Cannery District festival features frothy ferments & funky Floozies!
A groovy, taste bud-tantalizing summer send-off awaits! On Saturday, August 24th, the inaugural Montana Funk Fest takes over the Cannery District Patio for an afternoon of in-state suds and nighttime sonic delights. Treasure State residents and visiting brew-lovers have surely attended a beer fest under the big sky, but never one quite like this. Beginning at 3pm, taste the audacious and delicious edge of Montana-brewed beer and kombucha before getting down to the sounds of Sunflower State electro funk duo The Floozies.
“There are a lot of places and ways to drink delicious craft beer in this state – and we love that!” said event co-organizer Joe Sheehan. “With this festival, we really want to create an experience based around unique craft ferments and the producers embracing them. We love pushing the envelope of what flavors we can create, and we really just want to provide a platform for Montana’s innovative craft brewers to present these delicious styles to die-hards and newcomers alike.”
The afternoon will highlight the region’s takes on sour beers like Gose, Berlinerweisse and many more; barrel-aged beers that have been left to sit and acquire magnificent flavor inside a variety of wooden casks; and of course, Kombucha, beer’s tea-based cousin, whose flavor and functional benefits have been growing rapidly in popularity.
Beverage styles have been intentionally restricted to “wild” ferments for the event to showcase their unique and complex flavors. For those nerds reading, that includes yeast strains like Brettanomyces, and bacterial strains such as gluconoacetobacter and lactobacillus. Not ringing a bell? The attending brewers will be happy to fill in those interested – and even welcome them on to the booch and funky beer bandwagon!
Hand-selected from around the state, thirteen beer and kombucha brewers will feature their unique concoctions at Montana Funk Fest. Featured beers will be available courtesy of Bozeman’s own 406 Brewing, Bozeman Brewing, Bunkhouse Brewery, and Mountains Walking. Visiting breweries include Draught Works from Missoula alongside Big Fork’s Flathead Lake Brewing, Philipsburg Brewing, Anaconda’s Smelter City Brewing, and Thirsty Street Brewing of Billings. Don’t forget about the booch! Enjoy selections by event co-host Dean’s Zesty Booch, Canvas Kombucha from Whitefish, Kalispell-based Dark Side Fermenters, and Hamilton’s House of Ferments.
Following the afternoon brew fest, The Floozies will take the stage at 7pm. Known for their fresh approach to electronic music, the Kansas-based duo of brothers Matt Hill (producer, guitarist) and Mark Hill (drummer) bring a bold live show full of sonic exploration and unbreakably deep pocket grooves. Well versed in everything from Chris Cornell to Kavinsky, the sonic vision shared by the brothers eschews contemporary electronic influences in favor of broader, deeper tastes including Zapp & Roger, Lettuce, and Amon Tobin. That wide-angle view of a century of popular music allows them to remix Toto and The Dead – in the music you can hear reverence for the giants of the past, all the while producing wildly futuristic tunes for the masses to dig now. The Floozies followed their latest full-length, Funk Jesus, with recent singles “I Want It All” and “Buyout.”
“We knew we needed music as unique to Montana as the beverages being poured, so we turned to Eric Kofer of ChickenJam West Productions to find us someone that fit the bill,” Sheehan added. “These brewers draw from age-old recipes and styles, and interpret them in their own way. Similarly, The Floozies draw from classic genres, like funk, and communicate them in innovative ways with contemporary instrumentation and arrangement. From start to finish, this will be an event that you won’t have experienced before anywhere in Montana.”
Delicious local food vendors will be on-site at Montana Funk Fest, as well as a full bar for those 21+ (with ID). Non-alcoholic options will also be available. Funksters of all ages are encouraged to enjoy this outdoor community event. Held outside Wildrye Distilling, Dean’s Zesty Booch and 406 Brewing, tickets range $10–$30 (plus fees). Brew fest and concert tickets available individually or as a discounted combo admission.
Visit www.deanszestybooch.com/funkfest for more event information and to purchase tickets. Let them know you’re coming! Find the Facebook event page to RSVP and follow on Instagram for additional details and announcements. •