New Belgium’s Clips of Faith film, beer tour heads to Missoula on Aug. 17
Missoula is again one of the 18 lucky cities to host New Belgium’s Clips of Faith tour. The annual film and beer celebration comes to Caras Park on Friday, Aug. 17, beginning at 8 p.m. and lasting until 11. The event, which pairs New Belgium’s beers with user-submitted short films, will be a fundraiser for Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula. Last year’s Missoula stop raised more than $2,200 for the nonprofit.
Beers slated to be in attendance include Cocoa Mole Ale, Biere de Mars, Tart Lychee, Somersault, La Folie, Fat Tire, Ranger, 1554, Trippel, Abbey, Blue Paddle, Belgo IPA, Shift and possibly more. Food will also be available from one of my favorite spots, Blue Bison, and Empanadas.
Here’s the full spiel from New Belgium:
“We took our love for beer and fans and put them together in this one-of-a-New-Belgium-kind event. You’ll get to try our most esoteric beer offerings – up to 16 varieties on tap! – and pair them with inspiring short films created by fans. The best part is that 100% of the proceeds from beer sales benefit a local non-profit who are working to improve your community.
“Fans of our Lips of Faith beers know these unique brews are not always easy to find. There will also be your favorite New Belgium classics and you can try them in 3oz samples, or a 12oz pour. Served up by our local beneficiary volunteers, there’s plenty of beer fun to be had with our other traveling tricks and contests. Plus, local vendors will be serving food. When the darkness engulfs us, the films start rolling and you get to cozy up on your blanket or chairs and enjoy the show.
“So, find the city nearest you and support your community by coming out and drinking beer!”
- Matt Pritchard
Missoula finishes middle of pack in BeerCity USA 2012 poll
Missoula finished in 18th place out of a total of 31 cities in the annual BeerCity USA poll, while Asheville, N.C., and Grand Rapids, Mich., shared the title this year. In total, Missoula had 402 out of the 55,926 votes cast, according to Charlie Papazian’s article. Not bad. Not good, but not bad.
Here’s this year’s top 5:
1. Asheville, N.C., 17,849
1. Grand Rapids, Mich., 17,849
3. St. Louis, Mo., 3,451
4. Bend, Ore., 2,270
5. Portland, Ore., 2,014
- Matt Pritchard
Vote for Missoula as best beer city
Voting is currently under way for the title of BeerCity USA 2012 and Missoula is again one of 31 cities in the running. Notorious beer city Asheville, N.C., has won three times and is probably the favorite again this time around, unless thirsty Missoulians see fit to do something about that.
The poll ends May 13 and you can only share your thoughts once.
Vote for Missoula here.
- Matt Pritchard