Missoula biotech firm looks to turn brewery waste into shaving cream, soap

Adrienne Bull, a chemical engineer from Corvallis, pours a biochemical product into a vessel last September. Photo by KURT WILSON/Missoulian

Blue Marble Bio, a biotech firm with a facility in Missoula, has teamed with InBev (present owners of Anheuser-Busch) to turn brewery waste into products such as shaving cream and soap. It basically works by converting the waste into carboxylic acid, which then can be used in cleaning supplies and grooming products.

Of course, reusing the remains of the brewing process is nothing new. Often what’s left is used as livestock feed. But this process could lead to a new market for the leftovers.

Blue Marble Bio began testing waste grain from Anheuser-Busch about a year ago and is scaling up the process for a small facility in Missoula.

If all goes well, Blue Marble will develop a pilot-scale biorefinery at an Anheuser-Busch brewery at a yet to be identified location.

Read the full story here.

- Matt Pritchard

Bakken Brew Fest springs up in Sidney

In yet another example of just how much eastern Montana has grown over the past few years due to the Bakken oil fields, the border town of Sidney is gearing up to host the Bakken Brew Fest.

Beer will be flowing at the Richland County Fair Event Center on Saturday, March 10, from 7 to 11 p.m. with brewers such as Beaver Breek, Red Lodge Ales, Madison River and more pouring. The Clintons will be providing the sounds. Tickets are a whopping $50, with part of the proceeds going toward the Sherry Arnold Scholarship Fund.

Sidney’s only about 600 miles from Missoula, so you’re probably going to have to be pretty thirsty to make the trek from here.

- Matt Pritchard

Bigfork adds hockey tournament to annual brewfest

The Bigfork Brewfest takes place Saturday and hockey lovers will be happy to know there’s a special tournament this year just for them.

The third annual brewfest will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 3 to 7 p.m. in downtown Bigfork. Tickets are $20 at the door, but you can save $5 by picking them up before Friday at Great Northern Brewery in Whitefish, Shepard’s Glass in Kalispell and Glacier Sotheby’s & The Jug Tree in Bigfork. Proceeds this year go toward the Bigfork Youth Coalition, the Ski Bus, the community Foundation for a Better Bigfork and the Children’s Theater. Brewers are the usual suspects: Tamarack, Great Northern, Madison River, Flathead Lake, Glacier, Draught Works, Bitter Root, Blackfoot River, Blacksmith, etc …

In addition to the brewfest on Saturday, the inaugural Continental Divide Brewers Hockey Challenge takes place at the Woodland Ice Center in Kalispell. Four teams filled with beer folks will face off against one another starting Friday at 8 p.m. through Saturday night. Donations will be accepted to help out Flathead Valley youth hockey programs.

Go on, check it out.

- Matt Pritchard

Sierra Nevada beer tasting, talk to focus on sustainability

The Montana Sustainable Business Council has two events up its sleeve this week as the sustainability coordinator of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (one of the pioneers of the American Pale Ale) comes to Missoula.

Cheri Chastain will be at The Loft (119 W. Main St.) on Wednesday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a Sierra Nevada beer tasting and question-and-answer session. Cost is $10 unless you are an SBC member, in which case it’s free. RSVP and submit a question here.

On Thursday, Chastain will hold a talk on Sierra Nevada’s sustainability practices in the Gallagher Business Building in Room 106 on the UM campus. The event is free and starts at 6 p.m.

- Matt Pritchard

Kettlehouse Kolledge classes begin Feb. 20

I’m back in college now and I can tell you it’s not as fun of a time as Kettlehouse Kolledge looks to be.

Kettlehouse Brewing Co. is starting up classes at the Northside on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m. beginning Feb. 20 and lasting until March 20. There are four sessions: a brewery tour (with a free pint), a tasting with a Kettlehouse brewer, one homework assignment and a flight special. You can sign up at either the Northside or Myrtle Street location beginning at noon on Feb. 20. Space is limited so if you’re thinking about doing this you’d better be proactive.

Unlike real school, tuition is FREE. Plus, if you complete Kolledge, there’s graduation party at the Union Club on March 29.

- Matt Pritchard

Beer cupcakes? Why not?

Here’s something a little different. My mom sent me this recipe via Pinterest (which Grizzly Growler is now a part of, so please follow) for beer cupcakes. The recipe calls for Corona or Blue Moon because the cupcakes are citrusy, but I would ditch those options and substitue Beltian White or any other craft beer that you like to pair with a slice of orange or lime.

Now, since I don’t bake I don’t see eating these in the future. But if anyone out there has a sweet tooth and loves beer, let me know how these turn out.

- Matt Pritchard

‘Drinking Made Easy, Missoula’ hits airwaves Feb. 29

Mark your calendar. Zane Lamprey’s “Drinking Made Easy” featuring Missoula airs Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 6 p.m. In the show, Lamprey and sidekick Steve McKenna hit up the Iron Horse, Big Sky Brewing, the Rhino with Bayern Brewing’s Jürgen Knöller, Reds, Bodega and the Testicle Festival. If you’re not familiar with the show, the premise is pretty simple: you watch Lamprey and McKenna drink … a lot. There’s also a drinking game involved, pleepleus and some witty banter.

I checked out a preview and the episode is definitely worth watching if you get a chance. The show airs on HDNet , which is available on DirecTV and Dish Network, so set you DVR.

- Matt Pritchard

Bleacher Report loves Big Sky Brewing Co.

Bleacher Report is counting down the weeks to the start of the 2012 college football season with, you guessed it, beer. The site has 30 beers for the 30 weeks that remain and among the picks are Moose Drool, Big Sky IPA, Scape Goat and Trout Slayer. Check out the full 30 here.

- Matt Pritchard

List of beers on tap at Missoula Winter BrewFest

The Missoula Winter BrewFest is on Saturday at the old Safeway building next to St. Pat’s on Broadway. Cost is $10 for a 7-ounce glass and two tokens, and $1 per token thereafter. The party starts at 2 and lasts until 8 p.m. Here’s the full beer list according to the Missoula Downtown Association. Looking forward to All Souls and anything by Blacksmith. (more…)

Wow, we’re going to drink a lot of beer on Super Bowl Sunday

SaveOnBrew.com, which dubs itself as the “world’s only beer price-search engine,” has this crazy infographic up about how much beer Americans will consume on Super Bowl Sunday – 50 million cases. (more…)