Astute beer fans in Montana may have noticed a decreasing number of Ninkasi Brewing Co. tap handles and six-packs/bombers on the shelves of their favorite stores over the past several weeks. Or maybe you didn’t. Ninkasi, the rapidly expanding Eugene, OR, brewery (which caused a bit of a flap earlier this year with Montana…
Montana was predicted to top the list of barley producing states this year with an expected 900,000 acres of barley to be planted, according to the Prospective Plantings Report released by the American Malting Barley Association last March. Actual production is an entirely different matter with storms causing wide-spread damage across Idaho, Montana and Alberta.…
With the sun about to set on 2013, it’s time to reflect on this year’s top beer-related stories. From new breweries to greater choices to a visit from a craft beer legend, there was plenty of beer news making waves during the past year. Read on for my take on the top stories in Montana…
Re-launched on February 6, 2010, to great marketing fanfare and a push to create a national brand, Great Northern Brewing Co. has ended production of Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager. Black Star sought to cut into the traditional macro-adjunct-lager market by providing a beer with better flavor and quality, but retaining a similar price…
I’ve been a Consumer Reports reader for decades. I remember having the magazine around as a kid and regularly picked it up for a thorough reading each month. It has long served me well with its mostly objective testing on a host of products from vacuums to detergents to electronics and vehicles. Its consumer tips…
Billings has six. Missoula four. Bozeman, Helena and Great Falls have two each. Butte is soon to get its second one. Heck, even Philipsburg and Wibaux have one. For some reason, Kalispell has long remained the only one of Montana’s seven “large” cities without a brewery. Missoula’s Bayern Brewing Co. kicked things off in the…
The University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (there’s a mouthful) issued a press release yesterday about it’s study of the the impact craft brewing has on Montana’s economy. The independent study, initially released at the Montana Brewers Association fall conference in Missoula, shows some impressive results. As a whole, “the impact of…
While putting together a few thoughts for Growler Fills’ third anniversary post I reflected back on what’s made this endeavor worth it. The answer was clear: the people. Good beer turns strangers into friends faster than anything else I know. From brewers to distributors, to bloggers and fans, I’ve met a lot of great people…
The “little engine that could” has had to cross some pretty steep mountains, but it’s now poised for a major expansion. That’s how FLBC’s Sandy Clare described it in announcing the brewery’s purchase of a new location in Bigfork, MT, and plans for a major expansion. It’s hard to believe FLBC’s brewery on the east…
Photo Credit: Bioalloy.org We’ve all worn a little beer or wine after committing a clumsy beer foul, but researchers in Australia have figured out how to ferment beer and wine into a “fabric” they believe will provide the low-cost, environmentally friendly textile of the future. One of the researchers go started on the project after…