Meet The Venues

Blackstar BrewPub, formerly Great Northern Brewing Co., is a brewery and restaurant where locals and visitors alike gather to enjoy great beer, food, and music. The Great Northern Brewing Company was originally built in 1994, for the purpose of making Blackstar Double Hopped Golden Lager and other fine beers. The creative design team utilized local wood and natural materials as well as a color palette inspired by the historic train cars that were part of the Great Northern Railway, to stay true to the natural beauty of the region and the town’s railroading past. The space covers three floors, including several balconies and a rooftop terrace for the warmer months. An extensive collection of Jeremiah Johnson beer is brewed on site with world-class barley malt, sourced from the heart of Montana’s Golden Triangle.

This micro-brewery creates high-quality small batch ales. The focus is on perfectly hopped IPAs, complex barrel aged sours, and playfully designed brews to reflect the seasons. Bonsai features an outside beer garden where community exchange can flourish under Montana’s beautiful big sky. Graham Hart and Keela Smith are the founders of Bonsai Brewing Project. Graham built the brewhouse years before opening Bonsai. Repurposed wine tanks, kegs, sink drain fittings, and precisely milled redwood cladding still hold strong and have improved over the years. They love to recycle old French and American White Oak barrels that once held red and white wines, tequila, rum, gin, and an assortment of fine whiskey.  Bonsai formed a wood for wort (mash) partnership with Whistling Andy’s Distillery in Bigfork to create Hopshnop, a liquor distilled from an entire batch of Bonsai’s Due North IPA!

Backslope Brewing is a craft brewery and taproom serving delicious, local beer and food in Columbia Falls, Montana, at the gateway to Glacier National Park. This brewery opened in March 2016 by owners Carla and Darin. Carla manages the taproom, and the business and Darin brews the beer. This popular spot is also known for its excellent food choices made from locally sourced products, award-winning Crooked Wind IPA and for supporting local non-profit groups. Among the favorite Backslope brews are Hopfenzupfer, Bavarian style pilsner with local saaz hops from Big Sky Hop Farm and 100% local pilsner malt from Farm Power Malt ; Brown Bear Belgian Brown, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, aged 2 months in Whiskey barrels; The Trickster, Farmhouse Ale, The Foreman, Stout – American, Jet-black, rich, roasty, and buttressed with just enough caramel and wheat malts to make it surprisingly creamy and smooth.

Glacier Brewing Company - A Northwest Montana microbrewery serving a wide selection of craft beers and craft sodas. Glacier Brewing Co.’s branding is about fun, according to Patrick, the owner and his wife Sarah. It’s a theme the couple emphasizes when naming brews “Cow in a Coal Mine”, the Grapefruit Falcon, Rude Rooster Rye, Golden Grizzly, and Creeper Pigeon IPA.” They want a brand with a story that builds character. For instance, the Cow in a Coal Mine label features a black and white cow with the family brand on its arm in homage to the Mays’ ranching roots. To support Montana, their marketing brand and local artists, Sarah and Patrick are planning to launch the BAIR Project, which will round up interested art students from around Montana and pay them professional wages to do their graphic designs. Sarah is also a very talented graphic designer.

Bias Brewing Company Located in the former home of Kalispell Brewing Co. Bias Brewing is keeping the inventive beers flowing in the historic heart of downtown Kalispell. For the last five years since its inception, Bias Brewing has been focused on bringing modern and creative beer styles to northwest Montana, while still honoring the time proven traditions that have made the best-loved brews throughout the years. Mariman and Robertson purchased the location in early August 2022 and have spent months completing the renovations to the building. Most of the renovations were aesthetic and included painting the walls, removing the former stage and replacing the wood floor throughout the main floor with epoxy coated concrete. They incorporated Bias Brewing’s custom wooden bar that Robertson made into the new location.

Jordan Van Eimeren, is the founder of Sacred Waters. She moved to the Flathead Valley when she was three. Her parents bought Spotted Bear Ranch, a renowned fly fishing lodge located at the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Having grown up in a business-oriented family, Jordan went on to receive a degree in business management from the University of Montana. The community spirit of small breweries was mainly what motivated Jordan to enter the beer industry. She started out by working at Highlander Brewing Co. in Missoula to gain firsthand experience in the industry. After finalizing her business plan, she contacted Joe Byers, director of the Brewing Academy of Montana at Flathead Valley Community College, to get the project rolling.

SunRift Brewery in Kalispell carries a wide variety of original craft beers – to name just a few: SunRift IPA, boasts clean bitterness and select american hop variety flavors and aromas; Sundown Honey Brown is an easy drinking malt- forward brown ale brewed with honey and chocolate malts; Blonde Bomber has mild esters and light malt character balanced with low hop bitterness; Sol Gravy Stout Bold has roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate notes that blend with herbal noble hops and oats for a smooth finish; Over Under Belgian Dubbel cool fermentation temperatures result in mild esters of ripe orchard fruits: notes of cranberries, plums and lush red apple make for a remarkably easy drinking ale…

Tamarack Brewing Company opened it’s doors in the summer of 2007, which is eons in the craft beer community. They brewed 380 barrels of beer in the first year of business; more than ten years later, it’s now over 4,400. Tamarack in Missoula opened in 2011, serving the same great food and drink found in Lakeside.  "We are alive and kicking at Tamarack because of those that make its heart beat day in and day out." Tamarack’s flagship beers are the heart of the brewery. These 9 beers are familiar and available all year tapped at local bars around Northwest Montana and on the supermarket shelves in 16oz cans: Hat Trick Hops IPA, Sip N'Go Naked, Yardsale Amber Ale, Hi-Line Hazy IPA, Rye Sally Rye IPA Switchback Stout, Wakeboard Wit, Training Wheels Root Beer.

Flathead Lake Brewing Co, serves up the highest quality beer with all-natural ingredients. They also boasts spectacular views of Flathead Lake.  The Company started in 2004. Owner Greg Johnston had two very specific goals: to make the best beer ever, and to have fun doing it. In 2006 Flathead Lake Brewing Co. became the youngest brewery ever to win two World Beer Cup awards: a bronze medal for Peg Leg Porter (now the Painted Rock Porter) and a Silver medal for Mutiny Stout (now the 369′ Stout). By 2010, Greg’s daughter Sandy joined the crew and took over as General Manager. Nowadays, one can find Flathead Lake Brewing Co. ale throughout Montana, Eastern Washington, and northern Idaho. For them, “It isn’t just about being leaders in the beer industry, it’s about supporting local and environmental sustainability, and contributing to the community that has so graciously embraced us.”

Spotted Bear’s tasting room overlooks Depot Park on the North end of downtown Whitefish, across from the train station. The room is cozy and quaint, with very purposeful elements paying homage to the surrounding wilderness. It was created as an ideal place to chill after a day of adventures. The theme that drives Spotted Bear Spirits is adventure. The name was not intended to designate a bear with markings but a place. It’s the gateway to wilderness and adventure, steeped in mystery. This public land is where the dream of Spotted Bear Spirits was born - around the campfire, in the woods. “Our Spirits are about seeking the places we feel alive, enjoying them with our community, and exclaiming cheers over a campfire. From the wintery peaks of Mountain Mint to the meandering river of Spotted Bear Gin, we have bottled the spirit of Montana.”

New Year’s Day 2010 marked the opening of Montana’s oldest operational distillery. Named for Brian Anderson’s father who was nicknamed ‘Whistling Andy’ during his time in the military. The distillery prides itself not only in producing award winning spirits but in giving back to the community and the people of Montana. The American farmer is a crucial part of Montana and utilizing their crops has been a goal of Brian’s. Whistling Andy meticulously handcrafts the finest in innovative and classic spirits using select local grains, local cherries, true first cut cane sugar and locally sourced botanicals whenever possible. Whistling Andy is very innovative; whether it’s finding age old recipes, or unique new blends derived from what’s in season. Exciting products often come out of this distillery. From their 93-point gin, gold winning bourbon, and the community-driven effort to rebuild a historic chalet through vodka, Whistling Andy creates spirits that toast with the best.

The distillery and tasting room are nestled in the foothills of Glacier National Park. They specialize in small-batch whiskeys that have won multiple awards over the years. North Fork, traditional American style whiskey, won Gold Medal at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits. Fireweed, their cherry bourbon, made by blending bourbon with cherry brandy distilled from Flathead Lake cherries, won a Gold Medal at the 2017 Sip International. Wheatfish, a single-malt whiskey was a Silver Medal winner from the American Distilling Institute, and Trapline Rock + Rye was the Gold Medal winner at 2021 International Whisky Competition for the Best Flavored Whiskey. Glacier Distilling Company was registered as a business on January 20th of 2010 and permitted to operate legally on December 28th of that year. The distillery first released an un-aged rye whiskey that could be produced and sold in a matter of months, instead of years. North Fork, Bad Rock Rye and Wheatfish soon followed and as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Big Mountain Ciderworks in the fields and orchards of Kalispell is where delicious ciders and foods await. Experience the Craft Cider from their own orchard and served in their taproom. “At Big Mountain Ciderworks, we plant, pick and press our fruit to produce the best tasting ciders. Our family has worked to transform bare land into a productive fruit orchard and cider house located in a pristine, wild place in Montana, right between Flathead Lake, the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi, and the beautiful mountain ranges of Glacier National Park." The ciders are made using fruit from their own orchards as well as other orchards in Montana and the Northwest. The spacious dining room has a contemporary decor with a warm friendly vibe.

Rough Cut Hard Cider is located on highway 2 East of Kalispell. Currently On Tap, Whiskey Rose Raspberry Cider aged in Glacier Distilling whiskey barrels, is delicious cider with a kick. Speaking of kick, Kickback Kiwi Sweet is another specialty cider to try. Cider making is a blender’s art, and the different flavors mingling over at Rough Cut, are testament to the creative craftsmanship taking place in Jaden Behrends’ fermentation tanks. By teaming up with Glacier Sun Winery last month, Jaden and his wife, Nikki Behrends, who now own Rough Cut and Glacier Sun, have already introduced a variety of new hard ciders to the Flathead Valley.