For me, nothing will take the place of a good, old-fashioned road trip to check out a brewery. But this comes close. Take a few minutes and check out the new Brewery Tour from Blackstarbeer.com. It’s a look at the transformation going on at Great Northern Brewing Company in Whitfish, and it’s one of the nicer Web sites I’ve seen in a while.

Some of the best aspects might be the videos they have posted, particularly the one where they ask people if they can define some interesting brewing terms. So what do you think grist is?

Enjoy,

GG

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After a series of raids at three Philidelphia bars under the same ownership, the dust seems not to want to settle. The raids came after anonymous complaints of the unlawful sale of unregistered brands. As in certain unregistered craft beers, according to this article by BeerNews.org.

What implications does this have for Montana? In reality, not much. Pennsylvania has different liquor controls than Montana has. However, It’s an example of how powerful interests, especially various lobbyists and other groups carry influence that affects the craft beer industry. Alcohol is big money, and for many states, the control of the alcohol business is huge money that has ramifications for many powerful elements like the banking industry.

Here in Montana, the strict controls on the craft brewers continue to inhibit industry because of these nefarious connections. The Montana Tavern Owners Association is a very powerful group, but their power doesn’t just come from within. If I understand it right, the very expensive licenses that are the crux of the issue between craft brewers and tavern owners, are tied to real estate, which is tied to banks, which further convolutes the issue and throws a lot of big muscle behind the Tavern Owners Association.

There is a lot to unpack here, but it brings to light the fact that much will not change in this and other states unless the stakeholders (read craft beer drinkers) participate in the process of reform by starting initiatives to rewrite or do away with the old prohibition-era laws that do nothing but make it difficult to do business and to be able to enjoy craft beer from around the country.

More soon.

Pr0st,

GG

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Green eggs and ham are one thing. I might have trouble with that until I try it. In the craft beer world, I don’t know if it would take so many words to convince someone to try it. I gotta hand it to beer writer Jay Brooks on this one. If only I had time to write like this. Please take a moment and check out this delightful artwork and engaging parody of a Suessian classic on Brookstonbeerbulletin.com.

Prost,

GG

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This is a great review of some of the most popular and easy-to-find Belgian beer styles today, as well as some not-so-easy to find.

Read the New York Times review of Belgian golden ales here.

Prost,

GG

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This Bon Appetit article on canned craft beer is a great example of how craft brewers, especially those in the Rocky Mountain West, are writing the history of beer they way they want to. Sometimes you have to take tradition and history and stuff it in a bottle and send it out to sea. Canning beers, while it has long been the domain of the mega breweries, has become not only acceptable because of craft brewers, it has improved the quality and shelf life of beer. And the carbon footprint is much less than glass.

Prost,

GG

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Check out my article about Blackfoot River Brewing Company in the digital version of Missoula Magazine. It’s the first article on the second set of pages. Just click the little buttons at the bottom of the magazine to scan through it. Clicking on the page will make it big enough to read.

Prost,

GG

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It was Super Bowl Sunday of course. But that’s no excuse. On Friday, I received an E-mail from one Steffen Rasile, of The BarBeerians, asking if I could meet him for a pint at the Kettlehouse on Sunday. Well, I explained that the Kettlehouse Brewing Co. did not keep Sunday hours and suggested Bayern Brewing. We agreed on a 1 p.m. meeting time, apparently, and I settled into my weekend with relish and not a few snifters of Brick & Mortar Imperial Porter.

On Sunday, my phone decided to bail out on me, forcing me to input my password so many times I nearly forgot it. It was too late by then, somewhere between the last beer and the alarm clock, I had it stuck in my head that I was going to meet the Barbeerians at 3 p.m. And so it was that at 1 p.m., when I should’ve been enjoying a pint at Bayern, I was up to my elbows in Frank’s Red Hot, trying to prepare my hot wings for the Super Bowl party later that evening.

So, by way of an explanation, you have my apology Steffen. Please do look me up next time you’re in town, and I shall do the same when I get to Helena next.

And, for all of you Grizzly Growler readers who don’t already know who the BarBeerians are, I’d like to introduce you.

This is a craft beer blog and then some. These Helena guys are serious about beer writing, and they travel too. Great resource for beer lovers in Montana and everywhere. And like they say, follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Prost,

GG

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According to the MSNBC article below, beer is full of dietary silicon, which is really good for bone health. So, if you’re like me and don’t consume a lot of dairy, you might find beer to be just what the doctor ordered for strong, healthy bones.

Read the full article “Beer may be good for your bones.”

Prost,

GG

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Somehow I missed the news that the Scottish brewery that makes Tactile Nuclear Penguin, at one time the world’s strongest beer, had been outbrewed by a German brewery. Given Fox’s propensity to report on extremes, I’m not surprised by this story about the world’s strongest beers.

Prost,

GG

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I’m heading out to see Avatar at Salem’s new CineBarre. The idea behind these movie theater pubs is not new, but I’m starting to see more and more of these popping up around the country. Missoula has the Wilma, of course, but I wouldn’t mind seeing a few other chain theaters catering to those of us who enjoy a beer with out movie without having to sneak one through the doors in your wife’s purse.

Prost,

GG

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