http://www.newwest.net/topic/main/C87/L41/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2008 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:03:59 MDT Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:03:59 MDT http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/mt_to_nc_day_one/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/mt_to_nc_day_one/C87/L41/ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:41:00 MDT Where am I? What day is it? Who are these people? Why does everything smell like hot tar and Corn Nuts? Oh yeah…road trip. With our big ice chest and cook box strapped to our shiny new hitch-mounted cargo carrier, the roof-top box and the back of the 4Runner jammed to the ceiling with gear and supplies, we were off to our first destination: the gas station. I asked Barb if she’d packed some snacks. “Oh, yeah, I bagged up some baby carrots and apple slices, and there’s a bunch of seedless grapes in the cooler. I also have some sliced cheese and some fresh veggies with dip. Sound good?” “Yeah, it does. If you want to find yourself stripped naked and tied up on the side of the road somewhere. The kids will revolt. This is vacation, baby! That means vacation from eating right too. Don’t worry, I’ll grab some stuff at the gas station.” We filled the tank ($4.05/gal.) and hit I-90 at 11:00 Saturday morning. Rusty and Speaker had their Gameboys charged up and settled in for the first day, which I figured would put us near Sheridan, Wyoming. Either that, or on the express train to Bitchandmoania. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_eyes_of_oahe/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_eyes_of_oahe/C87/L41/ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:22:00 MDT If you like to fish for walleyes--often called "eyes" because they need such big ones to gather as much light as possible down at the bottom of the lake where they almost always dwell--you're probably like me and dream about fishing South Dakota's Oahe Reservoir. I finally had my chance last week, and now, I'm already trying to figure out how to get back there for more. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/angry_hanks_brewing_a_method_to_his_madness/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/angry_hanks_brewing_a_method_to_his_madness/C87/L41/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:00:00 MDT When you meet the owner of Angry Hanks Brewing, you can quickly see that he isn't angry. In fact, he isn't even Hank. He's happy, and he's Tim. As in Tim Mohr, founder, owner and head brewer at two-year old Angry Hanks Brewing of Billings. And I'm probably about the thousandth guy to ask him why he calls it Angry Hanks. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_wealthy_buy_up_the_west/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_wealthy_buy_up_the_west/C87/L41/ Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:38:00 MDT I spent a couple of days this week wandering about the cranes – construction types, not winged ones – in Vail, which is undergoing a series of redevelopment projects that will total a couple of billion dollars when all finished. Among the projects going in is a mini-development of 13 chalets at the base of the mountain, each of which cost an average of $14 million – and all of which sold overnight, sight unseen. Also coming soon to Vail, which already has a reputation as a playground for the super-rich, is a Ritz-Carlton styled after the grand residences of Europe. You and I won’t be able to stay in this Ritz – it’s all condos, each of which is priced in the multi-millions. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/yellowstone_valley_brewing_is_this_a_big_racket_or_what/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/yellowstone_valley_brewing_is_this_a_big_racket_or_what/C87/L41/ Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:03:00 MDT I'm sure if you work at Yellowstone Valley Brewing, you're always wondering if there'll ever be a dull moment. It's probably not part of the business plan, but owner and head brewer George Moncure seems to prefer that never-a-dull-moment style. For him, it comes naturally, you could say. Moncure, aka Brewin' Geo, aka Brew Dude, who has a master's degree in geochemistry and lists two of his favorite pastimes as "yucking it up and love planning" owns the place--and brews the beer, books the bands, and appears to live the life of a taproom loyal. For this guitar-strumming, tennis-playing, dinosaur-digging brewer, it's always Hoppy Hour. If you ask, for example, he'll show you his big racket, which is a real, oversized tennis racket he claimed when the Yellowstone Racquet Club gave in to condos and closed. As he swings it around in his packed taproom, he uses one of his favorite lines, possibly overused for the regulars: "Is this a big racket or what?" You have the distinct impression he isn't talking about tennis. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bitter_root_brewing_maker_of_the_last_best_brew/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bitter_root_brewing_maker_of_the_last_best_brew/C87/L41/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:39:00 MDT If you live in or travel to Montana, the Last Best Place, you need to sample the Last Best Brew, right? But you won't find it just anywhere. To find the Last Best Brew, you have to travel to western Montana and find a pub and eatery specializing in real good beer and therefore serving Montana microbrews. Or better yet, go to the source, over to downtown Hamilton, at Bitter Root Brewing, where they make it and serve it every day of the week. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/big_sky_brewing_moose_drooling_with_success/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/big_sky_brewing_moose_drooling_with_success/C87/L41/ Wed, 28 May 2008 13:49:00 MDT One of the first questions I asked when I started the Microbrew Montana series was: "What's a microbrewery?" But there's no answer--no official line a brewer can cross to grow up from a microbrewery to a macrobrewery. That question sure came rushing back during my tour of Big Sky Brewing in Missoula, which is not only far and away the largest brewery in Montana, but also maker of the state's most famous beer, Moose Drool Brown Ale. And a major stretch for the word, microbrewery. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/harvest_moon_montanas_small_town_brewery/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/harvest_moon_montanas_small_town_brewery/C87/L41/ Sat, 24 May 2008 08:53:00 MDT The question everybody seems to ask when the Harvest Moon Brewery or their famous beers, Pig's Ass Porter or Beltian White, comes up is: Why Belt? So, that's the first question I asked co-owner John Ballantyne. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/great_northern_brewing_the_tallest_brewery_in_montana/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/great_northern_brewing_the_tallest_brewery_in_montana/C87/L41/ Tue, 20 May 2008 17:14:00 MDT One problem I've had out on the Microbrew Trail is finding the breweries--and not just the most remote brewery in the country, which happens to be in Montana, but most of them. Montana microbreweries tend to be tucked away in side-street warehouses or small towns you need Google Maps to find. But that's hardly the case with Great Northern Brewing, which has one of the most pricey corner lots in all of Montana right on Central Avenue in downtown Whitefish. And it has good roots, too. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/glacier_brewing_a_taste_of_the_wild_west/C87/L41/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/glacier_brewing_a_taste_of_the_wild_west/C87/L41/ Mon, 12 May 2008 16:06:00 MDT When you drive up the main street of Polson to Glacier Brewing, you get a little flashback to the Wild West. Swinging saloon doors always do that. The weathered BREWERY sign above the swinging doors helps, too. Later, I found it came from the historic H.S. Gilbert Brewery in Virginia City, which was Montana's first-ever brewery--and where the Virginia City Players still act out a comedy called The Brewery Follies. (The webiste touts the follies as all "satire, nonsense, foolishness and absurdity," so that sounds like something that fits into the Montana Microbrew series, don't you think?)