I’ve talked to a lot of craft beer drinkers with whom I share a curious tendency. When a brewery gets “too big” we tend to turn up our nose and figure there’s no more “craft” to the craft brewing. I’ve heard this a lot about Sam Adams. Same with Widmer once they were bought out…
On various occasions in this Blog, I’ve mentioned that a beer was available “on nitro.” What does that mean, you might be asking? Most beers are carbonated with carbon dioxide to varying levels typical of the style of beer or the brewer’s whim. An English brown ale might have relatively low carbonation while a west…
Black IPA. Huh? This was a new one for me, though after reading up about it one could certainly say black IPAs are a strong trend. Whenever enough brewers set out to try something like this it invariably triggers a debate about beer styles. Create a critical mass around a central theme and the beer…
Lisa at The Raven restaurant and bar in Woods Bay, MT, a few miles south of Bigfork, sends word of an awesome idea. They’ve now got voting cards at the restaurant allowing beer drinkers to vote for what Montana brew gets to be “Next Beer on Tap.” I’m occasionally surprised at the relative lack of…
I just got word of an exciting new addition to Montana’s brewfests and a great reason to visit Bigfork, MT in late February. The Bigfork Brewfest will be held Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. in downtown Bigfork. They will be closing a portion of Main Street for the event and local…
Yes, I’ve blogged about Blacksmith Brewing Co. before and it won’t be the last time. It would be my “home” brewery – that comfortable place that’s easy to stop by at a moment’s notice – except for the fact it is 25 miles south of Missoula. We headed down the Saturday of the new years’…
Interested in creating your own beer reviews, or simply want to join the discussion? The folks over at BeerAdvocate have an informative guide that will give you plenty of guidance to get started. You’ll also find articles on beer styles, glassware and much more, plus thousands of beer reviews. Read the guide to reviewing beers…
There was a time not long ago when I figured I would never welcome a strong dose of hops into my beer world. But that was before I tried IPAs like Blackfoot River’s Single Malt IPA and Tamarack Brewing’s Headwall Double IPA and realized IPA doesn’t have to mean tongue splitting bitterness. Sure, hops are…
2010 is here and that’s sure to bring many more beers to try. Some we’ll love and a few might not make it to the end of the glass. But if 2009 was any indication of where craft brewing is headed in Montana (and beyond), we’ve got a lot of reasons to get excited. Grizzly…
What’s on tap for New Year’s Eve? Good beer, of course. And what goes best with good beer? Good food! So for this New Year’s Eve we whipped up some homemade crab cakes with creamy roasted red pepper sauce and followed that up by breaking out some new homebrew (shown here in the one liter…