The annual Montana Brewers Rendezvous tour concluded on Saturday, September 21st, with the Fall Rendezvous brewfest in Missoula. 34 brewers from across the state packed Caras Park, pouring more than 120 unique brews for the over 1,000 craft beer lovers who filled the pavilion, while beer judges assessed those beers for awards in 14 style categories.
With performances from musical guests Neal Elder and Love is a Dog, the Fall Rendezvous was the culmination of three craft beer celebrations across Montana organized by the Montana Brewers Association. This year’s Rendezvous tour kicked off in Bozeman in May, before heading to Helena in August. Each year, the tour is organized under a central theme, chosen each year by the Montana Brewers Association volunteer events committee members.
This year’s tour’s theme was based on the adage that “Montana is one big small town with a long main street.” Montana’s breweries are Main Street businesses in communities across our state. Rendezvous brewfests are a unique opportunity for beer lovers from around Montana to sample the wide variety of beers our state’s brewers offer, as well as meet and speak with their local brewers. This year’s tour artwork, created by Missoula-based artist Daniel Mrgan, showcases the wide range of people who are part of our craft brewing community.
Judges assess beer at the Fall Rendezvous.
Before beer started flowing for the public, our beer judges got the first chance to sample beers from around the state, scoring them in 14 style categories. Once the judges concluded their work and decided on the winners, MBA Executive Director Matt Leow was joined on stage by beer writer Kate Bernot and Neptune’s Brewery’s Brittney Phillips to announce the award for each category plus Best in Show during the VIP hour. The competition is a chance to recognize greatness in Montana’s craft brewing industry and points attendees to some of the best beers available at the event. Plus, as a competition registered with the Beer Judge Certification Program, it gives judges a chance to fulfill requirements of their certification.
Seth Orr, head brewer at Sacred Waters Brewing Company, displays the awards won for his beers.
The Snow Dust Rice Lager from Sacred Waters Brewing Company was awarded Best in Show, as well as winning the Pale Lager category. This beer is brewed with Jasmine rice & local Flathead Hallertau Mittlefruh hops, creating a highly drinkable, light brew.
“I was very surprised to receive four awards, including Best In Show,” says Sacred Waters’ head brewer, Seth Orr. “In Montana we all make really great beer. To be recognized for our quality of beer by my peers and colleagues at this competition was a very humbling experience.”
Here’s the full list of award winners at the Fall Rendezvous:
Best in Show: Snow Dust Rice Lager, Sacred Waters Brewing Company
Amber or Dark Lagers: La Vaquera Dark Mexican Lager, Cranky Sam Brewing
Amber, Red, or Brown Ales: Mustache Ride ESB, Old Bull Brewing
Belgian-Style Ales: Old Yeller Belgian Golden Strong, Burnt Tree Brewing
Blonde, Cream, or Wheat Ales: Little Blonde Ale, 406 Brewing Company
Dark Ales: Backcountry Scottish Ale, Lewis & Clark Brewing Company
Experimental Beers: Spruce Tip Saison, Beehive Basin Brewery
Fruit, Vegetable, or Spiced Beers: Lil’ Salmon Fire Pepper Ale, Sacred Waters Brewing Company
Hard Seltzers: Raspberry Hard Seltzer, Ten Mile Creek Brewery
Hazy IPAs or Hazy Pale Ales: Bugle Juice Hazy IPA, Old Bull Brewing
IPAs: Warp Speed West Coast IPA, Imagine Nation Brewing Company
Pale Ales: Prickly Pear Pale Ale, Lewis & Clark Brewing Company
Pale Lagers: Snow Dust Rice Lager, Sacred Waters Brewing Company
Sour Beers: Catwalk Assassin Mixed Fermentation Sour, Sacred Waters Brewing Company
Wood-Aged Beers: Crowned Serpent Imperial Stout, Conflux Brewing Company
Attendees gather at the first Montana Beer Awards. Photo by Lori Schroder Photography.
Montana’s brewers and craft beer lovers are preparing to celebrate the best brews in Big Sky Country. The Montana Beer Awards are returning for their second year, after the inaugural competition recognized the best in Montana beer in February. Hosted by Lewis & Clark Brewing Company in Helena, the first event marked Montana’s first commercial, state-wide beer competition.
Moving into its second year, the Montana Beer Awards will continue to celebrate the vibrant craft beer culture that makes Montana unique. Not only do the awards highlight the exceptional beers made by independent brewers across the state, they also provide brewers the high quality feedback from experienced judges they need to brew better beer.
Judging during the 2024 Montana Beer Awards.
Judging for the second Montana Beer Awards is slated for February 19-21, 2025, with an awards ceremony taking place on the evening of Saturday, February 22nd at Lewis & Clark Brewing Company. We’re building on the successful inaugural event with a few changes and additions for 2025.
For one, the Montana Beer Awards are adopting the 2024 Great American Beer Festival style guidelines, which features newly recognized beer subcategories such as Italian Pilsners and German-Style Festbiers. The competition categories are also seeing a shake up, with North American Light Lagers becoming American & International Pale Lagers. The European Light Lager category was also split, with Hop-Forward Pale Lagers and Malt-Forward European Pale Lagers being added as competition categories.
The largest category at the inaugural event, Fruit, Vegetable, and Spiced Beer, saw 40 entries, and will be receiving a makeover for the 2025 Beer Awards. Sour ales and fruited sours will be combined into their own category. Then, the remaining beers will be entered into either a fruited, non-sour category or a vegetable and spiced beer category.
An entirely new category will be added to the 2025 competition, for Peaks to Prairie beers brewed across the state. This category is part of the Montana Brewers Association’s annual Peaks to Prairie collaboration beer, where brewers create brews made with entirely Montana-grown ingredients with the participation of local hop and malt suppliers. With a night celebrating everything that is great in Montana craft beer, a category for entirely Montana-made beers is in order.
In addition to recognizing excellent beers, the Montana Beer Awards honors breweries with the Small, Medium and Large Brewery of the Year Awards, as well as the Impact Award, which honors breweries that work to improve the community that surrounds them. New for 2025, the event will be adding the Montana Beer Champion Award, designed to recognize individuals for their exceptional dedication to the industry. The Montana Beer Champion will recognize someone who has worked to elevate Montana craft beer and has dedicated themselves to our community throughout their career. Nominations for the Montana Beer Champion and Community Impact Awards will be submitted online from January 6th to February 9th.
After a successful inaugural event, where 55 Montana brewers submitted 365 unique beers to be judged, we look forward to celebrating our state’s craft beer with you next February. As we approach the second annual Montana Beer Awards, some key dates to remember are:
The awards ceremony is open to the public and beer lovers are encouraged to join us on Saturday evening as we honor the best of Montana.
Interested in supporting the second Montana Beer Awards? View the post-event report and sponsorship packet here.
The United States’ premier beer competition and celebration, the Great American Beer Festival, returned to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver October 10th to the 12th. Presented by the Brewers Association, GABF is the largest beer festival in the United States and among the most prestigious beer competitions in the world.
Photo © Brewers Association.
The festival unveiled a new floor plan for this year’s event, grouping breweries into different themed experience areas inspired by German biergartens, backyard gatherings, Halloween, and more. The festival also featured a host of non-beer options, such as ciders, hard seltzers, hard kombuchas, to name a few.
The GABF competition also saw changes for 2024, with a new partnership with the American Cider Association to add five cider categories to the competition. 285 certified beer judges evaluated 8,836 beers before awarding 326 medals across 102 unique categories. Loy Maierhauser, COO at MAP Brewing Co., was one of the judges at this year’s GABF.
“This is the second year I was asked to judge GABF, and it’s such an honor to be chosen to sit at those judging tables,” says Maierhauser.
Maierhauser was able to sample numerous incredible beers, over 150 by the end of the competition, but says she was also able to appreciate “the level of focus and dedication that each and every judge puts into their assessments,” giving brewers high quality feedback on their work.
Two Montana breweries came home from Denver with medals. Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. became a ten-time GABF medalist when their Back Country won silver in the English-Style Brown Ale category. This was not the first time Back Country has been honored at GABF, having won silver in Scottish-Style Ale in 2014, and gold in the same category in 2020.
“Winning an award at one of the most prestigious beer competitions is something the whole team gets really excited and proud about,” explains Jayce Hancock, Lewis & Clark’s head brewer. Their winning beer “has the aroma of roast and chocolate which carries through to the palette. It also has a hint of cola taste that I think really rounds out the whole beer nicely.”
Bozeman’s MAP Brewing Co. also added two medals to its collection, having won a medal at the festival three years in a row. Pat’s River Beer received a bronze medal in the American-Style Lager category. This light and refreshing beer is MAP’s take on the standard American lager, that reminds us of summer days as the leaves begin to change.
MAP Brewing Company’s Loy Maierhauser receives medals at GABF. Photo © Brewers Association.
MAP’s Great Wave Sake Lager received the gold in Experimental Beer. What makes this brew unique is its use of sake yeast in fermentation, which combined with a generous dry hop of Nelson Sauvin gives it a pear and white wine aroma. Great Wave is another beer with a GABF pedigree, having won bronze in the same category in 2022. MAP’s Loy Maierhauser was there to receive the award, which was the first time MAP has been present to receive an award.
”Of course it’s exciting to win no matter what,” says Maierhauser, “actually being there to walk across the stage was a dream come true!”
The GABF is like the Oscars of American brewing, and it is an incredible achievement for each of these breweries. For more information about the GABF competition, visit www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com.
Don’t miss out on our Black Friday Sale! Get the perfect gift for the craft beer lover in your life, available for two weeks only.
Starting Black Friday, November 29th through Friday, December 13th, get your free pint at 47 breweries from across Montana with a Montana Brewers Brew Crew Card PLUS an EZ2LUV hat for a discounted price. A $85 value, unlock 47 free pints at participating breweries throughout the state for only $75.
We’re also re-releasing a limited edition run of our most requested artwork, the Rocket Cowboy merch from the 2019 Rendezvous tour. Enjoy 10% discounts sitewide starting Black Friday, and shop our limited edition merch here!
Montana’s craft brewery professionals joined together to ferment professional development, education, and fun at the annual Montana Brewers Conference on September 19th and 20th. Held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula, the conference is an annual opportunity for Montana’s brewers and those in allied trades to gather and forge their connections, while deepening their community roots with colleagues from across the state and region.
The two-day conference featured over twenty unique sessions, workshops, and keynote addresses. Beyond the educational events, brewers gathered at evening socials to network and enjoy Montana brews.
The conference kicked off with a special session hosted at the University of Montana, led by Dr. Chris Palmer and Dr. Bob Hall. This workshop focused on water chemistry, and how factors such as pH and alkalinity in water influence the brewing process.
Kicking off the conference proper was Kate Bernot, lead analyst at Sightlines and president of the North American Guild of Beer Writers. She delivered an address synthesizing consumer preference data to guide brewers in finding beer’s opportunities amid more competition from non-beer products.
Bernot explained that today’s drinkers live in “the era of total choice,” as there are alcoholic beverages ranging from hard iced tea to seltzers flavored like their favorite childhood juice. Because drinkers today aren’t worried about a beverage’s category, aspects like unique flavors have become what consumers pay attention to most when buying alcohol.
This was illustrated by statistics Bernot shared with brewers, showing that beer lost 3.09% of its dollar share of chain retail alcohol from 2019 to 2023. Over the same time period, flavored malt beverages (FMBs) grew by 1.64% and seltzers or ready-to-drink cocktails grew by 4.55%. Craft beer’s percentage of weekly craft beer drinkers also fell from 2019 to 2024, while FMBs, hard seltzers, ciders, and more grew.
But, Bernot did not share only discouraging statistics for craft breweries. From 2019 to 2023, men aged 21-34 went from visiting five different brewery taprooms on average per year to seven, while women that age went from visiting 3.5 taprooms to seven. For people in these demographics, visiting more brewery tasting rooms has started driving them to drink more craft beer. From these insights, brewers found clarity and gained knowledge and inspiration to respond to what today’s drinkers want.
Friday’s keynote speaker was Marcus Baskerville, founder and former head brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing Co. and president of the National Black Brewers Association. In his speech, Baskerville shared his journey through the highs and lows of craft brewing, while reflecting on leading the groundbreaking Black is Beautiful initiative, the personal and professional challenges he faced, and how resilience and optimism propelled him forward. The address outlined strategies brewers could use to cultivate a growth mindset.
“It is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work,” explains Baskerville.
He encouraged breweries to cultivate a growth mindset in their business by encouraging learning, embracing challenges, learning from feedback, and celebrating effort. With this mindset, Baskerville says, “brewers develop a love for learning and resilience essential for great accomplishment.”
Beyond a growth mindset, Baskerville pointed to emotional intelligence as a key for brewers to manage their emotions and understand those of their peers. Other critical skills Baskerville shared with brewers were mindfulness and stress management, optimism training, and developing support systems. With these strategies and networks in place, brewers are better equipped to navigate market challenges, embraces innovation, and foster diversity.
Attendees also had opportunities to learn about why local food matters, and how breweries can elevate their marketing by highlighting their commitment to local from Sammie McGowan, director of marketing at Abundant Montana. Other topics included managing the dynamics of an evolving craft beer landscape from PINTS, LLC and panel discussions of new alcohol policies and sustainability findings for breweries.
Brewers worked hands-on in a variety of different sessions to further develop their skills. The team from the MSU Barley, Malt, and Brewing Quality Lab worked with local maltsters to give a how-to workshop on the hot steep method, which is designed to be an easy, rapid, and affordable way to approach in-house malt sensory evaluations. Brewers also brought their beer to a roundtable session, where they received anonymous beer evaluations from their colleagues. Participants had discussions at their table and generated feedback for each other, to provide constructive and usable feedback to brew better beer.
In addition to the educational offerings, the Conference offered a trade show for vendors from across the region to showcase their knowledge, products, and services with Montana brewers. Beyond the conference center, brewers and industry partners enjoyed evening socials at Highlander Beer and Cranky Sam Public House to forge connections, enjoy Montana beers, and reflect on the day’s sessions.
The Montana Brewers Conference is about learning, connection, fun and strengthening craft beer in Montana – we’re looking forward to gathering again next year! Join us on September 4th and 5th, at the Holiday Inn – Downtown in Missoula.