406 Hops Brewing News Issue #4

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BREWING NEWS A Publication Dedicated to Montana’s Brewing News

406 Hops Brewing News is available in every brewery/taproom, and select establishments that serve/resell Montana Craft Beer • Volume

Simplicity in its finest, resulting in the best imaginable!

When I think of a quarry, I think of a deep pit from which gems are mined or the richest hill on earth right here, in Butte, Montana.

Quarry Brewing certainly mined their way into our hearts by bringing us gems like Galena Gold and Open Cab Copper. Becoming interested in all things beer over twenty years ago, in Lakewood, WA, Chuck and Lyza Schnabel were finally able to start their quest by opening the Quarry on September 29, 2007 in Butte, MT. The lovely town of Butte, which has had an absence of handcrafted brewing for 35 years, welcomed the addition. In 2010 the brewery moved to the 100-year-old Historic

Grand Hotel on Broadway Street, the heart of uptown Butte.

Chuck has always appreciated and applied the traditional German purity law known as the Reinheitsgebot, which mandates brewing with the choicest hops, barley, yeast and water. Simplicity in its finest, the results are the best imaginable. What started as a small garage brewery with no employees is now in a thriving business with 3 new fermenters and 8 employees. They have succeeded in creating 35 styles of beer with their 5 most popular constantly featured and 5 seasonal brews continually rotating, producing 325 bbl- and

The historic Bale of Hay Saloon, Montana’s oldest bar, is located in Virginia City, . . . ...the majority of which is a National Historic Landmark preserving an important part of Montana’s gold rush history. The saloon plays host to the annual Dog and Grog brew festival which is in its’ 14th year and will be held the weekend of July 14-15, 2017.

Festivities kick off Friday night with Wee Dog Pint Night. Beaverhead Brewing from Dillon, MT will be providing their craft brews and will start serving at 5:00 pm out of their own pint glasses which allows you the opportunity to add the glass to your own collection! Be sure to stick around for a medley of folk, rock, country rock, and blues provided by Chad Ball from 9:30-12:30.

Saturday’s events run from 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm and do not require a cover charge. Beer and

Continued on page 5

JULY 14 & 15 406-843-5700

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music will be plentiful and can be found right next to the Bale of Hay Saloon in the big tent.

The Mike and Rich Duo will be playing lively music, and the featured breweries will be Lewis and Clark Brewing, Bitterroot Brewing, Bayern Brewing, Neptune’s Brewery, Madison River Brewing, Bozeman Brewing, Draught Works, Lone Peak, Quarry Brewing, and Philipsburg Brewing. If you arrive early, you can a deal which includes a limited edition commemorative glass featuring Bayern Brewing, 8 beer tasters, and a polish dog. Additional beer and polish dogs can be purchased for additional fees. Starting at 9:30 pm, you can dance to the best bluegrass in the west provided by The Gallatin Grass Project from our own Big Sky, MT. Continued on page 9

featuring 11 breweries & live music www.baleofhaysaloon.com

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Homebrewer for nearly a decade now, VP of the Rimrock Brewers Guild, and I teach the Learn and Taste Craft Beer series of classes for MSU Billings. See MSU B ad on P3.

A Bimonthly Publication Dedicated to Montana’s Brewing News.

on d r o A W tyles Beer S Pope

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BREWING NEWS

ADVERTISING: Treva Grewe Treva@406Hops.com

aul J.

By Dr. P

DESIGN/LAYOUT: Alicia Lang Alicia@406Hops.com

WHO WE ARE:

Two women, with a deep passion for craft beer and the process involved; who decided to pursue a dream of creating a publication that focuses on Montana.

406 Hops Spotlights: brewery/taprooms, beer selections/styles, events, homebrewing and women in brewing. We are Montana Brewers Association affiliate members.

WHY WE DO THIS:

We wanted to work at something we love - Montana’s fantastic craft beer and culture while traveling the state! We are dedicated to promoting and educating customers in concern to everything YOUR BRAND encompasses.

WE DO NOT: Print malicious or accusatory content.

Owners/Brewers: 406 HOPS Brewing News is delivered to every brewery

and select business’s in Montana for their customers to enjoy - FREE OF CHARGE - and would appreciate our publication being visibly displayed in your establishment. If we have not covered your brewery as yet, or you have something NEW brewing/events/awards that you’d like our readers to be aware of, please let us know. Our website features all MT breweries with active links to each. Our Website, Facebook and Instagram are increasing in popularity and a subscription service is also available. www.406hops.com

Advertisers: Your Support Allows this Publication to Thrive. If you serve, sell or distribute Montana craft beer or related products - advertise your business with 406 Hops - contact Treva Grewe at 406-850-5113.

Tourist season is upon us, and we invite YOU to take this opportunity to reach out to OUR followers. After all, OUR READERS ARE CRAFT BEER ENTHUSIASTS.

406 Hops Brewing News IS your Niche Marketing Source!

To our readers: We hope you enjoy reading/following/sharing and exploring!

Visit our website at www.406Hops.com for Subscriptions Advertising Taprooms Blog Follow us on facebook to keep up on current Montana brewing news.

IN THIS ISSUE Breweries: Quarry Brewing, Missouri Breaks Brewing,

406 Brewing Company, Carters Brewing, Great Burn Brewing, Old Skool Brewing, H.A. Brewing Company, Blacksmith Brewing, Draught Works, Lone Peak Brewing, and Red Lodge Ales.

Women In Brewing: International Women’s Day at Philipsburg Brewing.

Homebrewing Clubs: Rimrock Brewers Guild.

We’d like to thank our contributing writers: Dr Paul Pope, Josh Michael, Vince Grewe, Lynne Jourdonnais, Bella Corrin, Alex S. Hartford, Scott Sery, Tim Schnars II, Maddy Mason, and Dan Rice.

To address the plethora of beer styles in a single article is more than a daunting task, it is really impossible. To write, in any detail, an exhaustive list of available beer styles would turn this humble little article into a lengthy one. So, what I endeavor to do here is to group beer into broad categories based on their similar characteristics to each other rather than their individual details.

Beer styles should not be considered absolute, they are more guidelines based predominately on averages across the industry. Styles lend themselves more to marketing than the nature of the beer itself.

For American brewers there really are two sources for style guidelines. One is the Brewers Association, for professional brewers, and the other is the American Homebrewers Association. Each organization has developed detailed descriptions for each style. Neither list is identical, that alone should indicate style specifics are not totally settled. These lists are also not perfect nor exhaustive. In fact, they are updated every few years as those previously mentioned “averages” change.

Light Ales: Let us begin with the beers on the lighter side of things. These are beers with, at most, only a modest hop presence. These are beers, typically with a straw, pale, or light golden color that express mild malt or fruit aroma/flavors. Some beers may have a slight hop bite, but most are either balanced or have no noticeable hop presence. Styles like Kölsch, a cool fermented German ale, has bitterness similar to a pale ale, but taste clean and balanced like a lager. I would also include ales like wheat/hefeweizen beers, blondes, most English bitters or summer ales, and American cream ale.

Light/Pale Lagers: Light lagers and pale lagers are brewed to be very light flavor and refreshing.

They use just enough hops to balance out the beer and provide subtle noble hop flavors. These are not particularly exciting beers to consume, but can be easy drinking. Many light lagers use corn or rice adjunct additions to lighten the flavors; while pale lagers do not, but do have a very light and clean malt/ hop flavor and aroma. Unlike their ale counterparts, these lagers often have very slight diacetyl (buttery), acetaldehyde (apple/cidery), or sulfur flavors. The flagship beers from Budweiser, Miller, and Coors fit the light lager description well. For pale lagers looks for pilsners, helles, or other pale European lagers. Many large multinational breweries produce these types of beers around the world. Brewers like Stella Artois or Heineken come to mind. Craft brewers are now producing more lagers than ever before, usually without the corn or rice.

Hoppy Ales: Next up, hoppy ales. These beers can really be any color from straw to black, but their primary characteristic are the hops. We would refer to such beers as being “hop forward” because the hops are out in front of all other flavors. Hop flavor can range from earthy or spicy to fruity or citrus.

Obviously pale ales and IPA dominate this category. However, you could dry hop just about any beer and make a hoppier version. Hoppy beers, in particular IPAs, are incredibly popular in the United States. For many craft brewers this is their best selling beer and a favorite among homebrewers. There are many substyles of IPAs; white, red, black, brown, and any of them can be an imperial/double (8%+ ABV) version. For modern IPAs we are talking more than color, we are often talking about details of flavor and appearance. We have west coast IPAs, northwest IPAs, New England IPA, and the grandfather of all IPAs, the English IPA. There are even a handful of heavily hopped lagers as well, so keep an eye out.

When looking for hop forward beers peek at their “IBUs.” To be considered “hobby” the IBUs should be at least in the mid-30s and it only goes up from there. Ten years ago everyone was trying to pack more and more hops in their beers to go beyond 100 IBUs. Thankfully brewers of today are more interested in flavor than bitterness.

Malt Bombs: Like the name suggests, these are malt forward beers. They are often presented juxtaposed to hop forward beers. These beers are frequently brewed with more toasted and darker grains to accentuate the malt character. However, some light colored beers have a very obvious malty quality.

There is often a misconception that these dark and malty brews are “heavy” or “thick.” Some people even believe dark means more alcohol. Though you may come across an example here or there that is fairly sweet and high alcohol, most dark and malty beers can be fairly dry and of normal alcohol strength.

Regardless of being dry, the malt character still shine through. Some common malt forward beers are amber ales, Irish red ales, browns, some porters, German dunkle/dunklebock, Octoberfest/märzen, amber/ dark lagers, British dark mild, old ale, Scottish ales, and strong scotch ale/wee heavy.

Belgian/French Ales: Belgian and French ales often are given their own category, though they can easily fit in any other categories here. Unlike many other beers, Belgian and French beer utilizes highly expressive yeast strains. These beers are known to be packed with robust fruity esters and spicy phenols.

They often do not fit style categories well. For instance, Belgian saison beers have become highly sought Continued on page 3

PAGE 2 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

Explore Ennis! Take the Ennis Outdoor tour; discover Wild West history at the Madison Valley History Museum, fish the Madison, golf among majestic mountain views, camp, hike or picnic at Cliff or Wade Lake, stay at one of the many Dude Ranches, B & B’s or authentic western cabins, all while planning your trip to Yellowstone Park!

Gear up for summer fun and recreation.

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Madison Foods and Smokehouse 4939 U.S. 287, Ennis, MT, 59729 (406) 682-4306 orders@madisonsmokehouse.com

Beer Styles

after in the American market, but what is it supposed to taste like? Most examples are dry and fairly hoppy, some even utilize dry hopping. Color, ABV, and IBUs can look similar to some IPAs. Other examples may be tart or even a bit sour from the inclusion of bacteria and/or brettanomyces yeast.

The most famous French style is a biere de garde. Often presented as French saison, it can be spicy and dry like a saison or be fermented with a lager yeast and be lagered similar to the German method. Other styles include pale ales, blondes, golden strong ales, and dark strong ales. To add to the confusion, there are beers made by Christian monks called Trappist ales. These monk beers most commonly come in three varieties; single, double, and triple. Occasionally, some Trappist breweries even produce their version of a dark strong ale they call a quadruple. The difference between Trappist beers and other Belgian beers has more to do with who and how it is produces rather than any style distinctions, which are modest.

Black and Roasty: Let us now tackle those infamous black beers. Stouts and porters have been around for a very long time and are still very popular. The most famous stout has to be Guinness stout. This is a dry Irish stout, so not overly strong and gives the impression of chocolate and coffee in the aroma and flavor.

In fact, most stouts and porters are known for this specific character. The word stout was once used as modifier for a stronger and darker porter. Guinness stout was once labeled as a “stout porter.” Over time, these black beers evolved and spun off several other styles. Dark and strong-ish porters brewed along the Baltic coast are referred to as Baltic Porters. Stouts, though all tend to look the same, black, come in several varieties: oatmeal stout, sweet/milk stout, tropical stout, foreign extra stout, and imperial stout.

Sour Ales: Time to pucker up. Interest in sour ales is on the rise in the United States. Brewers, inspired by historical European examples, have greatly expanded on this concept. These are beers produced with a combination of brewers’ yeast, wild yeast, and bacteria (like what is used in yogurt, sour cream, and pro-biotics). These beers range in color from pale straw to dark red/brown or even black. They have a distinctive lactic sourness and a little “funk” from some of the wild yeast. The best examples sometimes have slight acetic acid (vinegar) aroma/flavor. Examples include; Lambic/Gueuze, German Gose, German Berlinerweiss, Flemish Red/Oud Bruin, and American Sour Ales (almost any style, but soured). These beers may also include additions of fruit, spices, herbs, and flowers. Some version are spontaneously fermented with the natural occurring yeast and bacteria in the air. Most, however, are inoculated with a blend of several saccharomyces strains, brettanomyces strains, and lactic producing bacteria. Honestly, they do taste much better than these words seem to indicate.

In conclusion, beer styles are a complex issue, not without controversy. For every ideal example of a style there is an example that doesn’t quite fit what is on paper. If you consider the brewer an artist then if they say that beer is a particular style then that is what it is. Their interpretation of that style.

Honestly, I think we should worry less about what style a beer is and focus on do you like it.

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Montana made beer and Growler Girdles, pair for a spectacular adventure!

Owner Doc Z on the Harmonica

Pubapalooza 2016

Whats up Doc Z? In the northeast corner of our gorgeous state, you will find Missouri Breaks Brewing and a pub named Doc Z where the brews, as well as food, are served in Wolf Point. Starting a microbrew might seem like an unusual adventure for a family doctor who claims to have not even liked beer in the past. When he tried his first small batch Alaskan amber on a family ski trip to western Montana, he changed his mind regarding his dislike for beer. He states that at the time, you couldn’t get a good beer in Wolf Point. He started home brewing, and he and Myrle would invite friends over to taste the brews. Most often they would sit on Doc Z (pronounced Doc’s) front porch which is just a stone’s throw from the Missouri River Breaks, sipping their micro brews. When the tasting parties grew in popularity they began offering their concoctions to the public. Dr. Mark Zilkoski, who is a Wolf Point family doctor and his friend Mark Sansaver have been drinking buddies for many years and along with Myrle are the cofounders and owners of the brewery and the pub. When it opened in 2009, it was the only pub with locally brewed beer between Wibaux, Billings, and Great Falls.

The owners, both Marks and Myrle Zilkoski, affectionately call their “pub” Doc Z. You can find lots of old medical equipment there as well as a courtyard where the owners grow hops. The brewery is run by many members of the Zilkoski family and Mark Sansaver, with Katie Zilkoski (a daughter), being the master brewer. Katie wears scrubs while she is brewing which seems

pretty fitting with the whole doc theme, but apparently it is because brewing is a hot process and they keep her cool.

In addition to Katie being the brewer, many of the Zilkoski children work behind the bar.

The barley and wheat grains that they brew with are all locally grown, harvested, and malted. And some of their brews are roasted to produce just the right amount of flavor and color. Seasonal varieties are the ones they most enjoy brewing as Doc and Katie brew them together. They also like these varieties best because friends gather together for a beer while helping them pit and gut over a hundred pounds of cherries and pumpkins. Helping them harvest the hops from the court yard and the Zilkoski’s back yard will also garner you some free beer. They use 40 pounds of local honey for their flagship beer Big Beaver Belchin Ale. And in an effort to make their business environmentally friendly, the feed all of their spent grains and orange peels to chickens, pigs, and goats.

Missouri Breaks produces about 247 barrels a year and they have 7 on tap, of which 3 are seasonal. The brews are currently only sold at Doc Z. The Missouri Breaks sampler is called the Z Pac. Get it??? Now that is funny!

If you are looking for other things to do while you are here, Fort Peck Damn and Reservoir are only 40 minutes away. The Wolf Point Brewfest this year is being held July 17th. And the stampede is held the 2nd week of July, which is 3 days of rodeo, food, music, and BEER! (—Article by Vince G)

Drive through Hyalite Canyon to Palisade Falls for a scenic hike and a picnic. Do a little whitewater rafting on the Gallatin and maybe fly fish for some brown or rainbow trout. Fill up an Aromatic Cedar Growler Girdle with 406 Brewing New School Session IPA to enjoy before, during or after your hike, picnic or rafting.

How about a mountain biking adventure, a nature hike or a ride on the zipline at Big Sky Resort! Stop into Lone Peak Brewery and take along a growler of the new H0P Head IPA to quench your thirst!

Growler Girdles Butcher Block growler will remind you of Big Sky’s monumental forest’s for years to come!

Montana’s Capital City – take a tour on the trolley or stroll through downtown’s Last Chance Gulch.

Take a boat ride through the Gates of the Mountains while imbibing from a Zebra Wood Growler Girdle brimming with Lewis and Clark Brewing Back Country Scottish Ale. Just a short jaunt from Butte, fish the Big Hole River! An Antique Barnwood Growler Girdle containing Quarry Brewerys Open Cab Porter, would be FLY! How about surfing or kayaking during the summer on Brennan’s Wave right in the middle of town!

Take a day hike up to the ‘M’ on Mt. Sentinel. Draught Works will fill up a Dope Life IPA in a cheery Cherry Growler Girdle for many Missoula activities.

Check out Tobacco Valley Historical Village or take a scenic drive on the Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway.

When the day is done partake in an ale or two at H. A. Brewing. The Pioneer Pale is delish! Have you ordered a Blue Pine Growler Girdle yet?

Meadowlark Brewing, Sidney – Time to try something different, a Peach Wheat will sooth your parched throat after a hike on a real dinosaur trail, you’re only about 50 miles away from Makoshika State Park! A pretty Dark Walnut Growler Girdle would make a great gift for you or that beer friend you’ve been bragging about your trip to.

See the entire lineup of the Growler Girdles Montana made products at www.thegrowlergirdle.com

third generation brewer now 5 years old and helps make Doc’Z Tap seven root beer

Hope Head in courtyard owner Doc Z

PAGE 4 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

Continued from front cover...

Quarry Brewing

staying below 500 bbl a year. No matter the season you will always be pleased, the beer has never tasted so good, the locals are friendly and with good ol popcorn, future possibilities glow all the brighter.

Butte is a very rich town of mining history and historic buildings. The people of Butte are very welcoming and I would be surprised if you walked down the streets without someone striking up a conversation. Like everyone who resides in the town, Chuck and Lyza put everything they have into their brewery. From re-piping equipment one day to talking to customers about the brew process the next.

One would have to visit Butte for an entire week or more to explore the many museums, attractions, the nationally known and time honored Butte Technical College, recreation, hiking camping, golf, epic fly fishing and dining. Go for the Quarry beer and while you are at it check out the wonderful community of Butte, explore the Dumas Brothel Museum or to witness the most unique rock formations the country has to offerThe Ringing Rocks!

Whether you prefer traditional ale or you are looking for modern twist, one taste will tell you... at Quarry, they dig beer!

(—Article by Bella Corrin)

406 has brewed 350 unique varieties of beer.

Matt Muth opened the doors of 406 Brewing Company of Bozeman, Montana in 2011 with the aim of providing the very best beer and an amazing community atmosphere. There is a full service kitchen that serves lunch and dinner, and a beautiful outdoor patio. The menu features locally sourced ingredients from organic farms and ranches around our beautiful state. There is an old mill saw blade embedded in the corner of the bar and the benches were crafted from old wooden beams from the historic Lehrkind’s Bozeman Brewery that was shut down in 1919 by the Prohibition. Local art and photography is featured on its walls. 406 Brewing Company’s immediate neighbors are Wild Rye Distilling and Dean’s Zesty Booch (sparkling kombucha), and per Matt, when the brewery has an event, he includes all 3 businesses which are located in the Cannery District neighborhood.

The brewery now employs 20, produces just under 500 barrels of craft beer a year, and has brewed 350 unique varieties of beer. Matt likes to brew all beer styles and he states that the brewery sells an unlimited variety of beer, and that he will continue to experiment with and explore new and unique flavors. For new styles and variants, a recipe is composed based on ideas, flavors, and styles, and base it on knowledge from past brews to settle on a new approach. The brewery loves to use Montana grown and malted barley, as well as barley and hops from around the world. The brewery emphasizes taste over alcohol content.

Brewery owners are involved in both manufacturing and retail industry. And given

that Matt had been in the beer industry for years before branching out on his own, he had a good understanding of both. 406 Brewing Company doesn’t currently can or bottle their beer and in addition to the brewery, it can only be found a few other places. If Matt could brew a beer with no regard to cost, production, or sales, he says he “would harvest local yeasty beasties from the Bozeman area and brew sours all day long. The time and effort that goes into sour beer is great and the end product can be exquisite”. 406 Brewing Company currently has 7 beers on tap: New School Session IPA, Old School APA, Power Stoutage, Hop Punch IPA, 406 Amber, Hall and Oatesmeal Coconut Imperial Stout, and Fruit Punch IPA. There are some pretty clever names in that lineup!

When answering the question of how much beer he drinks in an average work day, Matt answers that he “may have a beer after work, but that during the work day they are sampling new offerings and the progress of the beers in the fermenters for production purposes”. His favorite style of beer?.....“The next great beer that I drink”.

He is always trying something new and different.

Besides being stunningly beautiful, as is all of Montana actually, Bozeman and the surrounding Gallatin Valley have no shortage of things to be entertained by. According to Matt, “Access to the rivers and mountains is unbelievable, cultural events take place all over town, and there are many parks and great trail systems for hikers, runners, and bikers”.

(— Article by Lynne Jourdonnais)

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Carters Brewing, Popular By Demand. From the popular taproom, various establishments in Billings and east to Miles City,

North to Great Fall and Helena, Bozeman and Missoula to the west, and up the Flathead Valley, Carters has Montana covered!

If you’re roaming the Billings Brewery District on foot, you’ve have some amazing options for craft beer, all within walking distance of each other. Nestled along the railroad tracks, about halfway between Yellowstone Valley Brewing and Uberbrew; and Thirsty Street and Angry Hanks; you’ll find Carter’s Brewing. Carter’s opened just over ten years ago, and is well known among craft beer connoisseurs as making some of the finest beers in Montana. Those of us who know Carter’s and their beer consider the brewery to be one of Montana’s best kept beer secrets.

Michael Uhrich opened Carter’s Brewing shortly following the birth of his oldest son, Carter. If you know Mike, you’ll know him to be a dedicated family man - and as such, the fact that he named his new brewing project after his baby boy is not surprising. Mike has been brewing professionally for about seventeen years, getting his start at Yellowstone Valley Brewing back in 2001. Despite nearly two decades of making beer, Mike shows as much excitement and passion when it comes to brewing as you would typically expect from someone who is new to the industry. But… when you taste the beer produced at Carter’s, and as you try beers from a wide variety of styles produced in the brewery, from traditional lagers, to dry stouts, to massively hopped double and triple IPAs, to sours... you immediately realize that the energetic young dude who is slaving away as the sole brewer

at Carter’s is in-fact a true craftsman, and a master of his trade.

Carter’s currently runs a 15bbl setup, with plans to expand to become a 30bbl brewery in the near future. Mike himself brews about 1,500 barrels of beer annually at Carter’s. The taproom pours 16 handles of beer, all of which is brewed on site. Mike approaches beer with a Belgian style in general, coupled with a bit of a “West Coast” approach, which shows through in the end product. Most of Carter’s beers will be on the dry side, and all are very drinkable, by design. Some will have big bouquets of experimental hops, while others will focus on subtle malt character, and a clean and crisp delivery. When it comes to sours, a style that Carter’s is well known for despite being very limited production, Mike takes a lot of pride in the fact that he isn’t cranking out half-assed sour beer for quick consumption. From start to finish, making a Carter’s sour is typically a 15 month process. Each 10bbl batch spends the majority of those 15 months in one of 4 wine barrels to age. Once released in the taproom, a full batch of sours will typically be consumed on-site within a week. And, with numbers like that, it goes without saying that Carter’s has an army of loyal customers who flock to the brewery for special release events.

Carter’s produces 8 flagship beers, including the popular Derailed IPA, 3440 Session IPA, Black

Magic Porter, Mason’s Special Bitter, Farmhouse Saison Locale, The Keeper Bier de Garde, and Golden Spike Pilsner. In addition to the flagships, there are 9 rotating special release beers, along with a variety of one off beers and sours. Mike has plans to expand the flagship beer lineup, with intent to include their Ghost Train Imperial IPA in the lineup, as the direct result of popular demand.

Currently, the Ghost Train is a taproom only beer, outside of the occasional release of a keg or two to select locations. Mike also intends to expand his sour beer program, and to start bottling sours in the future. New beer projects include a traditional German Maibock, and a Helles Lager.

Where do the beer names come from? Some are named before they’ve even been brewed, based on the concept which Mike has for the beer. Others, Mike brews the beer, takes home a growler, and drinks the beer until he is inspired to name it. Many of the Belgian style beer names are of French or Flemish origin or connection, while the more local style beers are railroad themed, given the brewery’s location on the train tracks. And Mason’s ESB? Mason is Mike’s youngest son, who was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum when he was very young. Mason is currently six years old, and his dad lovingly describes him as being a boy who “was made to stand out.” Carter’s donates proceeds from Mason’s ESB to Step, Autism Speaks, and Pediatric Therapy Group, to assist children with autism,

and their families. Further, the beer itself serves to promote autism awareness, as 1 in 42 boys are currently being diagnosed with autism, along with 1 in 189 girls.

If you’re into brewery shirts, Carter’s has a bit of a unique setup. Tap Room bartender Tiffany Miller hand paints all of the shirts at the brewery. Not only are you getting a brewery shirt, you’re getting a piece of functional artwork.

Mike takes beer education and craft beer awareness seriously, and is an ambassador to the industry. For the last two years, Mike has been invited to teach courses at MSU-Billings, including a “beer detective” tasting course, and courses on sour beer production.

You can find Carter’s beer on tap at 22 locations in Billings, along with an area stretching from Miles City in the east, to Great Falls and Helena to the north, Bozeman and Missoula to the west, and all the way up in the Flathead Valley to the northwest.

Carter’s typically appears at about half a dozen festivals per year, with hopes of increasing this presence when production expands. And speaking of expansion, at some point in the near future, Mike will be looking to bring an assistant brewer on board. We look forward to seeing what Carter’s has in store for the future, and we have great respect for Mike, and for what he has contributed thus far to the craft beer industry in Montana.

(—Article by Dan Rice)

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www.acesmt.com

RE PR EN OM PR EM OT INTI BR ION NG PR OID AL IN ER DE TIN Y SI G DE GN CA SI LS GN BA S NN VE ERS HI AN CLES DM OR E.. .

SHOP FOR YOUR LIFE. DESIGN WITH YOUR STYLE. BUY ANYTIME FROM ANYWHERE.

PAGE 6 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

On the job with Justin and Karli Mosey.

Both are Tap Room managers BUT, at different Helena breweries!

Here are snippets from their interview.

Q & A with Justin

Q & A with Karli

Q: Please explain where you hail from and how you came to Montana and/or settle in Helena?

A: “We hail from La Crosse, WI. After we got hitched in 2013 we hit the road in Loren, our lime-green 1976 GMC Motorhome, towing a trailer we fabricated to hold a small motorcycle, a vintage tandem bicycle, and a tandem kayak. We had no specific destination or purpose other than taking in the sights of this beautiful country and enjoying each other’s company.

After about 9 months of touring we took a camp host job on the Missouri River right outside Helena and we immediately fell in love with the Queen City of the Rockies.”

Photo by Alex Wolfe

Justin R. Mosey - Taproom Manager Lewis & Clark Brewing Company

Q: Do you have a policy of “no shop talk” or do you communicate to one another trials?

A: “All we do is shop talk! Karli and I have different strengths in service management and our taproom environments are vastly different. I love hearing her success stories and fresh ideas at the end of the day. We tell each other about great music acts we’ve had, we refer business to each other, and we taste and discuss each other’s beers regularly. We also see many of the same local personalities daily and have a lot of fun swapping stories at the end of the work night.”

Q: Does your background and career path differ from the craft beer field? If so, please convey to readers how or why you chose a craft beer industry?

A: “One of my first jobs before college was as a A: “I have a degree in Art Education from the server in a well-known corporate restaurant. I found myself to be really good at selling (back then Anchor Steam was the only craft beer available to sell) and enjoyed the fast-paced, lively work environment and social camaraderie of the industry. I later graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Microbiology and enjoyed a successful career selling that famous little blue pill for men. As a requirement of my job I spent a lot of time enjoying fine food and beverage. Eventually, I could not ignore the call back to the industry that got me started in sales.”

Knock Knock?

Who’s There?

Sherwood Sherwood Who? Sherwood like another Prickly Pear Pale Ale! I never tire of that joke…nor Prickly Pear Pale Ale – one of the flagships of Lewis and Clark Brewing Company in Helena, MT. Max Pigman purchased the old Sleeping Giant Brewing Company in 2002 and changed the name to Lewis & Clark Brewing Company in 2004 to pay tribute to the great explorers and….well, Helena IS located in Lewis & Clark County.

15 years later, Max has never looked back. He estimates he has created 30-40 beers over that time and expects to produce about 10,000 to 11,000 barrels this year. Lewis and Clark Brewing Company employs 10 full-time employees and another 15 part-time in the taproom where there are always 12 beers on tap. With 6-8 beers available to the wholesale market, one can find Lewis and Clark Beers on tap in many of your

A: “Justin and I decided to spend our honeymoon on the road, our plan was a full year of travel throughout the United States. Our sweet vintage motorhome, motorcycle and our RV kitten saw 23 states before we noticed our bank accounts were dwindling too fast for comfort. Our option was to head back to WI or throw out a few lines of employment in the Northwest. I applied for 20 camp-host jobs and we were lucky enough to land in Helena. It seems like Helena was waiting for us to arrive as jobs and friends quickly welcomed us into this sweet community.”

favorite watering holes. 6 different beers are canned on the premises and can be found in stores all over Big Sky Country.

Lewis and Clark Brewing uses Montana malt as their primary base malt and uses local ingredients anytime they can. For example, their most popular seasonal beer is their Pumpkin Ale. They source locally grown organic pumpkins that Max’s wife bakes in several batches the night before the brew.

The pumpkins are then added into the mash. They also use fruit from the Prickly Pear Cactus (Discovered

by Lewis & Clark) in their Prickly Pear Pale Ale. This same malt after use (our spent grain) is given to a local farmer and used as feed for his farm animals. Lewis and Clark also uses a small portion of this spent grain in the buns for their brats and the dough for their pizza crust which

University of Wisconsin-Stout, while pursing my degree I worked as a server and bartender at an excellent restaurant, The Log Jam, in WI which features a huge tapline. This was my first exposure to craft beer - we mostly served big brands. During my time there, our ownership embarked on a local craft brewery, where we took extra pride in promoting our new local brew. Serving people in my community who are happy to see me! I still get to interact with kids and families without the pressure of performance- our time spent together is a luxury in their week.”

are hand-made by a local bakery just up the street from the brewery. That’s right! The taproom has a snack bar that serves pizza and brats.

An annual tradition is their Neighborhood Fresh Hop IPA. Max started this 13 years ago by teaching people how to plant hops and selling the ryhzomes (hop roots) to his customers each spring. Currently there are over 50 people that bring hops each year that are used in this beer. The beer is always a mystery as they do not know the type of hops or how much they will get. People that donate hops get a discount on every growler of Neighborhood IPA until it’s gone. How fun is that!!!

Lewis and Clark Brewing is quite environmentally-friendly. They can exclusively - the most recycled package on the market. They also utilize a free-air system to cool their coolers using cold air at night about 8 months out of the year, saving energy. The heat and cooling systems in both the tap room and the new brewery were designed to utilize this free air system as well, bringing in cooler air at night for summer and capturing heat from the brewing process and the sun to be distributed inside, during the winter months.

Photo by Alex Wolfe

Karli Mosey - Taproom Manager Ten Mile Creek

TEN MILE EVENTS: Sun., July 2nd•75TH YOGA CLASS AT TEN MILE We’ve been doing yoga a Ten Mile Creek Brewery for 75 weeks! We will be celebrating with Loft studios following a special outdoor 11AM-Noon class with give-aways from both Ten Mile and the Loft.

July 21st & August 11th•LIVE ON THE GULCH Live music and Ten Mile brews will be enjoyed in the open air on Last Chance Gulch right in front of the brewery- kids and dogs are welcome!

Sat., Sept. 2nd•BIG DIPPER RACE & BLOCK PARTY 5K and 10 Mile race finishes in front of the Big Dipper, neighbor to Ten Mile Creek, free ice cream and discounts for race participants.

Don’t live in Helena? The weather is beautiful and it’s time for a road trip! Helena, Montana’s state capital, is rich in history so there is plenty to see and do. Visit the Capital and its museums, the Cathedral of Saint Helena, and Spring Meadow Lake State Park. Known as the best Mountain Biking city in Montana with more than 20 different trailheads and 75 miles of single-track that can be accessed from the downtown area of Montana’s Queen City. To top that, Helena offers free shuttles that run five days a week, taking you to the best trailheads in the South Hills Trail System, as well as to the top of the Continental Divide to access the iconic Continental Divide Trail. The area also boasts some great Disc Golfing courses.

After doing any of these activities, one will work up a powerful thirst! Rest assured that Max and his brew crew are constantly brainstorming over beers and collaborating to develop new recipes – the sky’s the limit! Stop by Lewis and Clark Brewery for a free sample of their beers and take a look around the historic tap room contained within buildings dating back to the 1880s.

(—Article by Vince G)

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • WWW.406HOPS.COM • 406-850-5113 • PAGE 7

Dave Stevens, Susan Zachmann Stevens, Josh Cuppy and Kim Cuppy

The uniqueness of Great Burn Brewing,...

A family affair.

...located in Missoula, lies in its small batch brewing system. They run a five barrel system that is currently the smallest brewing system of all the Missoula breweries. Small batch brewing allows them to have many different styles that rotate often in their taproom. Great Burn Brewing is known for their IPA’s. Their brewing style is West Coast Flare, or “heavy on the IPA”. They cater to hop centric brewing with well balanced beers that highlight a variety of hop aromas. Their number one selling beer is the “Great Burn IPA”.

They enjoy experimenting with different aging techniques with a variety of unusual ingredients such as coconut, chai and green teas, lemongrass, jalapenos, and many different hop varieties.

More than 75 beers have been created at Great Burn so far, and they brew approximately 500 barrels a year. They have ten tap handles with four of those dedicated to their flagship beers: cream ale, pale ale, porter, and IPA. The other six are used for their seasonal or flagship beers and are rotated often. The specialty beers on tap when the owners filled out our questionnaire for this piece were ESB (extra special bitter) Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Imperial Russian Stout, Coconut Brown Ale, Comet Single Hop Session IPA, and Coconut Brown Ale on nitro.

They currently only sell their beer in the tap room with limited keg distribution to the Missoula and Bitterroot areas. The owners recently purchased a unit that will allow them to do minimum can runs with a mobile canning unit.

The canning process is in the planning stages and

Good People. Good Beer.

Good Life. That is the mantra of the Old Skool Brewery. Located at 115 East Montana Avenue – a must stop when visiting Baker (population about 2000) in eastern Montana on the edge of the Bakken Oil Formation.

Friends Josh Cuppy and Dave Stevens – both homebrewers with a dream - brewed up the idea of opening a hometown brewery while playing golf. They purchased the old Washington School – a brick building built in 1925. Renovating an old building to a new life is quite the task – but it was a 2 year labor of love. Many volunteers stepped up to transform this gem. Walls and the low suspended ceilings were removed to open the space to the original 13 foot ceilings. The original maple flooring was sanded to regain its natural beauty.

Substantial electrical and plumbing work was done to accommodate the all-new 7-barrel brew house with three 7 barrel fermenters and six 7 barrel bright tanks – enclosed with glass-paned walls for viewing by the public. Maintaining the historic feel and style of this building was job one!

An 820-square foot concrete deck with a view of Baker Lake was added to the front of the building.

With much fanfare, “Dean’s List Members” were invited to Old Skool Brewery’s Grand Opening on April 21st, 2017. They were greeted by the four flagship beers (for now) > Buzzed Principal Porter, Pistol Porter, Tooth & Nail Red IPA, and 6-5-4 Kolsch! Seasonal beers are on the horizon with a lager coming this summer. Josh is a big fan of Oktoberfest so German-style beers will be in the offing. Expect to see some experimentation with

they hope to make a run by late fall. If money were no object, they would love to get more involved with barrel aging stating “the outcome would definitely be worth the time effort and cost.”

Mike Howard, the master brewer, is the master mind behind all of Great Burn Brewings recipes. According to owner and general manager Greg, “a great brewer is like a gourmet chef. They understand the ingredients and how they all work together to flavor their next dish or drink. It isn’t difficult to get new ideas from the many amazing craft breweries around the country.”

Great Burn prides itself on providing a fun and relaxing tap room experience with high quality hand crafted ales. They offer a variety of snack foods such as chips and locally made salsa, meat and cheese packs, bison jerky, pistachios, and free pretzels. Food trucks are available during the spring, summer, and fall months on Wednesday through Saturday. They have a nice array of clothes and glasses for purchase. In an effort to be environmentally sustainable, Great Burn brewing donates all their spent grain and yeast to Big Sky High Schools agriculture program. The school is nearby the brewery and they dropped off the grains. The grains are feed to the pigs being raised by the students. This is a win-win situation. They get free feed for the pigs and Great Burn avoids having to dispose of this waste product. Hence the spent organic materials are spared from the landfill.

(— Article by Lynne Jourdonnais)

wild plums and Buffalo Berries native to the area.Natural spring water, which feeds Baker Lake, is used in all their handcrafted beers.

Like many Montana businesses, Old Skool Brewing is a family affair. Besides Dave and Josh, wives Sue Stevens and Kim Cuppy wear many hats. They also employ 2 brewers and 4 servers.

Josh Cuppy Fun Facts > Favorite Style to Brew – The Tooth and Nail Red IPA! Favorite Other Brewery to Visit – Uberbrew in Billings. Josh not only has a deep appreciation for all their beer offerings but the business plan as well!

While Old Skool Brewery is a destination in of itself, there is plenty to see and do in Baker – an agricultural community where oil has been pumping since the 1940’s. Baker Lake is a great place to boat, fish, swim or just sun yourself!

Baker boasts a 9 hole golf course, a bike, skate, and splash park that rivals any other in the state, bike/walking paths, indoor/outdoor shooting range, bowling, and several parks to just relax.

Medicine Rocks State Park – with awe inspiring rock formations that were a spiritual place for the Plains Indians – is just 25 miles south of Baker.

When you are done exploring the great things Baker has to offer, bring the whole family to Old Skool Brewery! Root Beer is on tap for the kids.

For those whose cup of tea isn’t beer, wine is also available. For food, Old Skool Brewery offers brats, nachos, and popcorn. Or bring something to grill - the deck features 2 grills available for customers to use. Hours are Wednesday thru Saturday – 2 pm to 10 pm. Sundays 2 pm to 8 pm. Beer Yoga on Sundays!!!!

(—Article by Vince G)

Brew Master Charles Noll and Molly

PAGE 8 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

Continued from front cover...

Bale of Hay Saloon

Although the building was erected in 1863 as a grocery and liquor store by J. F. Stoer, it wasn’t until about 1890 that 2 gentlemen named Smith and Boyd turned it into the Bale of Hay Saloon which they ran until 1908. It stood vacant until 1945 when it was restored to a saloon by the Bovey’s.

Today, business partners and sisters, Gay and Kay, operate the authentic wild west saloon, serving Montana’s best microbrews daily from May to late September. They play host to live music and festivals all season long. The saloon is the after-the-show hangout for cast members from the opera house.

Historic Virginia City itself has an array of activities to keep you busy. VC boasts the oldest opera house west of the Mississippi, currently home to the Virginia City Players, which is the

oldest continually running summer stock theatre company in the Northwest. The theatre company continues to perform authentic 19th century melodrama and vaudeville variety every season.

The Brewery Follies, a hilarious comedy cabaret, is also a ton of fun. There are ghost tours, historic tours, a short line railroad, museums, live music events, living history activities (featuring period dress, demonstrating historic skills, and sharing old world techniques). Mountain biking, fishing, hiking, gold panning, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and screening for rubies are also popular here. Yellowstone Park is a fairly short drive away as are many state parks. You won’t be wanting for things to do in and around Virginia City!

(— Article by Lynne Jourdonnais)

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Missoula’s original outdoor music venue!

What do you get when you cross beer loving brewers, extra acreage of land, and a love for music? You get an ever evolving powerhouse music venue next to one of Montana’s most popular breweries.

BIg Sky Brewery is tucked next to I-90 on the edge of town in Missoula, Montana. Many Missoulians love the fact you can go get “free beer” at their tasting room located in the building.

Because of current law, Big Sky Brewery is not allowed to sell beer in a tap room by the pint because they produce more than 10,000 barrels of beer per year. That means patrons who visit the taproom have the pleasure of having 4 free 8 oz samples.

Recently, however, House Bill 541 was passed in the Montana legislature. That will allow breweries to sell beer in a tap room and brew up to 60,000 barrels a year. Big Sky plans to take advantage of the new legislation in the near future, according to Neal Leathers president and co-founder of Big Sky Brewing.

“Now that the governor has signed it, the bill will become law on October 1st. So, this is the

last summer of all free beer at the brewery!” That could also mean some changes will be happening in the tap room “We currently plan to shut down the taproom sometime in September to refresh the room and make it a comfortable place for folks to spend an hour or two with friends. We hope to open the new taproom in early October.”

Now back to the music. The other reason Big Sky Brewery is so popular is a result of their summer concert series. With the extra land Big Sky held, they decided to construct an outdoor concert venue. One that has pulled in the likes of Barenaked Ladies, Slightly Stoopid, Widespread Panic, Kip Moore, Pretty Lights, Modest Mouse, Sublime, Phillip Phillips, WIlco, Gregg Allman, Bob Dylan, WIllie Nelson, and Boston. Just to name a few. Their initial act in July of 2004 was John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The venue looks a little different today though than it did when Fogerty was playing tunes.

Brewing and their promoter partner Knitting Factory Presents took it upon themselves to update the venue in order to prepare for larger acts. They began by updating the grass seating area. The entire venue is general admission on top of a plot of

grass. Before the renovation the land was flat and made it difficult for everyone to see the stage. Now the venue resembles a bowl with the land elevating in height the farther one gets from the stage.

“Our venue is all general admission, with much of the amphitheatre being a large lawn where folks can bring their own seats and/or blankets.

This year we have excavated out a large bowl area with a flat area in front of the stage.”

The stage has been updated in order to be prepared for bigger acts. In the past the stage was a temporary one or one brought in by the artist. It is now a fixed concrete structure.

“In conjunction with the excavation of the bowl area, we are adding a large platform that will allow our venue to accommodate pretty much any stage show in the entertainment world. If Lady Gaga wants to play Missoula, we want to be able to host her! The platform will allow acts to utilize even better lighting, video screens, etc. than before.”

When concerts are happening someone has to pour beer and wine for the concert attendees.

It’s important to Big Sky that the concerts are staffed with volunteers from local non-profit

organizations which allows them to benefit financially in order to raise money for various projects. In doing that, close to $500,000 dollars has been paid to non-profits through the volunteer work at the concerts.

“Funds from the concert series have been instrumental in building Brennan’s Wave, MOBASH Skatepark, locker rooms at Glacier Ice Rink, and many other projects.”

Those volunteer staffers will have the opportunity to be part of one of the most exciting concerts yet when The Decemberists come to town this summer to headline the Travelers Rest Festivel.

The Festival, which takes places August 12th and 13th, has already sold over 10,000 tickets. Other bands taking part include Head and the Heart, Belle and Sebastian, Shaky Graves, among others.

This is just another example of Montana’s thriving craft beer industry and is one of the best original ways to enjoy the outdoors, concerts, and great Montana Beer. For more information check out Big Sky Brewing’s website. This years summer concert series kicks off on June 3rd with Trey Anastasio Band.

(—Article by Alex Hartford)

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • WWW.406HOPS.COM • 406-850-5113 • PAGE 9

Eureka

1

Cut Bank Havre

Whitefish

Libby

Columbia Falls

Lakeside

Bigfork

3

Polson

Thompson Falls

Black Eagle Great Falls Belt

Superior

Missoula Lolo Stevensville

Helena

™ Hamilton

BREWING NEWS

Philipsburg

White Sulphur Springs

Deer Lodge

4

Butte

Darby

Belgrade Laurel Bozeman

2

AREA 1 - Glacier Country

Livingston

Sheridan Dillon

Backslope Brewing | 406-897-2850 1107 9th St. W. (Hwy 2), Columbia Falls backslopebrewing.com

Red Lodge Big Sky

Bandit Brewing Co. | 406-646-6003 308 E. Tanner, Darby banditbeer.com Bayern Brewing, Inc. | 406-721-1482 1507 Montana St., Missoula bayernbrewery.com Big Sky Brewing Company | 406-549-2777 5417 Trumpeter Way, Missoula bigskybrew.com

Billings

BILLINGS

FLB #2 Bigfork Brewery | 406-837-0085 116 Holt Dr., Bigfork FLB #3 of Missoula | 406-542-3847 424 N. Higgins Blvd., Missoula flatheadlakebrewing.com

Kalispell Brewing | 406-756-BREW 412 Main St., Kalispell kalispellbrewing.com Kettlehouse Brewing | 406-728-1660 Southside: 602 Myrtle St., Missoula Northside: 313 N. 1st St. W, Missoula kettlehouse.com

Bitter Root Brewing | 406-363-7468 101 Marcus St., Hamilton bitterrootbrewing.com

Gild Brewing | 515 S. Higgins, Missoula Opening Soon

Blacksmith Brewing | 406-777-0680 114 Main St., Stevensville blacksmithbrewing.com

Glacier Brewing | 406-883-2595 6 Tenth Avenue East, Polson glacierbrewing.com

Limberlost Brewing Company | 406-356-6198 1017 Main St., Thompson Falls limberlostbrewingcompany.com Opening Soon

Bonsai Brewing | 406-730-1717 549 Wisconsin Ave., Whitefish bonsaibrew.com

Great Burn Brewing | 406-317-1557 2230 McDonald Ave., Missoula greatburnbrewing.com

Lolo Peak Brewing | 406-493-6231 6201 Brewery Way, Lolo lolopeakbrewing.com

Cabinet Mountain Brewing | 406-293-2739 206 Mineral Ave., Libby cabinetmountainbrewing.com

Great Northern Brewing | 406-863-1000 2 Central Ave., Whitefish greatnorthernbrewing.com

Missoula Brewing Company | 406-549-8193 200 International Blvd., Missoula highlanderbeer.com

Draught Works Brewing | 406-541-1592 915 Toole Ave., Missoula draughtworksbrewery.com

H.A. Brewing Co. | 406-889-3950 2525 Grave Creek Rd., Eureka habrewing.com

OddPitch Brewing Co. | 1-234-567-8910 Missoula oddpitch.com (Opening Fall 2018)

Dunluce Brewing | 406-531-4578 Superior, Montana dunlucebrewing.com

Higherground Brewing | 406-375-5204 518 N. 1st St., Hamilton highergroundbrewing.com

Flathead Lake Brewing FLB #1 Woods Bay Brewery | 406-837-0353 26008 East Lake Shore Rte., Bigfork

Imagine Nation Brewing | 406-459-8993 1151 W. Broadway, Missoula imaginenationbrewing.com

Tamarack Brewing TB #1 | 406-844-0244 105 Blacktail Road, Lakeside TB #2 | 406-830-3113 231 W Front St., Missoula tamarackbrewing.com

PAGE 10 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

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Wildwood Brewing | 406-777-2855 4018 US Hwy 93 North, Stevensville wildwoodbrewing.com

AREA 2 - Southwest Montana Beaverhead Brewing | 406-988-0011 218 South Montana St., Dillon beaverheadbeer.com Blackfoot River Brewing | 406-449-3005 66 S. Park Ave., Helena blackfootriverbrewing.com Butte Brewing | 406-491-5980 465 East Galena St., Butte facebook.com/buttebrewing

Harvest Moon Brewery | 406-277-3188 7 Fifth Street South, Belt harvestmoonbrew.com Mighty Mo Brewing | 406-952-0342 412 Central Ave., Great Falls mightymobrewing.com

5

Glasgow

The Front Brewing Company | 406-727-3947 215 3rd St. NW, Great Falls thefrontbrewing.com

Wolf Point

Sidney

Triple Dog Brewing | 406-879-8103 675 1st St. West, Havre facebook.com/brewon2

AREA 4 - Yellowstone Country 2 Basset Brewery | 406-547-BEER 202 E. Main, White Sulphur Springs 2bassetbrewery.com

Glendive Wibaux

6

406 Brewing Co. | 406-585-3745 101 East Oak, Suite D, Bozeman 406brewing.com Bar 3 BBQ & Brewing | 406-388-9182 100 S Broadway, Belgrade bar3bbq.com

Miles City

Beehive Basin Brewery | 406-995-7444 245 Town Center Ave., Big Sky beehivebasinbrewery.com Bozeman Brewing Company | 406-585-9142 504 N. Broadway, Bozeman bozemanbrewing.com Bridger Brewing | 406-587-2124 1609 South 11th Ave., Bozeman bridgerbrewing.com PB #2/ Silver Springs Brewery & Tasting Room | 406-859-3226 106 Brewery Road, Philipsburg, philipsburgbrewingcompany.com Quarry Brewing | 406-723-0245 124 W. Broadway, Butte wedig.beer Ruby Valley Brew | 406-842 5977 111 S Main St., Sheridan Opening Soon Smelter City Brewing | 101 Main St., Anaconda facebook.com/Smelter-City-Brewing Opening Soon

Elk Ridge Brewing Company | 406-560-2252 320 N. Main St., Deer Lodge elkridgebrewingcompany.com Opening Soon Lewis and Clark Brewing | 406-442-5960 1517 Dodge Ave., Helena lewisandclarkbrewing.com Muddy Creek Brewery | 406-299-3645 2 E. Galena St., Butte facebook.com/muddycreekbrewery Philipsburg Brewing PB #1 | 406-859-2739 101 W. Broadway, Philipsburg

Snow Hop Brewery | 406-439-7045 685 Barney Drive, Helena facebook.com/snowhopbrewery Opening Soon

Bunkhouse Brewery | 406-577-2074 1216 W. Lincoln St., Bozeman bunkhousebrewery.com Gally’s Brewing | 406-208-8256 32 South Central, Harlowton facebook.com/gallysbrewingco Opening Soon Katabatic Brewing Company | 406-333-2855 117 West Park St., Livingston katabaticbrewing.com Lone Peak Brewery | 406-995-3939 48 Market Place, Big Sky lonepeakbrewery.com Madison River Brewing Co | 406-599-3429 20900 Frontage Rd., Building B, Belgrade madisonriverbrewing.com Map Brewing Company | 406-587-4070 510 Manley Road, Bozeman mapbrewing.com

Ten Mile Creek Brewery | 406-231-0575 48 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena facebook.com/TenMileCreekBrewery

Neptune’s Brewery | 406-222-7837 119 North L St., Livingston neptunesbrewery.com

AREA 3 - Central Montana

Outlaw Brewing | 406-577-2403 2876 North 27th Ave., Bozeman outlaw-brewing.com

Black Eagle Brewery | 406-868-1866 1602 25th Ave. NE, Black Eagle pitstopblackeagle.com Cut Bank Creek Brewery | 406-229-0298 315 East Rail Road, Cut Bank cutbankcreekbrewery.com Opening Soon

Red Lodge Ales | 406-446-4607 1445 North Broadway, Red Lodge redlodgeales.com White Dog Brewing Co | 406-992-5798 121 W. Main St., Unit B, Bozeman whitedogbrewing.com

AREA 5 - Missouri River Country Blue Ridge Brewing | 406-672-2686 320 S 1st Street East, Malta facebook.com/blueridgebrewing.mt Opening Soon Busted Knuckle Brewery | 406-228-2277 303 1st Avenue South, Glasgow facebook.com/bustedknucklebrew Meadowlark Brewing | 406-433-2337 117 S. Central Ave., Sidney meadowlarkbrewing.com Missouri Breaks Brewing | 406-653-1467 326 Main, Wolf Point missouribreaksbrewing.com

AREA 6 - Southeast Montana Angry Hank’s Microbrewery | 406-252-3370 20 N 30th St., Billings facebook.com/angryhanks Beaver Creek Brewery | 406-795-2337 104 Orgain Ave. W., Wibaux beavercreekbrewery.com Canyon Creek Brewing | 406-656-2528 3060 Gabel Road, Billings canyoncreekbrewing.com Carter’s Brewing | 406-252-0663 2526 Montana Ave., Billings cartersbrewing.com Cross Country Brewing | 406-377-6912 320 E. Allard, Glendive facebook.com/xcbrews High Plains Brewing | 406-633-4594 601 E Main St., Laurel facebook.com/highplainsbrewing Last Chance Pub & Cider Mill | 406-534-8918 2203 Montana Ave., Billings lastchancecider.com Montana Brewing Co | 406-252-9200 113 N. Broadway, Billings montanabrewingcompany.com Old Skool Brewery | 406-690-5034 115 E Montana Ave., Baker facebook.com/oldskoolbrew Thirsty Street Brewing Co. | 406-969-3200 3008 1st Avenue N., Billings thirstystreet.com TiltWürks | 406- 874-8458 420 Pacific Ave., Miles City milescitybrewery.com Überbrew | 406-534-6960 2305 Montana Ave., Billings uberbrewmt.com White City Brewing | 406-998-9521 113 Main St., Lavina facebook.com/whitecitybrewing Opening Soon Yellowstone Valley Brewing | 406-245-0918 2123 B 1st Avenue N., Billings yellowstonevalleybrew.com

Visit www.406Hops.com for this full list with direct links to each taproom.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • WWW.406HOPS.COM • 406-850-5113 • PAGE 11

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406-259-0999 402 N. Broadway, Suite 302 Billings, MT 59101

BOZEMAN

406-587-1188 1102 West Babcock Bozeman, MT 59715

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Quality beer in traditional and experimental styles.

Chris Neill got his start in craft beer brewing on his family’s fully functioning homestead in Eureka, Montana. He first picked up an interest in brewing while living in Colorado from the folks who now own and operate SKa Brewing in Durango, CO. His passion for cooking and experimenting with flavors in food transported itself into a brewing hobby in which he put the flavors he enjoyed together with techniques necessary to brew different styles of beers that resulted in beer he really wanted to drink. Chris loves home brewing and as a result, he had a lot of beer to share. He began to invite friends over to help him drink his creations and to get feedback on what they liked about them. As word got out, more and more people came to partake of his home brews. He became encouraged and inspired by the number of people in his community who appreciate and love beer.

He began to think it would be a lot of fun to have a microbrewery on the homestead and serve to the community. He received a very positive response to the idea from his friends.

His friend and now business partner, Andy Kvasnak, really encouraged Chris to map out his passion for brewing as a business and was the first to really join in the push to make the brewery happen. Andy with his background in construction dove in and got the momentum of the building transformation started, while Chris helped with the construction and started the paperwork. Karl freshly moved back to Eureka and was intriqued by the concept. He got involved in the build and shortly after became an investor as well.

After counting we resources, we sought additional financial investors that would like to become involved in building and operating a brewery and tap room. With a few recipes, a passion for brewing beer, a lot of research, a business plan, support and involvement of a few

Scott has been a homebrewer for over a decade.

Over the years he has developed a palate for well crafted beer, and enjoys experiencing the nuances of the different styles. As the secretary of the Rimrock Brewer's Guild he makes sure that the Guild is in communication with the members.

PAGE 12 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

key people, and the support of his community, Chris dove head first into building a business to brew, serve, and distribute beer.

The process led to the birth of HA) Brewing, the owners of which consist of Chris, Andy, Karl Kassler, Terry Gill, Nancy Beech and Missy Castro.

HA is committed to crafting high quality beer in traditional and experimental styles that feature: the terroir (land or sense of place) of Chris’ homestead and its surroundings, the artisan water that flows in the ground underneath the homestead, and Chris’ passion for flavor. They consciously give a lot of thought and attention to the customer experience. The owners love that the tap room has become a cornerstone in the community for folks to deepen and form new friendships, to network their ideas and passions, to share the history of their great valley, to hear and play great music, and to have a venue for community building.

Chris and his wife purchased their homestead after driving around the west looking for a place to settle. They felt it was the perfect blend of everything they loved about the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. They have worked hard to live a homesteader’s life and to raise their two boys in a way that celebrates self reliance and an appreciation for where the things that sustain life come from. Prior to the brewery, Chris was building custom cabinets and furniture to sustain his family. His wife, Siri, tends her sheep, and processes, dyes, hand spins, and knits their shorn wool. Per Chris, one of the personal projects is turning our sheep project into a business…

Mother of All Wool Works “. Seri has purchased more sheep for her endeavor while Chris and the guys continue to work on their goals for the brewery.

(— Article by Lynne Jourdonnais)

Blacksmith Brewing Company – a true treasure of the Bitterroot Valley.

A lot of hard labor, brain power, multi-tasking, and team dynamics.

Flanked by the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountains, the small, historic town of Stevensville in the Bitterroot Valley offers beautiful views and outdoor recreation. Snuggled in the town of Stevensville, is a treasure that the locals love to share with visitors – Blacksmith Brewing Company. The building that houses the brewery and taproom was built in 1908. It began as a steam laundry and later became a blacksmith shop. With every brand the blacksmith made, he would then burn it into the wall to make sure it was perfect. The brands still are embedded into the walls showing those who passed this way.

Blacksmith Brewing’s brew master, Sheldon Scrivner, is always trying new things and rocking to rock music when he makes his amazing creations. When Sheldon has a new release, a NEW BEER ALERT is posted in Facebook to tell all!

A recent Alert announced Desmet Belgian Red - Eight different malts, and some Belgian candi sugar, as well as the Belgian ale yeast, give this Belgian abbey-style beer a complex, malt forward characteristic. A deep ruby color with just enough hops to balance out the malt flavors.

Other special or seasonal beers that have tickled many a palette include Drama Free Double IPA (bigger and more potent than your average IPA!), the Chocolate Nitro Stout, raspberry chocolate porter, and in the Sticky Beak Series – Sticky Beak Stout, Sticky Beak Brown, and Sticky Beak IPA. Blacksmith Brewing Company’s five flagship beers are: • Brickhouse Blonde 13 IBU, 5.3% abv.

An American Style Hefeweizen with a wheat malt characters and low bitterness. Slight hints of honey makes this beer very refreshing. It’s cloudy with a slight orange color.

• Montana Amber 20 IBU, 5.9% abv.

Assertive malt character with hints of caramel and chocolate. Low bitterness with a nice balance

After you have used a can, you send it off to the recycling center.

It is then melted down, and turned into another can. But what happens when a recycling center outgrows their building and they vacate it? In the case of Draught Works Brewery in Missoula, MT, the building itself is recycled into a brewery and a tap room.

When owners and head brewers Jeff Grant and Paul Marshall set out to create Draught Works, they had two goals. The first was to combine their wealth of global experience in brewing and create a brewery that not only offers world class ales and lagers, but also offers an interactive beer drinking experience where guests are encouraged to ask questions and watch the brewing process.

The second was to create a brewery and brewing experience that minimizes our impact on the earth.

The second has been accomplished with a bar made from a salvaged boom log lifted from the bottom of Flathead Lake, using reclaimed and re-finished wood throughout the taproom, and carefully monitoring the brew process to ensure the most local ingredients are used while carefully monitoring and minimizing water consumption.

The first can only be experienced by visiting the taproom, and sitting down with one of the 30 Draught Works employees.

For those who dream of opening their own brewery, Jeff and Paul offer a bit of a warning.

Brewing beer is an over-glorified position that

hop finish. It’s light brown to red in color.

• PD Pale Ale 30 IBU, 6.0% abv.

American style pale ale with light malt character and notes of caramel. Medium bitterness with a definitive hop aroma finish. It’s light amber/copper in color.

• Pulaski Porter 24 IBU, 5.7% abv.

Roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate tones and low hop bitterness. It’s black in color with rich intense maltiness.

• Cutthroat IPA 48+ IBU, 6.6% abv.

A west coast style IPA. This beer is generously dry hopped for a strong citrus aroma with medium to light malt character. It’s deep golden in color with a big hop aroma and bitterness throughout.

Blacksmith Brewing is always hopping! Every Wednesday and Saturday night features live music showcasing a wide variety of talented and eclectic musicians. Always free! Every month one gets the opportunity to enjoy the work of Artist of the Month. Small Montana towns have a strong community – and Stevensville is no different.

Over the year, Blacksmith Brewing Company hosts many fundraisers.

Stevensville has a fascinating past. For an overview of area history, visit the Stevensville Museum or tour St. Mary’s Mission, “where Montana began.” For wildlife and photographic opportunities, take the interpretive trails of the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, where osprey, Canada geese, bald eagles, coyotes, marmots, muskrats, minks and whitetail deer live. This time of year, there’s plenty of hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, fishing, and floating opportunities – all close by. Before hitting the river or the trail, grab a crowler or two (canned half growlers – river friendly) of your favorite Blacksmith Brewing Company’s beer!

(—Article by Vince G)

involves a lot of hard labor, brain power, multi-tasking, and team dynamics. But the end result is very rewarding.

• You get to create new beers drawing from the culinary world, local Montana produce, and brainstorming with other brewers.

• You get to build an incredible tap room that in 2016 produced right around 3,000 barrels.

• You get to expand and build a canning factory that will send amazing beer throughout most of Western Montana.

• You get to put 35 seasonal beers annually on the rotator menu to accompany the 7 flagships.

• You get to experiment with different styles, flavors, and use a broad spectrum of ingredients.

• You get to create over 100 different beers for locals, visitors, and passers-through to enjoy.

That, and more, has been the impact on the local brewing scene since Draught Works opened their doors in 2011.

Whether you’re a Missoula local, passing through, or visiting the area to enjoy the tremendous hiking, biking, fishing, mountain activities, or taking in a concert or show; be sure to check out what is quite possibly the best patio for enjoying a Missoula sunset. And remember that there is a beer for every time and place; the joy of drinking beer is finding the right match for the moment.

(—Article by Scott Sery)

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • WWW.406HOPS.COM • 406-850-5113 • PAGE 13

Tim Schnars II, Meadowlark Brewer

Steve Nordahl’s impressive journey into the craft beer industry.

“I was very fortunate to live in Belgium from 16, through 18 years of age. I graduated from the International School of Brussels; my first legal drinking experience was at 16, I regularly enjoyed drinking Belgium, German and English beer. In 1986 I returned to the United States to attend the University of Washington. I tasted my first American domestic beer at a fraternity party. To say the least, it was a real shock to my system; obviously, my palette was NOT American domestic and I immediately knew it was not for me. My search began for alternatives, at that time there were not too many choices, other than Red Hook, a little bit of Anchor and Sierra Nevada. While studying for a degree in Business I started home brewing. By the time I graduated in 1990 the Craft beer scene in Seattle was proliferating, the Kalama which is now Pyramid, and Deschutes opened, from a business and beer standpoint I was interested it what was churning. I decided to learn the entire brew process enrolling with 11-12 others in the very first Professional Brewers Certificate Program at U. C Davis. All but one of the completed enrollees including myself, are admirably thriving in one aspect or another in the Craft beer industry, to this day!”

“My first job in August of 1992 was as the head brewer and 1 of three partners at The Fredrick Brewing Company in Maryland. The 90’s Micro Beer bubble had begun but Craft beer had to be marketable to lure a very young demographic.

I arrived with all my learned creative brewing knowledge and was stifled creatively. We had to brew safe and appeal to the newer consumers, the Blond was very light blonde, the porter was not robust and the ESB wasn’t terribly bitter, as not to smack them up side the head. The first year I produced close to 1500 barrels on a 15 barrel brew house with no assistance. We expanded twice adding more tanks and by August of 1996 we went public, as did Pyramid, Sam Adams and Red Hook that same summer. Going public raised a lot of capital, I spent almost 2 years constructing a 53,000 square feet, 100,000 barrel state of the art professional brew production facility, which to say the least, was unbelievably AWESOME! As

Vice President of Brewing and Head Brewer, I staffed 25-30 employees for production, which encompassed brewing, selling, warehouse, packaging and shipping. The Fredrick Brewing Company grew at a ridiculous pace, shortly thereafter the accountants, along with the shareholders dictated cost cuts. The almighty bottom line led to less unique facets and utilizing cheaper ingredients. I was disfranchised; for me trading public was not conducive to creating a good product. Others understand this now after the tech boom. At that point there was no creative juice flowing, I was just making widgets; they sucked the fun right out of it!”

“In early 1999 I walked but I will take that feather in my cap. Eleven years ago Flying Dog Brewing bought the facility I helped to build, they produce phenomenal Craft beer.”

NOTE: For additional information about Lone Peaks food, philanthropy and more, including their Craft beer. Imperial IPA, Hippy Highway Oatmeal Stout, Swift Water Pilsner, Raspbeery Wheat, and the upcoming re-branding of the XPA to H0P Head Pale Ale, [spelled with a zero, H-0-P], check out 406hopsbrewingnews upcoming blogs, our next issue, and visit www.lonepeakbrewery.com

Steve Nordahl

Something wicked this way comes.

This past April, over thirteen thousand industry professionals gathered in the heart of our nation’s capital to attend the Craft Brewer’s Conference.

Unlike its counterpart, the Great American Beer Festival, the CBC is all about human resources, providing seminars and networking opportunities for brewery professionals. This year, Brewer’s Association Director Paul Gatza warned that growth for independent brewers tapered off, from eighteen percent in 2013 and 2014, respectively, to just six percent in 2016. What does that mean for craft brewers? We’re not exactly sure, but most of us anticipate storm clouds on the horizon.

So, just how many breweries will the market bear? America clocked in over five thousand three hundred operating breweries in 2016. I like to say that we live in the future, as our nation has never had this many breweries in all of its history.

Not surprisingly, Bart Watson, economist for the Brewer’s Association, revealed that there were over two thousand brewery permits for licenses waiting to be processed by the federal Tax and Trade Bureau. He wryly asserted, “For those in the room, these brewers are coming, so you can either lament it or you can prepare for it.”

Back at home, Montana legislators were passing HB 541, redefining what it means to be a small brewer in Montana and enabling breweries like Bayern and Big Sky to once again operate tasting rooms. The amount of support that came forward for this was meteoric, seemingly springing up overnight, thanks to the grassroots efforts of the Montana Brewer’s Association and our community allies. Ironically, most of the breweries in the state won’t benefit from this bill any time soon, and the bill’s passage stands as a testament to our industry’s solidarity.

Speaking of solidarity, the recent acquisition of Wicked Weed Brewing (NC) by ABInBev has elicited a major response from independent breweries of all sizes. Jester King (TX) and Black Project (CO) both made public statements about rescinding collaboration plans with the North Carolina brewery. Tap rooms and bars pulled their beer off. Sierra Nevada (CA) simply posted a picture of their iconic six pack to social media, with the phrase, “Still family owned and operated.” To top it off, nearly forty brewers have canceled their attendance at the Funkatorium Invitational, a beer fest that Wicked Weed hosts every year.

PAGE 14 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

At the CBC, there wasn’t much talk spent on mergers and consolidations, but we hadn’t forgotten them either. About this time seven years ago, I predicted an event that at the time I called the “Dawn of the New Macros”. I envisioned strategic partnerships of regional craft breweries buying up smaller craft breweries, in an effort to protect them. I never would have guessed that ABInBev would have purchased this many companies. I would have called you insane if you told me that they would buy up a sour-brewer like Wicked Weed. Especially since they didn’t exist back then. What does it mean when the largest beer company on Earth buys up a five-year-old brewery that makes sour beers? You tell me.

So the New Macros have risen, albeit differently than I imagined, and the craft brewing industry is poised to usher in over two thousand new breweries. Even though the culture is optimistic, there are growing seeds of worry among breweries nationwide. Experienced brewers are worried that unfiltered beers like the popular New England IPA could lead to quality issues for freshman and sophomore breweries. Mid-size breweries are worried that they’re going to get squeezed from the top and from the bottom. Newly acquired breweries are worried that public perception will backfire on them, causing customers to flee their brands. All I want to do is make world class beers, and share them with people who feel the same way that I feel about the term craft: it’s short for “hand-crafted”.

The founding president of the Brewer’s Association, Charlie Papazian, is quoted as saying, “The greatest beer in the world is the one in my hand.” Beauty may be in the eye of the beerholder, but does great taste drown out good ethics? How long before we redefine a “small brewery” again, for better or for worse? How long before one of our own beloved Montana breweries falls under the eager eye of a desperate goliath? For now, hyper-localization is the trend in our state, so let’s be thankful. I’m not going to debate my colleagues about whether the glass is half-empty or half-full, rather, I’m going to fill it with another beer and wait to see what tomorrow brings. Though at times it appears as though the sky is falling, wisdom assures us that we’ve seen this before and that all storms shall pass.

(—Article by Tim Schnars II, Meadowlark Brewer)

Hosted by Milestown Community Improvement, Inc.

50+ craft beers

from approx.

15 breweries, all represented in person!

ersht e b 40 raug on d

Confirmed breweries include: Carter's Thirsty Street Red Lodge Ales Uberbrew New Belgium Brewing

August 5, 2017 Eastern Montana Fairgrounds

Miles City, MT

Meadowlark Beaver Creek Butte Brewing Busted Knuckle Tiltwurks

TICKET PRICES: VIP: 3-6PM Brew Fest & 6PM concert. $75 General Admission: 4-6PM Brew Fest & 6PM Concert. $50 Concert Only: 6-10PM $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Cross Country

Beer gardens during the concert, along with smoked-on-site BBQ.

with more likely to confirm.

Old Skool White Dog

At the Trails Inn Tap Haus, we take craft beer seriously!

Stop in and check out eastern Montana's largest selection of local, regional, and imported crafted beers and ciders.

BREWERS: We run direct distributed taps regularly, and meticulously clean and service our own lines. Interested in a guest handle, or coming down for a tap takeover event? Contact Dan at TrailsInn1885@gmail.com.

Brew Fest is followed by a full concert in the grandstands, featuring some

solid beer drinkin' foot stompin' music from the Texas and Nashville music scenes (check our website for details as bands are confirmed).

For further information and for ticket sales, visit Milestown Community Improvement, Inc.'s Facebook page, or visit our website at: www.mci2.com

Behind the scenes look at the Trails Inn Tap Haus with Dan Rice.

The Trails Inn Bar has been around since the 50’s or so. They were mostly known for live music and comedy events.

Ilyana and I bought the bar in January of 2016.

We made a lot of changes to include removal of the permanent music/comedy stage, moving the casino from the front of the bar to its own separate casino space, tripling the seating capacity, moving the late 1800s Brusnwick back bar from the back of the stage to the actual back bar, new flooring and bar tops, and increasing the beer taps.

The bar consists of 3 buildings, two of which were built in 1885, and one in 1887. We are in the process of renovating the 1887 building to be a very family focused family friendly space, where your kids can run around and play, you can get food from our pizza kitchen, and the parents can still drink whatever beverages they’d like from the bar side, without being in a “bar.”

The Trails Inn Bar had 4 taps on a kegerator

when we took over. We immediately increased to 20 taps, and built a keg cooler directly under the front corner of the bar. We then increased to 33 taps, and then to 40 taps. Somewhere during that expansion we coined the name “Trails Inn Tap Haus” as a more accurate description of our operation. I believe that we have the largest tap selection east of Bozeman. We run 8 domestics on the back bar, 6 cider taps on the front bar, and another 26 craft beer taps on the corner of the bar right by the front entryway. We also have a good sized bottle selection of unusual beers and imports.

In terms of craft beer, we do a lot of direct distribution with breweries, and do our own line service. We typically run 4+ sour beers on tap, to include the hard to obtain New Belgium “Lips of Faith” series beers. We regularly host brewery tap takeover or pint night type events. We are working on a collaboration series of coffee beers

607 Main Street — Miles City, MT — (406) 234-2922

with Beaver Creek Brewing and Cafe Utza coffee roasters.

Our focus is on seasonal and specialty beers that you can’t find at the grocery store, with the vast majority of our beer on tap falling in that “nongrocery store” category.

I’m an attorney as my primary occupation, and Ilyana operates and manages the bar. The beer portion of the business is essentially a hobby for me, which makes it fun. I don’t have the usual ownership and management duties, so instead I focus on networking with breweries, traveling to pick up kegs, servicing and cleaning our beer system, and working through various distribution channels to obtain hard to find beer.

Our beer experience is unique in that all of the craft beers are located on the front bar, between the bartender and the customer. There is a much more interactive feel when you’re talking to the bartender while looking at the tap handles (all of which are labeled with ABV and IBU stats, and other pertinent information about the beer), and

the bartender can pour and hand you samples of a variety of beers while not having to disengage the customer to go to the tap handles. You’re not just ordering beer from a list - you’re ordering beer while interacting with the taps. Also, beer tap handles are awesome.

Breweries take a lot of pride in their tap handle designs, so we try and put them on prominent display for the beer drinking customer to look at while making their beer selection.

We do flight samples of 4 or 6 beers. We have a full service growler fill operation, and do complimentary growler sanitizing to ensure that you’e getting fresh beer in a clean growler, properly filled. We do odds and ends promotions.

Mug Mondays we sell big mugs of beer at pint prices. We have a pint club where if you drink one pint from each of our craft beer taps, you receive a free growler with a fill of your choosing.

(—Article by Dan Rice/Trails Inn Tap Haus) For more info on The Trails Tap Haus and pictures of the renovation. Visit our blog at www.406hops.com

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • WWW.406HOPS.COM • 406-850-5113 • PAGE 15

Celebrating W O M E N in Brewing.

International Women’s Day By: Maddy Mason from Philipsburg Brewing Co.

Nearly two dozen women in the Montana craft beer community gathered to brew as part of the Pink Boots Society Big Boots Brew Day, an annual and international event to bring women across the world together to brew a unique beer.

Hosted by Philipsburg Brewing Company, the event was on March 8th, 2017, International Women’s Day, drew women from craft beer bars such as Montana Ale Works in Bozeman and The Dram Shop in Missoula as well as women who work for Montana craft breweries like Homestead Ales in Eureka and Beehive Basin Brewery in Big Sky. Since the brew day, the beer has been released at the PBC taproom: Don’t Call Me Honey Saison comes in at 5.5% ABV and 22 IBUs. It was brewed with sage, angelica, pink peppercorn, and Kate’s Honey from just down Highway 1 in Hall, Montana. The women who have tried the beer are happy with the results.

“The recipe given by Pink Boots didn’t speak to me and luckily PBC is all about salability so I adjusted it to fit our patrons, leaving honey in as a nod to the original brew recipe for 2017 but also making it our own, unique Montana version,” said Maddy Mason of PBC and coordinator of Big Boots Brew 2017.

Women who attended the event expressed sincere interest in rotating the Big Boots Brew around Montana for years to come.

Philipsburg Brewing Staff Maranda, Max and Sara

“Seeing all these women in one room was empowering and exciting for the Montana beer industry,” said Corey Rigini, KettleHouse Northside Lead Brewer and Montana Chapter President of Pink Boots Society.

Coffee first! Shanna and the women enjoy the first brew of the day.

Meet Ninkasi; the Goddess of Beer You Know the Name, but do you Know the Name?

In modern culture, if you mention the name Ninkasi, most people that understand beer will perk up. Not because of the history, or the origin of the word, but rather because Ninkasi Brewing Company has made a huge impact on the brewing world over the past few years.

For those who love beer, however, the name runs much deeper than a Eugene based brewery. It runs back many thousands of years.

The Origins of Beer It is widely believed that beer production began shortly after the domestication of cereals (these are your wheats and barleys; your fermentable grains). But it wasn’t a way of enjoying a fermented beverage like we know it today.

Instead, beer production was done as a method of preserving the calories found in those grains, so that during the winter you could consume them without the risk of rot and spoilage.

While the roots may run deeper, chemical tests of Mesopotamian pottery show that beer was around as far as 7,000 years ago.

The oldest written evidence, or drawn rather, is a 6,000 year old tablet that shows Sumerians drinking out of a communal bowl. It wasn’t until over 2,000 years later, that we find talk of beer drinking. Sometime around 1,800 BC, the Hymn to Ninkasi (follow that link to read the hymn) was inscribed on a tablet (the hymn is likely thousands of years older, but this is the first recorded evidence). This hymn was both a dedication, a poem to the goddess of beer, and it was a recipe for beer. It was thought that brewers would sing the hymn during the brewing process as a way to pass the information down to their apprentices.

But Who was Ninkasi?

Like most mythologies, the Sumerians honored different gods at different levels. There were the top god and goddess (Apsu and Tiamat) under whom everything fell. On the next level down

Some of the women remove the spent grain.

Don’t Call Me Honey Saison. Brewed with honey and herbs. 5.5% - 22 IBU

were the Sky Mother, the Sky Father, the Earth Mother, and a few more. Underneath that level came many others, including Enki the Lord of Earth.

Enki hooked up with Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake and the goddess of procreation. They begat Ninkasi, the goddess of beer.

Unlike many other mythologies, however, Ninkasi wasn’t just the goddess of beer. She was beer. She wasn’t just the goddess of fermentation, she was the fermentation itself. She took on an abstract role that both honored the product, and was the process of creating the product, and was the product herself.

The name Ninkasi, when translated to English, literally means “the lady who fills the mouth.”

Beer’s Important Role Beer today plays an important social role. But the role it used to play was much different. Modern beers have alcohol contents that are 4%-9% (give or take). But ancient beers were more in the 2%4% range, and were also more soup-like than the pure crisp liquid we know today. This allowed for a variety of benefits.

Lower alcohol meant you could drink more.

The purpose of drinking in ancient times wasn’t to get drunk. That was considered a waste of good grains and liquids. Instead, drinking beer was a means of drinking liquid that had been purified in order to stay hydrated. Because beer is boiled, the nasty microorganisms were killed off. The low alcohol kept those organisms at bay, and allowed the drinker to stay hydrated without the risk of over-indulgence.

But it goes even further than that. Beer in ancient times was actually used as a form of currency. Workers would have some of their wages paid in beer; much of that beer was consumed during the workday. This allowed them to stay hydrated while they worked, ingest calories, and lowered the cost for the employers (slave owners, usually) due to lower turnover from sick, injured, or exhausted workers.

Raise a Pint to Ninkasi The next time you’re about to imbibe one of the many fine craft brews out there today, raise your glass to Ninkasi. She is the goddess of beer; she is the beer.

(—Article by Scott Sery)

PAGE 16 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

A Home Vet Dr Patty Rickard PET CLINIC 839-5763

The Less-Stress Vet • www.aHomeVet.com • Billings, MT

Everyone wants their dog with them when they are sampling beer, right?

Of course! Here are some things that must happen first.

• Current Rabies Vaccination • Current Distemper/Parvo Vaccination • Current Bordetella (kennel cough) Vaccination Now for the fun part! Your dog must be well socialized. That means they get along well with others. If you are not sure, here are some tips to ensure they will do well.

CANINE GREETING: DO let them sniff butts. It is an important part of greeting in the dog world, even though it looks socially unacceptable! The perfect greeting is when two dogs sniff each other’s butts and kind of walk in a circle.

DO NOT allow your dog to run up and pounce on another dog. This is a social NO-NO in the canine world and can start a fight.

DO NOT allow your dog to walk straight into another dog. Dogs, just like human, dogs have a personal bubble. If that bubble is invaded too quickly and head on, it can start a fight. The

perfect scenario is: head-down, looking away, “asking” to be allowed to greet. (Picture yourself standing around, minding your own business and someone walks up to you, straight on, and bumps into you…not cool, right?)

DO NOT allow your dog to jump on top of another dog. People think this is “just playing” but if the other dog did not “allow” the behavior, it could start a fight.

There is much, much more, but these tips should keep you Fido out of trouble. If something does start, get a tight grip on your leash, take your dog to a different spot. DO NOT allow the two dogs to stare at each other from across the area.

The best way to alleviate a problem is to get both dogs away from stress with backs turned toward one another.

If you’re not sure your dog can handle a social setting, the safest thing is to leave them home. It’s not worth getting yourself or your fur-baby hurt. (­– Article by Dr. Patty Rickard/A Home Vet)

Dr. Patty Rickard is a licensed veterinarian, treating all types of pets and animals. Your pet's health and well being is very important and I will take every step to give your pet the best possible care. Our hours are convenient and we will work around your busy schedule. Available most evenings and some weekend appointments. Same day appointments are usually available.

We make House Calls! Within 10 miles of Billings MT. If you live outside this area, there may be an additional fee for services.

1511 6TH AVE NORTH IN BILLINGS

SERVICES OFFERED IN-CLINIC: • Wellness Exams • Routine Vaccinations • Microchip Insertion • Parasite Testing / Deworming AFFORDABLE SURGERY: • Dentals • Spay/Neuter Dogs & Cats • Kitty Declaws • General Surgery HOUSE CALLS: • Vaccinations • Exams • Nail Trims • End-of-Life Care, including Hospice & Euthanasia VACCINATION CLINICS AT SHIPTON'S Second Sat. of each Month at the Downtown & West End locations. And the following Wed. in the Heights.

Live Montanably. Drink Montanably.

Welcome to P-burg, home to the well known Philipsburg Brewery and a remarkable businesswoman, Shannon Alt-Olsson, founder, owner and graphic designer of Montana themed wearables, Live Montanably! Shannon created Live Montanably earlier this year because; “we Montanans, proudly love to wear our state. I wanted to encompass the line with as many activities Montanans are passionate about, under The Big Sky.” Live Montanably includes not only Drinking, but Fish Montanably, Hunt Montanably, Ski Montanably, Hike Montanably, Rodeo Montanably, to name a few!

Shannon is adamant to “give back”. Live Montanably was a sponsor for the Helena Centennial Trail Fundraiser and has donated proceeds from sales to Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, in addition to many other events and fundraisers.

If that’s not enough, Shannon participated in the International Women’s Day Pink Boots Brew Event, hosted by Philipsburg Brewing, March 8th. 406 Hops Brewing News was already impressed with her designs and we learned she provided custom tees for the event, plus coffee, pastries and lunch from her other passion, Boheme Coffee Shop!

In essence, Drink Montanably not only represents beer, wine and spirits, but also the variety of hot and cold drinks and smoothies freshly served at Boheme.

On your next outing to the quaint town of Philipsburg make it a point to visit Boheme - an eclectic mix of pastries, panini’s, soups, baked goods, famous pies- sought from miles around, locally made gifts, and collectables. Don’t forget the unique colorful Live Montanably designs printed on decals, shirts, hooded pullovers, hats and beanies, for women, men and children. Proudly promoting you Montanably. (­– Article by Treva G)

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • WWW.406HOPS.COM • 406-850-5113 • PAGE 17

Interview with Amanda Little-Oaks of Red Lodge Ales.

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with Amanda Little-Oakes of Red Lodge Ales at a taptakeover event. Amanda is the Red Lodge Ales’ regional sales manager, covering an area consisting of eastern Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. Amanda has been with Red Lodge Ales for about 4 years, with her first 2 years spent working in the taproom, and the last 2 years in sales. During a brief dinner break at the takeover event, I had a moment to quiz Amanda a little bit as to what Red Lodge Ales has been up to.

First, the basics: Red Lodge Ales is a well established Montana brewery, focused on German style beers. This is largely due to the fact that the brewery owner, Sam Hoffmann, is the son of a German born immigrant, and as such, German beer is a big part of Sam’s heritage. Amanda notes that most Montana breweries are making very malt forward beers, with a number starting to get into the sour beer market. Red Lodge Ales, on the other hand, is focusing on expanding their IPA lineup, and formulating more “hop forward” beers.

Notably, they’ve started their “Wingman Series”

beers, which includes a new rotating IPA label, packaged for retail sale in a variety pack with Bent Nail. Some of these beers include their Rocking Horse Black IPA; Ringshank (which is a type of nail) Rye IPA; and Bruno’s Montana IPA. Each of the foregoing are an exciting new twist on the IPA style beer, and each of these I’ve enjoyed immensely when I’ve run them on tap.

Red Lodge Ales is the 4th largest brewery in the state, putting out 8,400 barrels of beer per year. They typically run an 80bbl fermentation setup (20bbl brew kettle, quad batches), although they ferment Bent Nail and Helio in their 180bbl fermenter. (Thats... a big fermenter!)

Barrel aging beers is something that Red Lodge has been doing fairly extensively in recent years, using primarily Nicaraguan rum barrels, and Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels. They have aged Bent Nail in rum barrels; Jack’s 90 Scottish in both rum and whiskey barrels; and then they do their chocolate stout and their “Hunt for Red Oaktober” lager in the Woodford Reserve barrels.

Good stuff, always. Hunt for Red Oaktober is one of the most interesting Montana beers I’ve ever

Llyana and Dan Rice with “The Beerbarian”.

Dan Rice and Barrie Matthews of the Trails Inn Tap Haus and Amanda of Red Lodge.

had, and it has proven to be a crowd favorite.

Red Lodge Ales is now doing some malted cider (which is considered beer under state law) as a bit of a go-between between their regular beer lineup and their new cider operation, “Last Chance Cider Mill,” which is located in Billings. (Note: If you haven’t stopped by Last Chance, it is very much worth the visit. Incredible food, a large in-house crafted cider lineup, a full selection of Red Lodge Ales beers on tap, along with wine on tap).

Red Lodge also offers several beers and malted ciders on nitro (commercially), which is atypical for the majority of Montana breweries.

The current brewing facility in Red Lodge, MT has plenty of room for expansion. They’re looking at adding a canning lineup, noting that canning is technically a “better” container for beer, and will allow for a longer shelf life as compared to bottles.

Amanda notes that all of their beer is brewed and bottled/kegged on site.

Be sure to look for Amanda at your next brewfest, and keep an eye out for Red Lodge Ales sponsored events! Amanda typically works between 10-20 brew fests per season, does about 50 tastings per year, and around 5 tap takeover events annually. So, you’re likely to bump into her

at some point. And, when you do, you’ll probably have the same observation that I do: Amanda is super excited and passionate about the beer and cider coming from Red Lodge and Last Chance; and you’ll also likely note that Amanda, along with her entourage (which typically consists of her husband, Mac, and their tiny dog, Griswold), are some of the most fun people you’ll ever encounter in the Montana craft beer community.

(As a side note: Some of you are probably thinking... “What happened to the Beerbarian!?!?”

It is true, Doug is no longer with Red Lodge Ales.

That said, Amanda has proven to be a worthy successor to the former Red Lodge Ales regional sales manager for this area, the much loved Doug “The Beerbarian” Bailey, the beer loving viking, who is now the head of sales for Pabst Blue Ribbon in their Seattle market.)

If you’re ever in Red Lodge, make sure you take a few hours to drop by Sam’s Tap Room. It’s located on a large indoor and outdoor facility, with a great atmosphere, located at the base of the ski mountain, and always sports a lineup of incredible German inspired, Montana made, craft beer.

(—Article by Dan Rice)

Join us in our adventures.

ON BOARD

with Don and LuAnn Schrauth

“If you see us in a brewery, stop and say “HI” and share a beer conversation.”

Read all about our journey in which ALL Montana Brewery’s were visited in less than two years. The quest continues!

Visit our blog at www.406hops.com And to think that it all started with a Montana Brewery PASSPORT from our kids as a gift.

PAGE 18 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS

Montana

HOMEBREWING News

Hosted by Milestown Community Improvement, Inc. The Rock'n MC Homebrew Contest is accepting homebrew submissions between now and August 1, 2017, in the following 3 categories: 1 American IPA; 2 Porter / Stout; and 3 American Wheat.

Prizes for each category are $100 for 1st; $50 for 2nd; and $25 for 3rd (along with brewery schwag for those winners who are in attendance).

Winners being announced at the Rock'n MC Brew Fest on August 5, 2017 in Miles City, MT.

ATTN: HOMEBREWERS!

Kings Ace Hardware - 1551 Zimmerman Trail Road, Billings, MT 406-656-1446 • M-F 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-6pm

THE "BEST IN SHOW" HOMEBREWER will also have the opportunity to brew their winning beer on a full brewery scale with Shea Dawson of Thirsty Street Brewing Co. in Billings, MT. This winning beer collaboration will be featured on tap at the Rock'n MC Brew Fest 2018; and will be served in the Thirsty Street taproom in Billings, as well as at the Trails Inn Tap Haus in Miles City.

For more details and for contest rules, visit Milestown Community Improvement, Inc.'s Facebook page; or their website at www.mci2.com.

I Have A Dream Job! How would you like to have “beer” fun every work day? Jeff Derrickson is the manager of the home brew department at the Billings Kings Ace Hardware. Jeff researches and orders the latest and greatest brewing supplies every day. From fresh malts, hops, and yeast to parts, equipment, and complete brewing systems Jeff is always making sure his ingredients and supplies are current. He also tries to include a few unique items too! If that is not fun enough, the guy conducts brewing demonstrations regularly on site at the Ace Hardware. With over 10 years of home brewing experience Jeff professionally assists beginners and seasoned home brewers and is a member of the Rimrock Brewers Guild.

Cheers to you Jeff, we had a terrific time at your brew day demonstration!

Everything From Kettle To Keg...

Custom Build Any Recipe To Create Your Next Brew. HUGE Selection Of Specialty Equipment, Base and Adjunct Grains, Dozens of Hop Varieties, Yeast, Spices and Plumb Parts, Fittings and Kegerator Accessories.

Plus, So Much More. Shipping Available

Serious Home Brewing! Meet Matt Miller.

Matt, to say the least is incredibly industrious, especially when it comes to Home Brewing. Utilizing the stellar system he created, every detail was thought out meticulously to streamline. Switching from propane to natural gas for more heat control, state of the art burners, industrial coolers, and a sweet stainless sink, to name a few is pure perfection! Technologically Matt’s system is “dialed in” too; as he is brewing he receives web based alerts on his phone for almost every crucial step of the brewing process.

Learning more is just as important. Matt enters many brewing competitions, searching the American Home Brewers Website; he reviews sanctioned competitions to submit his brews. The most important reason is to gain valuable feedback. Recently Matt submitted a Golden Stout and Mead in Denver for the National Homebrew Convention, (23 years in existence) and submitted his Cream Ale to The Wyoming Home Brewers Competition in Cheyenne. Certified judges score aroma, appearance, flavor, clarity, mouth feel, and overall impression. The feedback he receives allows Matt to improve to hone his craft.

We at 406 HOPSBN learned a great deal from Matt, and the Golden Stout is perfection in our book!

For more about Matt, visit our blog page at www.406hops.com

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MT Homebrewer ClubS BILLINGS

Rimrock Brewers Guild <rimrock.brewers.guild@gmail.com>

BOZEMAN

Bridger Brew Crew <info@bridgerbrewcrew.org>

BUTTE

Mile High Mashers <homebrewoverlords@gmail.com>

COLSTRIP

Odd Fellow Homebrewers <oddfellowbrewers@gmail.com>

GREAT FALLS

Central Montana Homebrew Club <centralmontanahomebrew@gmail.com>

HAVRE

Hill County Homebrewers <facebook.com/hillcountyhomebrewers>

HELENA

High Mountain Hoppers <cookiedds@hotmail.com>

KALISPELL

Flathead Valley Brewers <flatheadvalleybrewers@yahoo.com>

MISSOULA

Montana Homebrewers Association <montanahomebrewers@gmail.com>

Email Treva@406Hops.com if you have a homebrewing club in MT and would like to be added to this list. Interested in supplying an article with photos? Let us know what your club is brewing.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK • WWW.406HOPS.COM • 406-850-5113 • PAGE 19

Mighty Big Jim & the Tall Boys Takeover MT Music Scene.

It is a well-known fact that Wibaux, MT houses one of the best breweries in the state, and while many flock to Beaver Creek Brewery to savor their many expertly crafted beers, it is something else that they are widely beginning to gain accolades for and it isn’t just the beer or food.

Also on scene, owner and brewer Jim Devine has grown quite a following for his other passion: music. Although Jim has been performing in bars and honky-tonks throughout Montana and North Dakota since 1993, his band Mighty Big Jim and the Tall Boys has become a staple not only in Wibaux, but their venerated talents are being recognized across the state, as well.

Jim has beer flowing through his veins, as his winning craft beer is his testament, but music has also been a part of his being for a long time. It runs in the family. He has been promoting live music at Beaver Creek Since they opened in 2008, and right next door is the Gem, a space dedicated to the best sound equipment around, and here live music is coupled with pints and song. With his wife Sandra and business partner Sandy Stinnett, they built the Gem next door with the idea that music and impeccably made beer aren’t mutually exclusive, and through a series of serendipitous crossings, he has acquired like-minded musicians and fellow imbibers. Here, as well as when they tour across

the state, you can find the eclectic group that comprises Mighty Big Jim and the Tall Boys, and it’s this chance engagement that fuels the melodious and hard-driving music that so infectiously brings drink to mouth and foot to floor.

Besides front man Jim, that band consists of lead guitarist and DEAD HEAD Casey Malkuch, bassist and “Prisoner of Rock N Roll” Jon Redin, keyboardist Jamie “Papa J” Sharples, the drummer with four-on-the-floor Jayson Eslick, and rounding out the misfits is the lovely vocalist Princess Kate (Kate Eslick). This six-piece is the definition of a road less travelled, and they prove it has made all the difference. Their music has rock and country influences, and they cite Springsteen, Petty, and The Band as some of their primary inspirations.

From the delicate and cutting lead vocals, to the tasty guitar licks and layered harmonies, Mighty Big Jim and the Tall Boys mix original music with some of their favorite covers when they play live.

And often times it’s difficult to tell which of the songs in their set have already been made radio famous, as they move effortlessly from tune to tune, bringing up the tension with guitar fuelled rock solos before caressing it back down with some acoustic and harmony laden ballads. They know how to entertain a crowd. And between their busy schedules, crafting beer and performing music, they are still writing music and planning their next album, which should commence early next year.

Just one listen to their originals and you know Mighty Big Jim and the Tall Boys are for real. The sophisticated lyrics on their originals demonstrate the relationship they have with the music, holding

back for the right moment, and giving what they call in the music industry “space” for the music to evolve without filling it up with unneeded notes and busy playing. Their music comes from the heart, as is demonstrated on the track “Without You Here,” which is played on acoustic the regret of yesterday, serenaded with light harmonies from Princess Kate and rim clicks on the snare by Jayson Eslick. Even their covers have the soupcon of Mighty Big Jim and the Tall Boys to it, like their cover of “The Weight,” a well-known song by The Band. It’s this element during a live performance that makes their authenticity an event unto itself.

As busy as the band is, and between their drinking responsibilities, they plan on playing gigs this summer in Bozeman, Glendive, Miles City, Fort Peck, Rapid City, SD, Spearfish, SD, and Dickinson, ND, just to name a few. And if there is any doubting the talent in Wibaux, look no further than Beaver Creek Brewery, the Gem, and Jim and his misfits.

(—Article by Josh Michael)

THINK LOCAL SHOP LOCAL Locally owned neighborhood grocery store that offers everything from the highest quality meat & fish to a beautiful produce section. And don’t forget the large selection of beer and wine including brands brewed right here in Montana!

(406) 656-5716 2648 Poly Dr., Billings, MT 59102

PAGE 20 • Volume 1/Issue #4 • A PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO MONTANA’S BREWING NEWS