News
Great Tunes and 76 Montana Beers on Tap at our Spring Festival
Posted On May 24, 2013
We’d like to invite you again to join The Montana Brewers Association in Billings, Montana on Friday, May 31st, for our First Annual Montana Brewers Spring Festival!
We will have over 23 Montana Brewers boasting over 76 Craft Brews in many unique styles for your judgement and enjoyment! Check out the the complete list of cold Montana beverages to be in attendance!
Where: The Depot Downtown, Billings Montana
2013 MBA Billings Spring Brewfest
When: May 31st
VIP Brewer Hour: 4pm-5pm
General Admission: 5pm-10pm
Spring Brewfest VIP: $30 in Advance, $35 at the gate
General Brewfest Admission: $20 in Advance, $25 at the gate
Cost includes your 9oz bottomless (no joke…it really is bottomless) glass!
The Lineup
Keegan Smith and the Fam
Portland, OR – 8:00 to 10:00
Keegan is the charismatic front man of an extremely talented rotating group of veteran musical heavyweights, producers, and bandleaders from the Northwest’s thriving music scene. He creates an energetic and entertaining sound that captivates audiences of every age. Orlando Sentinel’s music critic again says, “this is a band of monster players.” Portland’s Willamette Week reviews the Fam saying, “[their] stuff is like musical summer” and “life’s a little sunnier when listening to them.”
Smith won Male Artist of the Year in 2010 for the second year in a row at the Portland Music Awards after he took home the award for Best Live Performance in 2009. He showcased with his band at the 9th annual 2010 Florida Music Festival in Orlando and received rave reviews from attending industry reps and festival organizers. Jim Abbott, music critic at Florida’s Orlando Sentinel says Keegan Smith & the Fam were “a captivating surprise from the Pacific Northwest” and “the find of the festival.” Keegan was also featured in each televised pre-game show during the 2009-2010 Portland Trailblazer season.
Keegan and the band took home yet another award for Best Live Performance in the 2011 Portland Music Awards, and four of Smith’s songs appeared on the soundtrack to the new movie “The Frankenstein Brothers”, released in late fall 2011.
Keegan’s songs are featured in both Nike and gDiapers ad campaigns.
In the time between touring and playing festivals, Keegan is writing and recording material with several producers for a new studio album to be released later this year.
Smile – Keegan Smith & The Fam
Downtime
Billings, MT – 5:30 to 7:30
Downtime is an exciting blend of dance, pop, reggae, country and rock-n-roll covers. They cover artists from the 60s to the present, and the quality of the music played is far beyond the standard bar band fare.
John Floridis
Missoula, MT for VIP HOUR – 4:00 to 5:00
John Floridis is a Missoula, Montana based guitarist, singer-songwriter and composer. He has been a resident in the “Big Sky” since 1993 having moved there from the strong shouldered, down-but-never-out city of Cleveland, Ohio. He has released 5 recordings mixing bluesy, folk-rock vocal tunes with adventurous solo acoustic guitar compositions including one seasonal recording “December’s Quiet Joy.” He has been named Missoula’s best musician by the Missoula Independent and performed in the Western region for over a decade. He has performed with artists as diverse as Shawn Colvin, Derek Trucks, Patty Griffin, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Cockburn, Kelly Joe Phelps, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Patty Larkin. John also fronts Burning River, a blues-funk-rock concept that performs in the Western region. He is also a producer of programs for Montana Public Radio and a former Registered Music Therapist.
2013 Montana Brewers Trail Map
Posted On May 23, 2013
This is the 2013 Montana Brewers Trail map which shows our current member breweries throughout the state. Be on the lookout for our 2014 Map, coming soon! This is the 4th version of a very popular map and can be found in breweries and visitor centers around Montana. Pick one up so you are sure to stay on the Brewery Trail!
Download the full map here
Montana Brewers Spring Festival is May 31st
Posted On May 17, 2013
Join The Montana Brewers Association in Billings, Montana on Friday, May 31st, for our First Annual Montana Brewers Spring Festival!
We will have over 20 Montana Brewers boasting over 70 Craft Brews for your judgement and enjoyment! This will be the largest collection of Montana-made beer ever gathered in eastern Montana. Come make history and enjoy one-stop access to unique Montana brewers and their beers. A variety of music will be heard throughout the day and delicious food will be served. Come join us and relax with your friends at this annual marquee celebration of Montana-made beer at a great venue in Billings. Stay tuned for a list of all the great beverages we’ll be serving up cold on tap!
Where: The Depot Downtown, Billings Montana
2013 MBA Billings Spring Brewfest
When: May 31st
VIP Brewer Hour: 4pm-5pm
General Admission: 5pm-10pm
Spring Brewfest VIP: $30 in Advance, $35 at the gate
General Brewfest Admission: $20 in Advance, $25 at the gate
Cost includes your 9oz bottomless (no joke…it really is bottomless) glass!
Music Lineup:
John Floridis (Missoula, MT) for VIP HOUR – 4:00 to 5:00
Downtime (Billings, MT) – 5:30 to 7:30
Keegan Smith and the Fam (Portland, OR) – 8:00 to 10:00
Craft Beer Week on Tap May 13-19
Posted On May 10, 2013
As craft beer continues to capture the imaginations and palates of millions of Americans, the Montana Brewers Association is excited to toast the eighth annual American Craft Beer Week (ACBW) from May 13-19 as celebrations are expected to be held across all 50 states. With the tagline “Big Week, Small Breweries”, ACBW is an opportunity to celebrate the more than 2,400 small and independent American brewers who continue to make the U.S. the world’s most diverse brewing destination.
“The popularity of American Craft Beer Week is indicative of the craft beer renaissance that continues to captivate the US,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and Craft Beer program director at the Brewers Association. “This week is about uniting for a common cause: support and celebration of our nation’s small and independent brewers and the millions of beer lovers who have helped evolve an industry and put the U.S. on the brewing map.”
Celebrate Montana’s fine craft beer with a pint of the cold stuff at your local watering hole! To find more local celebrations, events or promotions, visit the ACBW events page.
For all of our friends in the Helena area, every Monday Blackfoot River Brewing hosts a fund-raising event in their taproom for local community organizations. This Monday, May 13th, the Montana Brewers Association will be the non-profit partner on tap. The Blackfoot will contribute $1.00 from every glass of beer sold on Monday night to the MBA. If you liked the work the MBA did this legislative session to protect Montana’s craft brewing industry, please come out and show your support with a glass of great beer that has been brewed from the ground up!