Would I let Oktoberfest go by without a nod to a great German classic? Of course not. And no, I’m not jumping the gun, either, given that the traditional Oktoberfest begins in September and runs through the first Sunday in October. There are quite a number of excellent Oktoberfest/Marzen beers brewed both locally in Montana…
Fall in Montana has rewarded us with a week of beautiful blue skies, very warm temperatures and those cool, crisp mornings that jump start your day. It is my favorite time of year. College football is back. The weather is grand. Nature’s colors dazzle. And . . . . the fall seasonals hit the stores…
Since the news broke in late July that Flathead Lake Brewing Company would be teaming up with a local restaurant to put a new taproom in Montana, I’ve been keeping my eye on the space formerly occupied by Higgins Alley on North Higgins Street in Missoula. There’s plenty going on at the site with extensive…
As a malt-head, I’m much more in tune with the wonderful variety of flavors a brewer can create from the infinite combinations of base malts and specialty grains. From biscuit and grain to caramel, toffee, coffee and nutty flavors, the world of malt awaits. When it comes to hops, it took me a while to…
The 29th Annual Great American Beer Festival kicks off today in Denver, Colorado, hosting more than 520 breweries and 2,200 beers in dozens of styles. Far more beers have been entered in the competition. Tickets to the three-day event sold out five weeks ago and some 50,000 people are expected to attend. I’ve never been…
It’s Sierra Nevada, so you know it’s going to be good. Yet, when Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. announced it would be brewing a series of special beers to celebrate its 30th Anniversary in a collaborative effort with some of the legends of American craft brewing, both the bar and the expectations were raised to great…
Among the new items I spotted this week in the beer isles was Heavy Horse Scotch Ale in 6 packs from Big Sky Brewing Co. in Missoula. Turns out, Heavy Horse is the new name for the previous Stone Thrower Scotch Ale. If memory serves, Stone Thrower was never bottled, so Heavy Horse marks Big…
The wonderful summer season in Missoula is book-ended by two fine brewfests. Signaling the start of fall (though the weather has already done that) is the 12th Annual Maverick Brewfest at Caras Park on Friday, September 10, 2010 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. There will be more than 40 beers on tap along with…
Brooks n Browns, Bayern Brewery, The Trail 103.3, and Summit Beverage are throwing a party in downtown Missoula on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on the lawn outside the Holiday Inn Parkside Hotel. There’s a beer pong tournament to go along with some Bocce Ball and Folf nets. Bayern will…
About a month ago I tried a bottle of Rogue Ale’s Chatoe Rogue First Growth OREgasmic Ale and rather nicely enjoyed it. Studying up on this line of brews from Rogue, brewed with Rogue’s own farm grown malts and hops, I realized I had missed one in the series that is right up my alley:…