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

Bitter Root Brewing Co. in Hamilton is celebrating American Craft Beer Week with beer, music and food throughout the week. Here’s the lineup:

Tuesday, May 15

• All beers $3, $1 off growler fills
• Trivia Tuesday
• Shellfish and beer pairings on the grill

Wednesday, May 16

• One keg of Belgian Barley Wine
• Game night
• Shellfish and beer pairings on the grill

Thursday, May 17

• Music by John Floridis
• Door prizes
• Shellfish and beer pairings on the grill

Friday, May 18

• Belgian Trippel on tap
• ’80s night
• Shellfish and beer pairings on the grill

Saturday, May 19

• Steel Toe Floes to perform
• Select merchandise will be on sale
• Shellfish and beer pairings on the grill

Sunday, May 20

• Music by Joan Zen
• Montana A Capella Pint Night Fundraiser from 2 until 7 p.m.
• All beers $3, $1 off growler fills

- Matt Pritchard

A friend of mine is part of the Grizzly Scholarship Association so I thought I’d pass this along to anyone interested in downing some beer for a cause.

Missoula’s Tamarack Brewing Co. is holding a Community Tap Night tonight (Tuesday, May 15) to help out the GSA. For every beer sold, 75 cents goes toward the organization. The event takes place from 6 until 9 p.m.

Here’s a little about the GSA:

Each year, Montana Grizzly Scholarship Association donors give The University of Montana the financial strength to educate deserving student-athletes and to build programs that we can all take pride in. We face the enormous challenge of rewarding dedicated student-athletes with scholarship assistance. The GSA has committed $1.4 million toward scholarship expenses for the upcoming academic year.

- Matt Pritchard

So this is a bit late, but like they say, better late than never (plus I’ve had finals).

The 20th annual Garden City Brewfest was held last Saturday at Caras Park as part the first Missoula Beer Week. I really need to remember to head over to these shindigs earlier. I always seem to show up around 4 or 5 p.m. and by then the good kegs are dry and the haze of alcohol has settled in on most everyone except me. Anyway, from what I saw there was a good turnout despite the chilly weather.

Here are the winners:

Best American Ale – Ninkasi Spring Reign
Best Belgian – Flathead brewing Co. Dirty Ginger
Best Dark Ale – Ninkasi Oatmeal Stout
Best Fruit Beer – Shock Top
Best IPA – Blackfoot Brewing Co. Single Malt IPA
Best Lager – Wild Wood Brewing Co. Ambitious Lager
Best Light Ale – Glacier Brewing Co. Golden Grizzly
Best Specialty – Deschutes Brewing Co. Chainbreaker White IPA
Best of Montana – Wild Wood Brewing Co. Ambitious Lager
Best of Show – Ninkasi Oatmeal stout

If my memory serves me, I had the Clearwater Crystal Ale by Higherground Brewing, Dortmunder Export Lager by Big Sky Brewing, Stone Brewing IPA, Hippy Highway Oatmeal Stout by Lone Peak Brewing and Ninkasi’s Oatmeal Stout.

The Oatmeal Stout by Ninkasi Brewing and Big Sky’s Dortmunder definitely stood out for me. Opposite ends of the spectrum for sure.

- Matt Pritchard

Several Montana breweries took home some hardware over the weekend during the 2012 World Beer Cup awards ceremony. Nearly 800 breweries throughout the world entered close to 4,000 beers into the competition, which took place at the beginning of May and is held every two years.

Montana breweries entered 29 beers and four of those won awards. The big winner was Montana Brewing Co., which took home a gold medal for its Whitetail Wheat. Lewis and Clark Brewing received a silver for its Miner’s Gold, and Missoula’s own Kettlehouse Brewing Co. won bronze for Cold Smoke.

Montana Brewing Co.

Category: American-style wheat beer with yeast
Gold medal – Whitetail Wheat

Category: Ordinary or special bitter
Silver medal – Happy Hour Hero Ale

Lewis and Clark Brewing

Category: American-style wheat beer with yeast
Silver medal – Miner’s Gold

Kettlehouse Brewing Co.

Category: Scotch Ale
Bronze medal – Cold Smoke

Head over here for a full listing of all 95 categories and winners.

- Matt Pritchard

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

Hit the jump for a partial listing of beers courtesy of the Missoula Downtown Association:

• Maibock (wooden barrel), Bayern Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
• Dump Truck Summer Bock, Bayern Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
• Barrel-Aged Double Haul IPA, Kettlehouse Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
• Midnight Sawyer Black Lager, Kettlehouse Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
• Red Dread Imperial Red Ale, Bitterroot Brewing Company, Hamilton, Montana
• Huckleberry Hefeweizen, Bitterroot Brewing Company, Hamilton, Montana
• Flathead Cherry Ale, Glacier Brewing Company, Polson, Montana
• Golden Grizzly Ale, Glacier Brewing Company, Polson, Montana
• Single Malt IPA, Blackfoot Brewing Company, Helena, Montana
• Bavarian Pils, Blackfoot Brewing Company, Helena, Montana
• Salmon River Honey Rye, Madison River Brewing Company, Belgrade, Montana
• Hop Juice (Double) IPA, Madison River Brewing Company, Belgrade, Montana
• Centennial IPA, Flathead Lake Brewing Company, Bigfork, Montana
• Dirty Ginger Ale, Flathead Lake Brewing Company, Bigfork, Montana
• Head Plant Pale Ale, Lone Peak Brewery, Big Sky, Montana
• Hippy Highway Oatmeal Stout, Lone Peak Brewery, Big Sky, Montana
• Twilight Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon
• Chainbreaker White IPA, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon
• Kellerweis, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California
• Torpedo Extra IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California
• IPA, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, California
• Lucky 13 Alt, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, California
• Summer Ale, Samuel Adams Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts
• Norse Legend (Sahti), Samuel Adams Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts
• Black IPA, Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau, Alaska
• Red Tail Ale, Mendocino Brewing Company, Hopland, California
• Chateau Rogue Oregasmic, Rogue Brewing Company, Newport, Oregon
• Summer Shandy, Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
• Belgian White Wheat Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado
• Crisp Apple Cider, Angry Orchard Cider Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Missouri
• Shock Top Lemon Shandy, Aneuser-Busch, St. Louis, Missouri
• Double IPA, Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
• Anniversary Dormunder Export Lager, Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
• Widmer Drifter Pale Ale, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Oregon
• Widmer Citra Blonde, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Oregon
• Redhook Wit, Red Hook Brewing Company, Woodinville, Washington
• Stone Brewing IPA, Stone Brewing Company, San Diego, California
• New Belgium Summer Sault, New Belgium Brewing Company, Ft. Collins, Colorado
• New Belgium Dig Pale Ale, New Belgium Brewing Company, Ft. Collins, Colorado
• Wild Huckleberry Lager, Great Northern Brewing, Whitefish, Montana
• Wheatfiish Hefeweizen, Great Northern Brewing, Whitefish, Montana
• Beltian White, Harvest Moon Brewery, Belt, Montana
• Nut Brown, Harvest Moon Brewery, Belt, Montana
• Longboard, Kona Brewing Company, Kona, Hawaii
• Kona Wailua Wheat, Kona Brewing Company, Kona, Hawaii
• Highlander Beer, Missoula Brewing Company, Missoula, Montana
• Spring Reign, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene, Oregon
• Oatmeal Stout, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene, Oregon
• Mica Maibock, Quarry Brewing Company, Butte, Montana
• Shale Pale Ale, Quarry Brewing Company, Butte, Montana
• Select Amber, Bozone Brewing Company, Bozeman, Montana
• Hopzone IPA, Bozone Brewing Company, Bozeman, Montana
• Scepter Head Indian Pale Ale, Draught Works Brewery, Missoula, Montana
• English Summer Ale, Draught Works Brewery, Missoula, Montana
• Bodacious Bock, Wildwood Brewing Company, Stevensville, Montana
• Discerning Pilsner, Wildwood Brewing Company, Stevensville, Montana
• Flashflood Milk Stout, Higher Ground Brewing Company, Hamilton, Montana
• Clearwater Crystal Ale, Higher Ground Brewing Company, Hamilton, Montana
• Nosferatu Imperial Ale, Bowser Brewing Company, Great Falls, Montana
• Electric City IPA, Bowser Brewing Company, Great Falls, Montana

If you didn’t have a reason to drink beer this week, better clear your calendar and help celebrate the brews of the Garden City.

- Matt Pritchard

What they say:

What is good in life? The snow falling in desirous drifts across a steep alpine meadow? Could it be the mighty guffaws of hearty friends gathered ‘round a tasty feast in the waning winter? Or is the goodness of life possibly contained in a frosty mug, dusted with the tasty froth of a heartfelt brew? Well my friends, I am here to tell you that in our hearts and minds, nothing compares to the sultry curves of a healthy tankard brimming with ale when loving this life. These thirsty thoughts have compelled us to bring together our love of beer and wonderful music to create the ultimate malty love child: 2012 MONTANA BEER FESTIVAL.

Hit the jump for a full listing of breweries.

Breweries

• 406 Brewing Co
• Alaskan Brewing Co.
• Bear Republic Brewing Co.
• Big Hole Brewing Co.
• Big Sky Brewing Co.
• Bitter Root Brewing
• Boulder Beer Company
• Bozeman Brewing Co.
• Carters Brewing
• Kona Brewing Co.
• Redhook
• Widmer Brothers Brewing
• Deschutes Brewery
• Full Sail Brewing Co.
• Grand Teton Brewing Co.
• Great Northern Brewing Co.
• Harvest Moon Brewing Co.
• Lagunitas Brewing Co.
• Lewis & Clark Brewing Co.
• Lone Peak Brewery
• Madison River Brewing Co.
• Neptune’s Brewery
• New Belgium Brewing Co.
• Ninkasi Brewing Co.
• Outlaw Brewing
• Quarry Brewing
• Red Lodge Ales Brewing Co.
• Rogue Brewery
• Samuel Adams
• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
• Snake River Brewing Co.
• Stone Brewing Co.

Gluten Free Beers

• Lakefront
• Bards
• Redbridge
• Greens
• St. Peters

The show was announced Monday and tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. It’ll set you back $44, and if you’re a fan I’m sure you’ll have no problem parting with the cash. You can get tickets on Friday by clicking here, calling 1-877-435-9849 or going to Rockin Rudy’s or Big Sky Brewing.

In case you forgot some of the rules from last year, here’s the concert series FAQ.

- Matt Pritchard