Belt, you say? Yes, Belt. Montana, that is. Sitting 20 miles east of Great Falls, Belt could easily be 40 miles from the middle of nowhere. From the main highway a mile from town, you wouldn’t even know it was there, thanks to its location tucked down into a steeply banked river bottom.  You can’t see it from the highway. All your eye notices is the rolling agricultural fields and the Highwood Mountains to the east.  But Belt does have a brewery, and that’s what took me there.

I first got a taste of Harvest Moon Brewing Co. when I did a double take at the Jackson Creek Saloon in Montana City back in the 90’s. I asked the bartender what the odd looking tap handle was and she relpied “Pigs Ass Porter.” Now who can turn down a taste of that? Ever since, I’ve had Harvest Moon on my list of places to visit, but Belt isn’t exactly a convenient destination.  Fortunately, I found myself a few miles away one day back in November and decided to make the trip.  If you do the same, call ahead. There don’t appear to be any regular operating hours.

On my visit, the tap room only had four brews: Pigs Ass Porter, Beltian White, Charlie Russell Red, and one I can’t recall.  I was a bit disappointed because I’ve had them all and am always looking for something new to try.  Unlike most of Montana’s breweries, it is clear that Harvest Moon isn’t focusing on tap room sales as a major component of its income. But Beltian White and Pigs Ass Porter are popular staples in many of the grocery stores I frequent and tap handles are prevalent around western Montana’s restaurants and bars.  They appear to be doing well and for good reason. The beer is good. A couple of years ago, Harvest Moon was making a nut brown ale for sale at Riley’s pub in Helena that was perhaps the best I’d ever tasted.  Not sure if it is still on tap, but I’m hoping for another chance to try some other creations from Harvest Moon.