Solutions Beverage Consulting

I had a great time at the Montana Brewers Conference this week! Thank you to the Montana Brewers Association for organizing a fun conference and fostering an atmosphere of community and growth. While I didn’t get to meet as many folks as I would have liked, I’m grateful to have made some new friends in the Montana brewer community. I look forward to working with the MBA and helping brewers around Montana soon.

Here are some of the highlights for me:

I learned a lot about the state of beer and beverage in Montana, thanks to Kate Bernot for a engaging and informative keynote (check out Sightlines for more of her work). I’m eager to dig a bit deeper on the alcohol laws here but was given plenty to start with from the ABCD (Alcoholic Bureau Control Division) presentation on Thursday. Jake TeSelle from Crooked Yard Hops gave a fantastic primer on hop harvesting and hops in general, it was a great segue into my recent visit to Yakima last week.

It was also fun to reconnect with Precision Fermentation and see how their brew monitors are being used now and to great effect, as in the case of Sacred Waters Brewing Company in Kalispell.

Sacred Waters took home 4 awards at the Montana Brewers Association 2024 Fall Rendezvous, including best in show for their Snow Dust Rice Lager. They made a strong case for using data analytics and instruments to problem solve a number of issues and as indicators for problems. I was lucky enough to be judging best in show and the pale lager category and highly recommend a trip to Kalispell if you are anywhere in the area.

With GABF right around the corner, I’ll be heading out to Denver for a week or so. If you are attending, feel free to reach out, stop me out on the floor or shoot me a message. I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and beers!