Well
today I am headed off the the eighth annual Billings Brewfest, in Billings, MT.
More info will be coming soon. Last weekend I visited Montana Brewing. I had their
'Custer's Last Stout' it was a very good Dry Irish Stout, not too dry. It's
head rivaled Guinness, I would love to see what it would be like on nitro. I
also sampled their Amber, also very good. Last I tried their Wheat Beer, VERY
dissapointing. It was all watered down. Now here is where I go off on watered
down beer.
Watered
down beer has NO PLACE IN THE WORLD. Here is why. If you want Bud or some crap
American horse wizz beer, that's what you want. Let's face it no Bud drinker is
happy with some other watered down beer. They want the original Bud strait from
the Clydesdales stable. If you drink Real Beer, you want it true to style not
watered down. No one likes a Real Beer, that has been watered down to try and
fit in. If you want to do something to convert the American beer drinker over
to the real thing you make a Vienna Style Lager. Anything else falls flat on
it's face. Ok so there are some other good 'conversion' beers. But NEVER is a
watered down beer the solution. Montana Brewing should have enough guts to drop
the wheat beer or do it right!
I just
finished typing a five page epilogue about the Billings Brewfest only to lose
the whole thing due to the fact that this is the worst computer I have ever
used. So here goes, I'll see what I can remember. Just two weekends ago I
attended the 8th Annual Billings Brew Festival, in Billings Montana. Their live
music was terrible, but since this site is about good beer I will skip that
part. Seventeen Breweries were represented, nine of which were from Montana. My
hat goes off to Overland Express Brewing Co. of Billings MT. If you are a
hophead you will love their Overland Express IPA. Missoula Montana is not only
my birthplace, it is the birthplace of great German Beer. Bayern brewing has a
genuine German Brewmaster, and it is very evident through their distinctive
German Brews. Harvest Moon was there with their Pigs Ass Porter. I should just
stop their since I am definitely biased about any good Porter. Let's just
suffice it to say that next to Anchor's it is some of the best Porter I have
ever had.
I was a
little disappointed (ok a lot) that one whole wall was bottled beers served by
volunteers who didn't know beer from Sprite. Pyramid Brewing was one that did
not send a rep or or even a tap for that matter. In general Pyramid Brewing is
a great company and think this was really an exception to the rule. So I'll
forgive them this once. The other wall was corrupted by malt alternatives as
they call them. Let me just say this once. THEY HAVE NO PLACE AT A BREWFEST.
Yes I love Martini and Rossi just like everyone else, but they better not show
up at any beer event I'm hosting. That said the trip was worthwhile. I may just
show up next year at the ninth annual Brewfest in Billings, MT.
