The good news and joyous celebrations that followed permit approval by the Whitefish City Council on Monday were short lived.  Great Northern Brewing Co. has announced the cancellation of their popular Beer Barter, a major talent show of sorts during the annual Whitefish Winter Carnival. 

The City initially denied the permit after the police chief expressed concerns about underage drinking and open containers.  Brewery officials and City Council members worked out a series of permit conditions that would allow the event to go on.

Those conditions, however, proved too much to take on at this late date.  Great Northern made the announcement this afternoon on its facebook page: 

We’re sorry to announce that the 2014 Great Northern Beer Barter has been cancelled. Although we received the support of some representatives of the City, the indemnification agreement required by the City of Whitefish was unacceptable to our insurance company, therefore making the Beer Barter uninsurable. It has forced us to retract our permit application – we cannot host an event without insurance. Thank you for the support of the Whitefish community and Whitefish Winter Carnival. We hope everyone still joins us at the Brewery to celebrate our 19th Anniversary… the party will start at noon.

Hopefully with more than a few days to scramble, Great Northern and the City can find a more acceptable solution for 2015 and Great Northern’s 20th anniversary.