In Montana we look for any and every sign that spring is on the way. One of those signs shows up earlier than the rest. Around the last week or so of February each year Bayern Brewing of Missoula releases Killarney, an Irish red lager brewed in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and the Irish…
I’ve become a huge fan of Deschutes Brewing Company’s Reserve Series. These curious, complex beers are an adventure all to themselves. After years of missing out on the Abyss, I was finally able to score a few bottles and have some on tap earlier this winter. I’m guessing Deschutes has significantly increased its production of…
Good weather, a good crowd and good beer combined to create quite a success for the inaugural Bigfork Brewfest on Saturday. Perhaps a bit too successful. Brewers were left scrambling for more kegs when a larger than expected crowd fully drained some offerings in the first hour. Yet, the hundreds in attendance didn’t seem to…
If you need a beer fix this weekend, the place to be is Bigfork, Montana for the first Bigfork Brewfest. Eight breweries have signed up and the organizers are working on three more. The fun kicks off at 3:00 on Saturday in downtown Bigfork (you can’t miss it) with live music, food, beer and K-9…
Word on the street, well, Facebook anyway, is that Highlander Beer is sponsoring the first Celtic Festival in Missoula this July 31, 2010 at Caras Park. The Festival will feature Celtic music, Celtic food and dancing and, of course, Highlander Scottish Ale. Years ago, somewhere around 1999 if memory serves, I remember attending some Highlander…
Do you guys serve food? It is a question asked frequently at Montana breweries’ taprooms and one I’ve heard often. The answer is typically no (hold on, keep reading). As we learned in the last installment of Montana Beer Laws, the sale of alcohol is a highly regulated matter and includes limits on how, when…
Well, sure. I guess when you write a beer blog it’s only natural that gifts from the heart might have a beer theme. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. From my favorite valentine, I received a new set of official UK pint glasses. Awesome. We were curious about the number etched underneath the crown…
Yes, really. Dead Guy Ale is a mainstay of Rogue Brewing. I’ve always been surprised it is a maibock because the hop profile seems too bitter, but nevertheless, that’s what Rogue calls it. I’ve generally not found Dead Guy Ale, to my liking. But when I saw John John Dead Guy Ale on tap at…
I had a few minutes to spare recently which pairs nicely with good fortune when you find yourself a few blocks from one of Montana’s fine breweries. This time it was Bitterroot Brewing Co. in Hamilton, a comfortable spot with a regular line up of six beers nearly always on tap plus two or three…
As the third beer in my IPA round-up, I popped open some Mojo Risin’ Double IPA from Bolder Beer Company. This is the first beer I’ve had from the folks at Boulder Beer, so I headed over to their website to check them out. It is a fun site that’s worth a look around if…