If you like good beer and live in or are visiting Helena, Montana, you’re in luck. Montana’s capitol city features two great breweries, each with their own distinctive, hand-crafted beers and style.
The Blackfoot River Brewing Company (406/449-3005), located at 66 South Park Avenue in downtown Helena (map), features nine year-round beers along with a single-batch specialty beer every three weeks or so and seasonal beers as well. Connoisseurs won’t have a problem finding something that suits their tastes.
The Blackfoot’s flagship product is its award-winning Single Malt India Pale Ale (IPA), a traditional American/NorthWest IPA. “It’s easily our most popular beer,” said Brian Smith, co-owner of the Blackfoot, of the golden-colored, hoppy beer.
One thing you won’t find at the Blackfoot, which features mostly communal seating, are diversions: There are no TVs, gaming machines or the like.
“That’s not part of who we are,” Smith said. “We’re all about the beer and the people who support us, and we want people to be able to sit down, have a beer and socialize.”
Prices at the Blackfoot are $2.25 a half-pint (8 ounces), $3.75 a pint and $8 for half-gallon growlers, with growler groupies getting a free half-pint while their vessels are filled. The Blackfoot also sells five gallon kegs for $60.
You can visit the Blackfoot River Brewing Company from 2-8 p.m., seven days a week except for some holidays, and on its Facebook page.
Lewis & Clark Brewery (406/442-5960) is best known for its Miner’s Gold Hefeweizen, an unfiltered, American-style wheat beer with a light, clean refreshing taste, and its Tumbleweed IPA, a classic full-bodied Northwest-style IPA with plenty of hops.
Other regular beers in LC&B’s six-beer lineup include Yellowstone Golden Ale, Amber Ale, Prickly Pear Pale Ale and Backcountry Scottish Ale. The brewery also features seasonal beers.
Formerly located below the Brewhouse Pub & Grill, L&CB recently moved to new digs at located at 1517 Dodge Avenue (map). “We wanted to expand so we could start canning our own beer,” said brewer Sean Tobin.
Prices at the L&CB run $3.00 for a 12-ounce glass and $8 for growlers. L&CB’s canned beers can be found at most retail outlets in the Helena area for around $7.50 a six-pack. Vann’s Thriftway (map) – the author’s favorite Helena grocery store – features all five of L&CB’s canned beers.
Unlike the Blackfoot, L&CB has TVs for sporting events as well as pool and foosball tables, darts and shuffleboard. The L&CB also plans on having live music.
Beer drinkers can visit Lewis & Clark Brewery from 2-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and keep up with the brewery’s happenings on its Facebook page.