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.

As far as the SaveOnBrew.com site is concerned, it’s limited but it does have potential. Only three stores came up when I typed in Missoula and the craft beer selection left much to be desired. But if they added Orange Street and Patte Creek Market I could see it being useful on occasion.

- Matt Pritchard

This week, Sen. Max Baucus held the first meeting of the Small Brewers Caucus, which he co-chairs with Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo. The caucus aims to showcase issues important to craft brewers and push those issues forward. Montana’s barley and the role it plays in the brewing industry was the focus of this week’s meeting:

I wanted to let you know that this week we held the first ever meeting of the Senate and House Small Brewers Caucus to discuss the importance of barley to American agriculture, issues facing the industry, and barley’s critical role in developing malt essential for high quality craft beer. Barley contributes nearly a billion dollars to the U.S. economy and supports jobs in rural America. Although barley is the third largest feed grain crop in the U.S. it is increasingly used for nutritious food, malting and brewing.

I believe Montana’s barley is second to none and our craft beers are the finest in the nation. To elevate the profile of our growing number of Montana small brewers who are creating jobs when our state needs it most, I honored all of them as part of my “Montana Jobs Economic Engine Initiative.” Beer from one of our economic engines, Big Sky Brewing in Missoula, was showcased as we met with members of the National Barley Growers Association and the Brewers Association.

To read the full letter from Baucus, click here.

- Matt Pritchard

I grew up outside of Chicago and even after living in Montana for more than 15 years I’m still a White Sox fan. So when I saw that Frank Thomas has his own craft beer I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post something about it.

Unfortunately, after seeing some reviews for Big Hurt Beer, my enthusism has waned. It’s dubbed as a “crisp full-flavored imperial lager with All-Star taste and a smooth finish,” which is a bit cheesy. Plus, it comes in a 24 oz. can, so that’s rarely a good thing when it comes to craft beer.

Nonetheless, next time in Chicago or Las Vegas (the only places Big Hurt is available) I’ll no doubt have to give it a shot.

- Matt Pritchard

Lewis and Clark Brewery’s Sean Tobin, left, and Gary Hicks help guide in one of two new tanks that arrived Tuesday from Portland, Ore. Photo by Eliza Wiley/Independent Record

We here in Montana are lucky. Not only are new breweries opening up all around us, such as Higherground Brewing, Bowser Brewing, Draught Works and 406 Brewing Co., but existing breweries are expanding just as rapidly. Lewis and Clark Brewing in Helena is one of those places. The brewery last year moved into a new and much larger location, and just this week installed some new tanks in one their first moves to meet growing demand for their beer. Hit the jump for the full story from the Helena Independent Record.

By BUTCH LARCOMBE Helena Independent Record
Workers at Lewis and Clark Brewing guided two large, blue-clad tanks through the door Tuesday, the first step in expanding production and the diversity of the beer that flows from the Helena brewery.
“We are just really excited to be able to grow our operation,” said Sean Tobin, the head brewer at Lewis and Clark.
The tanks were shipped from a manufacturer in Portland, Ore. One, called a “brite beer” tank, is for storage of beer before it is placed in kegs, cans or other dispensers. The other big tank, with a cone-shaped bottom, is for fermentation. Between the two tanks, the brewery’s capacity will increase noticeably.
“We will be able to produce quite a bit more beer,” Tobin said. “There were some issues with us being able to meet the demand in some outlying areas and here in Helena.”
In 2011, Lewis and Clark moved its brewing operation from a location below the Brewhouse restaurant on Lyndale to the former Columbia Paint warehouse on Dodge Avenue. The move provided significantly more room for brewing, and also an expanded taproom, where the brewery sells beer directly to consumers.
The larger home, coupled with the addition of a canning operation, has pushed the need for more production capacity. With beer available in cans, “we have definitely gone through more product than we anticipated,” Tobin said.
Lewis and Clark’s growth mirrors a statewide trend among small brewers, said Tony Herbert, who heads the Montana Brewers Association. Four new breweries started operation in 2011, he said, pushing the total to 23 statewide. Those brewers produce more than 75,000 barrels, or 2.3 million gallons, each year.
“I’m familiar with four or five additional breweries in the planning stages,” Herbert said.
The boom in brewing also includes expansion among existing breweries, including Lewis and Clark. Herbert said Quarry Brewing in Butte recently moved to a new, larger home, and at least one brewery in Billings is eyeing a significant expansion.
In Helena, there are two breweries, both apparently doing well. Blackfoot Brewing moved to a larger building and opened a much larger taproom a couple of years ago.
“Helena is lucky because we’ve got two of the best breweries in the state right here in town,” Tobin said.
On a per-capita basis, Montana is among the leaders in the U.S. in number of breweries, likely trailing only Vermont.
“I believe right now we are No. 2 and moving towards No. 1,” Herbert said.

- Matt Pritchard

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Bonfire Brewing out of Eagle, Colo., has jumped on the Tim Tebow bandwagon with its “Tebrew” barley wine. The logo features “a man crouching as if in prayer but holding up a mug of beer, with the tagline ‘The Sunday Sipper.’ ” Is there anything Tebow can’t do? No. Here’s the story via the Associated Press:

EAGLE, Colo. – A beer inspired by Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has produced big interest for a small brewery in Colorado’s mountains.
Bonfire Brewing’s “Tebrew” is a barley wine, a high-alcohol type of beer. Tebrew has a logo featuring a man crouching as if in prayer but holding up a mug of beer, with the tagline “The Sunday Sipper.“
Bonfire Brewing, in Eagle, Colo., plans to enter the barley wine for competition at the Jan. 7 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival in Vail. The Vail Daily reports that after the brewery put the logo on its Facebook page, calls started pouring in seeking the limited brew.
“It’s been great for the brewery, great for Eagle and great for the state,” brewery co-founder Andy Jessen said.
Jessen acknowledged that he doesn’t know whether Tebow drinks beer or not. He said the brew is more about fans and football than the player.
“It’s just a good time to be in Colorado and be a football fan here,” Jessen said.
Brewery owners say they’re flattered by the attention, but the batch is only 150 gallons. “Tebrew” is available only at the festival and at the small brewery’s tasting room, in 10 ounce servings.
“In the style of 4th quarter heroics, we’re waiting until the last minute to serve it up,” according to the brewery’s Facebook description of Tebrew.
The brewery is also selling T-shirts and mugs featuring the logo.

- Matt Pritchard

Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg is taking on Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois over Saturday’s NAIA football championship, which pits Carroll against Saint Xavier, and good beer is on the line.

According to the Great Falls Tribune, if Carroll wins its second title in a row, the Montana lawmaker will receive a growler from Harrison’s Brewery in Orland Park, Ill. If Saint Xavier prevails, Rehberg will deliver Lipinski two six-packs of Lewis & Clark Amber from the Helena brewery.

This isn’t the first time a Montana congressman has put Lewis & Clark beer up for collateral in a bet over a Carroll College championship game. Last year, Sen. Max Baucus made a similar wager with Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota.

The game kicks off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and will supposedly be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

- Matt Pritchard

Looks like one of my favorite Big Sky Brewing beers is headed the way of the can.

According to CraftCans.com, Big Sky Brewing is in the process of adding its IPA to its canned lineup, which now includes Moose Drool, Scape Goat, Tout Slayer and, seasonally, Summer Honey.

The brewery has three new fermenters arriving next month which will allow for this addition to their canned lineup.

Look for it on store shelves sometime in the spring.

- Matt Pritchard

Dennis Himmelberger is remodeling a building at 3008 First Ave. N., in Billings into a brewery, tap room and coffee shop. Photo by LARRY MAYER/Billings Gazette

Himmelberger Brewing Co. and Angry Hank’s of Billings are both launching separate expansions that’ll put them nearly within arm’s reach on each other.

Dennis Himmelberger of Himmelberger Brewing will be moving his operation out of a Billings home and into a building with six times the space, which will leave room for a new taproom and a coffee shop. He’s been brewing as a wholesaler for the past 17 years.

Angry Hank’s, which already has a Billings brewery/taproom, will have more than double the space at the new location and will likely keep the old taproom open for the foreseeable future.

Man, it’s tough to quench Montana’s thirst for craft beer.

The full story from the Billings Gazette is after the jump.

By JAN FALSTAD of the Billings Gazette
Brewing beer in Billings is a great business if you want to dodge some of today’s economic darts.
Two of five brewers in Billings have launched separate and ambitious expansion plans for the former Hines Auto Supply buildings on First Avenue North and North 30th Street.
In 1994, Dennis Himmelberger started Himmelberger Brewing Co., and has been brewing beer for wholesale at a home on Custer Avenue for 17 years. He recently purchased a building at 3008 First Ave. N., with six times the space: plenty of room for a larger brewery, his first taproom and a coffee shop.
Fellow brewer Tim Mohr, who runs Angry Hank’s Tap Room at 2405 First Ave. N., bought a lot and a building at 20 N. 30th St. that nearly touches Himmelberger’s property.
Both are tackling major renovations of the buildings, one constructed in 1915.
“I threw out my business plan two years ago. We far exceeded anything we planned on doing,” Mohr said, who started Angry Hank’s taproom and small brewery five years ago in a small garage at 2405 First Ave. N.
By moving six blocks to First Avenue, Mohr will have 2 1/2 times more space.
Himmelberger will have nearly six times the space. He said he’s been too busy with other business interests and his four-term career in the Montana Legislature to expand, but now is his chance. The coffee shop will be a new retail adventure.
“The thought there is that the coffee shop’s better hours are probably what the brewery’s hours aren’t,” he said.
No food service is planned now because two restaurants are right across the street, Himmelberger said.
“I’m all excited. It will be a great deal for both of us,” said Bill “Mac” MacIntyre, who owns Pug Mahon’s Irish Pub and Guido’s Pizzeria.
***
Both entrepreneurs struggled with finding a location with enough parking and with protecting the classic brick walls once they settled on the Hines property.
Mohr bought an empty lot for parking that is set back from First Avenue. It was the home of Hi-Mountain Recreation before the building was destroyed by fire in 2006.
Architect Alex Tommerup at AT Architecture Inc. in Billings Heights said Mohr wants to keep the brick wall look, but modern building codes mandate that one side be insulated so the building will be more energy-efficient.
“He’s trying to leave the place as original as possible on the inside, but meet city codes,” Tommerup said. “We’re saving the brick structure, but you have to cover up one side or the other.”
Mohr said he hopes to be open next June, but called that a “wild guess.” The current Angry Hank’s will stay open, maybe for a couple more years, he said.
Mohr and Himmelberger both looked for land or buildings outside the downtown area, but came back due to parking. The city lets businesses count street parking, so they need smaller parking lots downtown.
“You try to find a spot in the Heights or West End with that kind of parking and they are very hard to find,” Himmelberger said.
Architect Scott Attwood and High Tech Construction are working on Himmelberger’s plans and he hopes to open after Jan. 1.
Calling these properties “wonderful old buildings,” Himmelberger said he wants to preserve as much of their character as possible, including the transom over the door. But, like Mohr, he has to choose between covering the inside or the outside walls.
Neither brewer would say what they paid or what they plan on spending to remodel the buildings.
Billings real estate agent Charlie Hamwey also said he couldn’t disclose the price the two brewers offered Hines Enterprises, but said the deals are filling important commercial property that has been vacant for five years.
“It’s going to be a great redevelopment project for the downtown Billings area,” Hamwey said. “There are a few other white elephants downtown, but these are two of the last buildings that really need to be developed.”

- Matt Pritchard

Here’s yet another article giving Montana credit as one of the best states for beer, and rightfully so.

The Street.com, an online financial newsite, recently came out with its list of 10 Best Beer States for 2011. Rounding out the top 10 is our very own Treasure State.

At 30.5 gallons of beer per year, the average Montana resident’s beer consumption is second-highest in the nation, almost a full gallon ahead of third-place North Dakota and a whopping three gallons ahead of South Dakota … There are some hard winters in Big Sky Country, but there’s plenty of beer to warm those cold nights.

The top 10:

10. Montana
9. Delaware
8. New Hampshire
7. Wisconsin
6. New York
5. Washington
4.  Colorado
3. Oregon
2. Vermont
1. California

- Matt Pritchard

Photo by Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

It may seem counter-intuitive, but more craft breweries are finding themselves pulling out of markets in order to feed their local, and growing, base.

Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland is one that’s seen its local demand boom and thus has curtailed distribution to 13 states. The moves help to save on shipping costs and also allow breweries to keep beer available to local customers. Good if you live near your favorite brewery, bad if you don’t. Read the full story by David Dishneau of the Associated Press after the jump.

By DAVID DISHNEAUAssociated Press

FREDERICK, Md. – Some craft brewers are growing by shrinking.

After years of shipping beer farther and farther away, many small brewers are now shrinking distribution to sell beer more profitably at home.

The strategy reflects the nation’s growing thirst for boutique beers from independent breweries that simply can’t produce enough to meet the demand of a larger market – so they’re putting local customers first.

“The idea of leaving sales territories is not ideal, but demand locally is necessitating it,” said Paul Gatza of the Brewers Association, a craft-beer trade group in Boulder, Colo.

It’s a good problem for Frederick-based Flying Dog Brewery, known for highly-hopped ales with naughty names like Doggy Style and Raging Bitch. Chief Executive Jim Caruso announced in June the company was halting distribution in 13 Southern, Midwestern and Western states to bolster its position in what he called “the new world of craft beer.”

The pullback leaves Flying Dog in 33 states – but probably not for long. In a July interview at the company’s brewing plant in an industrial park, Caruso said he aims to shrink distribution further, with a goal of selling 70 percent of Flying Dog’s output in Maryland, the District of Columbia and northern Virginia within three years. The region currently accounts for about 50 percent of the 1 million cases Flying Dog sells annually.

“If the market in Frederick were such that we could sell a million cases in Frederick, that would be my strategy,” Caruso said.

At the same time, he’s considering building a new brewery, three to five times bigger than the current plant. And Caruso figures he can sell virtually all that beer within a few hundred miles of home.

Brewers like Flying Dog are betting on local growth because there are so many drinkers left to convert. Craft breweries – those selling 6 million barrels or less a year – accounted for just 5 percent of the 204 million barrels of beer sold in the United States last year, according to the Brewers Association. A barrel holds 13.8 cases of beer.

And craft beer’s growth is heady. Sales rose 11 percent by volume in 2010, at a time when overall beer sales slipped 1 percent, the association said.

***

Demand is so strong that craft brewers who’ve spread themselves too thin must ration their beer – supply some distributors and leave others short.

That can get annoying for tavern owners like Kathy Reeder. Her Hempen Hill BBQ in Hagerstown, Md., has a Starr Hill Brewery sign in its front window, but she had none of the Virginia-made beer on tap one recent July night.

She said occasional shortages are acceptable; they can even heighten a brand’s mystique. And she wants to support regional craft brewers. But she can’t let a tap sit idle too long.

“Sometimes we need to move on to other products,” she said.

And there are plenty available. The number of craft brewers has mushroomed from eight in 1980 to more than 1,600 last year. Starr Hill, founded in 1999 in Charlottesville, has at least three newer competitors in northern Virginia alone.

Starr Hill founder Mark Thompson said he’d like to expand production but there’s a long waiting list for necessary equipment, such as brewing kettles and fermenting tanks.

“We only have a certain amount of brewing capacity,” he said. “We are all evaluating reducing the footprint we have and selling more in our local market. And that’s considered a strength, not a weakness.”

Pulling back also saves on shipping costs. Brewers and distributors sometimes swallow part of the transportation costs, but the brewers say they mostly suffer because shipping to far-flung states increases the price of the beer to consumers, making their beer less competitive in distant markets.

Eighteen-year-old New Glarus Brewing Co. of New Glarus, Wis., has thrived by selling beer only in its home state since the late 1990s. The company’s slogan: “Drink indigenous.”

“The idea of continually expanding your footprint and then pretending you’re growing your business, I just don’t see it,” said Deb Carey, the company’s president. “How can you say you’re growing your business if all you’re doing is expanding your territory?”

With annual production exceeding 100,000 barrels and sales running 20 percent above last year, Carey said she’s more interested in making good beer and improving the lives of her 60 workers than in shipping beer cross-country.

“As a craft brewer, my goal is to be part of the fabric of Wisconsin, which is my home state and a place I love,” she said.

Benj Stein, editor of brewing industry trade journal Beer Marketers’ Insights, said craft brewing kingpin Boston Beer Co., maker of Samuel Adams, doesn’t need to pull back because it’s so well-established nationally. And Stein said big international brewers like Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and SABMiller PLC, aren’t losing much to craft brewers because they’re a relatively tiny part of the overall industry.

He said the fight among small craft brewers for local sales will produce some winners and losers, with the victors eventually expanding their reach once again.

“Wide distribution – ultimately, I think that would be the preference over time,” Stein said.

And even as they strive to become known as your friendly or funky or edgy local brewery, craft brewers know that selling into their backyard is just good business, said Starr Hill’s Thompson.

“At the end of the day, we all like to sell beer and make money,” he said. “This is not a hobby for me.”