On April 7th — National Beer Day — Montana Ale Works, a beloved Bozeman institution located in the historic Northern Pacific freighthouse on East Main, was named the Best Beer Bar in Montana. “These are heady times for the American beer drinker,” declared Thrillist, the online media giant that compiled the list which ranked the country’s best beer bars by state. “The quality and quantity of suds in this country have never been better. Case in point: every state in the union now boasts at least one (and in most cases, many, many more than one) bar worthy of the title: beer bar.” In an era of explosive craft beer industry growth and an unprecedented rise in craft breweries, corporate brewpub chains, high end gastropubs, mobile brew trucks, and beer gardens nationwide, the question of what constitutes a “beer bar” required explanation. “What does ‘beer bar’ mean?” The article reads, “If you said ‘a bar that serves beer’ you’d be right, and yet also wrong. A true beer bar obsesses over beer and caters to those who do the same. It cares about stuff like clean lines and proper glassware. It generally has a bunch of interesting beers on tap, but doesn’t cheapen quality in a chase for sheer quantity. While a few of the ranked establishments might dabble in beer making, their primary focus is giving you the opportunity to sample the best of what other breweries are doing.” The rankings were limited to independent establishments with one, or at the most two, locations.
“Sweet! What an honor on one of our favorite days,” said Montana Ale Works Managing Partner Roth Jordan when asked for his reaction while traveling to Billings to see Garrison Keillor perform. “We work hard to showcase the best beers Montana has to offer, and it’s a challenge because the quality of brewing is so off the charts in Montana these days. Our nine rotators (tap handles) are constantly pouring creative, super technically-made, good drinking brews. But I gotta say though, this honor goes a couple places: to our state-of-the-art draft system that enables Ale Works to serve those beers at the right temp with the right head, the way they deserve to be quaffed. And to Brad Harris, our bar manager, who works tirelessly with every brewer to keep our list fresh and interesting. This is a very cool honor, and we’ll keep striving to be worthy!” Thrillist is an online media brand covering food, drink, travel and entertainment. In 2015, the brand was ranked #35 on the Forbes List of most promising companies.
Check out the full list at www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/best-craft-beer-bars-every-state. For detailed menus, private party booking, and more information about other Ale Works happenings, please visit www.montanaaleworks.com/. Check them out on Facebook for the most up to date nightly features and event announcements. Montana Ale Works – Everything Great About Bozeman. •