KURT WILSON/Missoulian

Paul Marshall and Jeff Grant’s Draught Works (pronounced “draft”) has opened its taps. The brewery at 915 Toole Ave. joins the likes of Bayern, Big Sky and Kettlehouse as Missoula’s proper breweries. With Flathead Lake Brewing of Missoula and Tamarack Brewing’s recent arrivals, the Garden City has turned into quite the craft-beer mecca.

On tap now is the Clothing Optional pale, Scepter Head IPA and Gwin Du stout, the Shadowcaster alt and Quill Pig czech pilsner will follow later this month. The brewery opens at noon and stays open until 8 p.m., seven days a week.

I had a chance to check it out on Thursday night and the place certainly impresses. It has an open feel with a big bar, tables, dart boards and a deck that unfortunately won’t get its proper use until next summer.

I don’t think Missoulians will have any problem drinking Paul and Jeff’s beer, and if you want to try it Friday, you’d better get there early.

- Matt Pritchard

Tom Bauer/Missoulian

The Missoula Downtown Association will hold the inaugural Winter BrewFest on Saturday, Feb. 12., from 1-7 p.m. on the main floor of the old Macy’s building in downtown Missoula. The event, which takes place during the opening weekend of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, is a fundraiser for Caras Park and will be the first of its kind in town. (Talk about a great week, an indoor brew fest plus a performance by Yo La Tengo the following Tuesday at the Wilma Theatre.)

Details of what breweries will be there still need to be worked out, but I suspect most of the regional ones will take part. And why not? It sounds awesome.

Jenna Cederberg will have more in Saturday’s Missoulian and online at Missoulian.com.

- Matt Pritchard

An indoor brew fest in February in Missoula? Whoa.

Stay tuned for updates.

- Matt Pritchard

For me, this is a no-brainer. I’ve long wanted taprooms to stay open later, and I think I can speak for everyone I know who drinks craft beer. You can sign it by clicking here.

Here’s more on why the Montana Brewers Association is proposing the change:

• Meets the expectations of Montanans and the visiting public and tourists

• Provides for growth in the use of Montana grown agricultural products

• Creates jobs at Montana breweries

• Enables reinvestment in brewing capacity at Montana breweries

• Lifts unneeded restrictions that inhibit industry growth

• Supports free enterprise concepts in the marketplace

• Better fits with many Montana worker’s schedules, who work past 7 or 8pm

• Aligns better with other regional state’s laws, which have no hours restrictions

• Helps Montana small businesses grow jobs and make investments

• Supports a viable, growing, and responsible industry in the state

• Aligns with winery laws, which have no serving hours restrictions

• Shifts, but does not increase, tap room serving hours

- Matt Pritchard

Johnston says they have been knocking around the idea for years but got serious about in March. After tinkering with the idea, they moved forward with label design and sent them off to D.C. for federal approval. Johnston’s not sure how much longer that will take (it could be in the next few days), and after that they must be sent to the state of Montana for the OK.

When the bureaucratic work is done, they can then start printing the labels and start the bottling process. Their machine is all ready to spit out 22 oz. “bombers,” which FLBC decided to go with rather than the standard 12 oz. bottles.

Johnston has already talked with two distributors in western Montana and says he’s hopeful the beers will be in a store near you by early 2011, if not a little before.

- Matt Pritchard

Marshall, who is co-brewer along with his partner, says the brewery will feature five beers: a pale ale, an IPA, a pilsner, a wheat beer and an oatmeal stout. They also plan some seasonal beers and several Hellgate high-gravity creations.

A tap room and some outdoor seating are planned at the location, and Marshall says the brewery will distribute its beer starting out with a few vendors and moving on from there.

Hellgate Brewing Co. incorporated early this year and has been in the works for a while, but with the location nailed down and a few more investors, Marshall says he’s optimistic and excited about the opening.

Marshall is a 1988 graduate of Hellgate High School and a graduate of the University of Montana. He and his partner are both graduates of the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, which is known for its brewing program.

Keep reading Grizzly Growler for more updates.

- Matt Pritchard

In fact, sales of craft beers have increased by about 50 percent over the last five years.

Consider these interesting bits of intell from the Chicago Tribune:

By EMILY BRYSON YORK

Chicago Tribune

 The economic downturn hurt the restaurant industry and canceled a lot of travel plans, but it hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for the ales, lagers, stouts and other specialty brews known as craft beers.

 While overall beer sales fell by 2 percent last year, the first decline in six years, the craft segment keeps growing. Craft beers still account for just 4.5 percent of U.S. consumption, but sales have increased by about 50 percent over the last five years, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.

 And that’s got big brewers looking for a bigger piece of the action.

 It’s particularly evident in Chicago, where Guinness, an import owned by London-based Diageo is testing a craft beer-like specialty brew, Guinness Black Lager in local bars, groceries and liquor stores. Chicago-based MillerCoors, meanwhile, has established an independent division, christened Tenth and Blake Beer Co., to nurture its craft and import beers, including Blue Moon, Leinenkugel, Peroni and Pilsner Urquell.

 ”Craft beers and imports have done surprisingly well,” said Tom Ryan, spokesman for Tenth & Blake, noting that the recession has been hard on beer and other discretionary purchases. “There are a lot more choices out there and people are perhaps choosing to buy fewer beers, and maybe with a little more flavor.”

 Ryan said craft sales have been on the uptick with young, urban professionals for a number of years, while total beer category sales were relatively stable until last year, when sales began to decline. The slide has continued this year, as 21- to 35-year-old men, a key beer-drinking segment, have been disproportionately affected by rising unemployment.

 Harry Schuhmacher, editor of Beer Business Daily, said the beer industry hasn’t suffered declines this steep since the federal excise tax was doubled in 1992, and there haven’t been consecutive year declines of this magnitude since Prohibition.

 As for the rise in craft beer sales, experts point to a broader shift in taste preferences, price sensitivity and drinking occasions.

 ”There is a generational shift that is further advanced than is generally recognized,” said Benj Steinman of Beer Marketer’s Insights. “There are consumers that are increasingly choosing sort of the flavor, diversity and innovation of the craft brewers if they can access it economically.” Craft beers are generally much more expensive than their mass market counterparts.

So worry not, craft beer aficionados, the future looks wet – and wild.

Preparations for opening a new eatery and tasting room in Missoula are moving right along.

Here’s the latest from Sandy Clare:

Things are going well in Missoula and it looks like a Nov. 9th opening. We will have Montana hand crafted beers from Flathead lake Brewing Company, Kettlehouse, and others. For those grape lovers we will also have a few wines on hand. We’ll be serving Shrimp Po’ Boys, Glacier Buffalo Chili, and The Bar Burger (featuring local beef) dishes to name just a few. We’ll have live music on the weekends and be doing community events on Wednesdays. More info to come soon. You can check out Flathead Lake Brewing Company of Missoula on Facebook for more updates.

Watch, too, in Monday’s Missoulian – when reporter Betsy Cohen will have a story on the plans for not only Flathead Lake Brewing, but for a new downtown restaurant and a cooking school.

It’s one Evan Taylor, a past recipient of the Glen Falconer Scholarship and a graduate of Siebel. Taylor came to Montana from Bend, Oregon and spent some time brewing at Silver Moon Brewing Company. Zeilstra has a lot of faith in Taylor, and to fit into Zeilstra’s award-winning shoes is a tall order, so things are looking good in Billings.

I first met Travis at the Great American Beer Festival in 2007. He won numerous awards, including the prestigious Small Brew Pub of the Year, beating out thousands of other small breweries across the United States.

Since then, he’s been a great advocate serving as President of the Montana Brewer’s Association and otherwise providing leadership and advocacy for the craft brewing industry in Montana.

Here’s a little note direct from Travis:

The new brewery will be called “Black Tooth Brewing Co.” it is named after “Black Tooth Peak” which is located in the Bighorn Mtns. and this peak can be seen from the town of Sheridan. I have been planning on opening my own brewery for several years but this was the year that seemed the most realistic. I chose to open a brewery/taproom in Sheridan because one there is no brewery in town like this at this time and the red tape in Wyoming is significantly less than in Montana.

Black Tooth Brewing Company in the news.

While I’m sad to see him leaving Montana, Sheridan is only about 30 miles from the border, so I’m going to keep a good eye on the happenings at Black Tooth Brewing Company.

Cheers Travis, and good luck. I look forward to sitting down to a pint of beer with you at the new brewery soon!

GG

Well, the good news, so it seems, is that Flathead Lake Brewing Company seems to be in talks with a new Missoula business to open a tap room at or above Higgins Alley. I have no details on the deal yet, but the rumor seems pretty solid at this point. I’m not at liberty to reveal my sources on this, but suffice it to say they have never let me down.

Also, an E-mail information request sent to FLBC was not returned.

I’ll have more information as soon as it is available. Meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for other Montana breweries opening tap rooms in and around Missoula. Seems to be the hottest spot for beer drinkers in the Treasure State right now.

Prost,

GG