What is Road Bowling, well, as this road bowling page explains, it’s an old Irish sport whereby players toss small cannon balls along a roadway. Much like golf, the lowest number of throws along a pre-determined course wins. There’s much more to it, but if this intrigues you, you’ll be able to play it this coming Saturday, when the Celtic Festival Missoula begins.

The Celtic celebration is twofold, really, one fold is the celebration of Celtic traditions, food and music. The other fold is that it’s a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Highlander beer, Missoula’s very own beer legend.

Add the Young Dubliners, a fantastic Celtic-style band, to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a full-blown Irish celebration.

Here’s the pertinent info:

Join us on the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula, in Caras Park, July 31, 2010

10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Irish Road Bowling (Stimpson Lumber site, Bonner) Register for your hour at the Missoula AOH website
3:00-5:00 p.m. Kids events (facepainting, art table, caber toss) guest appearence by Monte in a Kilt!!
3:00-4:00 p.m. Dillion Junior Fiddlers
4:00-4:15 p.m. Missoula Irish Dancers
4:15-5:00 p.m. The Celtic Dragon Pipe Band and The Missoula Highland Dancers
5:00-7:00 p.m. Malarkey
7:00-9:00 p.m. The Young Dubliners
Have questions? Want to volunteer? Contact us Shannon Lukes at 406-239-0105

Proceeds to benefit Watson’s Children Shelter and the Friends of Irish Studies.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

Live musical acts include Blue to the Bone and Cellar Door. Here’s some information and a link where you can purchase your tickets in advance.

Donate $15 which includes: Admission, your Commemorative Glass and 3 Drink Tickets. Event begins at 3:00pm and the fun goes until 10:00pm in the evening!

Don’t wait in line, get an advanced ticket that you can pick up at the gate. Just bring an ID and we’ll have your ticket(s) waiting for you.

There will be Brews — Wine — Meads — Music — Food — Choice Awards and a great time to be had by all. You will not want to miss our 16th Annual Micro Brew Festival on Saturday, July 24 on 2nd and Bedford in Hamilton.

Share on Facebook

Blackfoot River Brewing Company in Helena is hosting a Community Night to raise money for the Holter Museum of Art. you can get beer, McKenzie River pizza and support a good cause all for $12. I’m told that the proceeds go entirely to Holter.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

Ever wanted to try some of New Belgium Brewing Company’s Lips of Faith beers but couldn’t find them in Missoula? Tonight is your chance. The Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour hits Missoula tonight on it’s way through a 14-city tour in some of the coolest places in America. We’re privileged and in good company on this map.

The Tour hits Missoula this evening, where you’ll be able to try some of New Belgium’s most hard-to-find beers as well as check out 18 of the films selected from more than 80 submissions. The films center on folly, sustainability and craft beer, and the ones we’ve seen so far are great.

And for a shameless little plug, a film by yours truly and a few great collaborators in beer buddies Jon Lewis and Beau McBryde and technical guru David Brown, will be showing tonight as well. It’s the only Missoula film to make it into the tour, and you’ll likely recognize the backdrop. We should, if all goes according to plan, have our chicken star available for autographs later this evening. Her name is Dark Chocolate, but she goes by the stage name Free Ranger in this film. We called our movie “Free Ranger and the Breakfast Beer.”

Everything kicks off at 8 p.m. at Caras Park. Ride your bike down and enjoy some beverage and kick back and watch a good movie with us. The movie will start at dusk.

So please, come on down and show your support for New Belgium’s Beer and Film Tour and for including Missoula on the list of cities to visit. Try some great New Belgium Brewing Company beer and enjoy the films. Oh, and don’t forget to send in your film for next year’s competition. They’re accepting already. Check it out here.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

The second Blacksmith Brewing Company Summer Fest is going on this Friday, and aside from serving their Nitro Black Out Stout and Amarillo Single Hop beers, you can find a ton of other activities going on in Stevensville. Here’s what the brewery says:

Balloons fly Wednesday through Sunday (weather permitting)
Friday the event officially opens. Everything starts at 3 pm. We have 2 bands: they start at 5:30pm and go until 10:30 pm. Free Range and then Cellar Door. Saturday we have a Fireman’s breakfast at 7 am, a car show, kids activities, horse shoe tournament, BBQ rib off, cow pie bingo and then bands start at 5:30. Blue Melon and then Mudslide Charley. The event lasts until approx 10:30 pm.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

I haven’t been to Beaver Creek Brewing Company in far far away, I mean in Wibaux, MT., but from the looks of the upcoming entertainment, it seems to be a happening place. Here’s the info from the brewery:

David Ball, singer of “Thinkin’ Problem”, “Ridin with Private Malone”, and “Look What Followed Me Home” is playing with his full band at Beaver Creek Brewery June 25th. Tickets are on sale now at the brewery. Doors open 4pm show at 6.

The cost is reportedly $20.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

This clip includes pieces of our submission that will be showing at the Missoula Festival July 7. I’ll give you a hint, our film features a chicken, and it’s called “Free Ranger and the Breakfast Beer.”

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

Not to toot my own horn here, but a film I produced with some local beer-drinking brethren was selected along with a few others to be shown at the traveling show that will hit Missoula July 7. You’ll see our little ode to breakfast beer entitled, “Free Ranger and the Breakfast Beer,” on a blowup screen at Caras Park at dusk, according to New Belgium’s website.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

Here are the official results of the 2010 Mountain Brewers’ Beer Festival. I apologize if I missed anyone, the list was kind of difficult to read. Looks as if Bitterroot Brewing and Montana Brewing Company really cleaned house this year. Nice job everyone.

Bayern Brewing – Doppelbock, bronze

Big Sky Brewing Company – Bobo’s Robust Porter, Gold.

406 Series Saison

Bitterroot Brewing – Huckleberry Honey Ale, Silver

Collabeeration Porter, Silver

Munich Helles Bock, Gold

Nut Brown Ale, Gold

Kettlehouse Brewing Company – Cold Smoke, Silver

Madison River Brewing Company – Frostbite Rye Barleywine, Bronze

Copper John Scotch Ale, Gold

Montana Brewing Company – Custer’s Last Stout, Bronze

Whitetail Wheat, Gold

Stillwater Rye, Gold

Two Moon Saison, Gold

Red Lodge Ales – Red Lodge Hefeweizen, Gold

Glacier Ale, Silver

Congratulations to all of our Montana breweries and their phenomenal beers. You’ve proved once again that Montana is home to some of the best brewers in the Rocky Mountain West.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook

This is a great Big Sky Brewing Company event to benefit the Montana Food Bank. Here’s the info:

Don’t Miss The Big Sky BBQ Festival

Saturday June 12th

3:00 to 9:00pm

At Big Sky Brewing Company on Expressway!

Enjoy Live Music by

Tom Catmull and the Clerics, County Line, Russ Nasset and the Revelators, and Zeppo MT!

Great BBQ – Free kid’s activities – and fun for the whole family!

All proceeds benefit the Montana Food Bank Network

Share on Facebook