, Bitterroot and others ran out of one or more of their beers by the time I wandered in, and long lines stood in front of me and the beer that was left. I’ll live.
It was great to see so many people come out and support the cause for Caras Park, especially since it’s probably the only time an event like that will take place in the mercantile. Don’t count out the Winter BrewFest for next year though, as the Missoula Downtown Association will more than likely find some other place to house it, hopefully with a little more room and a lot more beer.
- Matt Pritchard
Chocolate beer for a happy Valentine’s Day
If you’re still scrambling for a gift for that special someone, and that special someone loves beer and chocolate, then consider Kettlehouse Brewing Co.’s Oatmeal Chocolate Porter, brewed with coco nibs from Missoula’s Posh Chocolate. It’s deep and dark with a robust chocolaty taste, perfect to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth this Valentine’s Day. Throw in a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you might find love.
- Matt Pritchard