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Excerpts from
Montana Beer, a Guide to Breweries in Big Sky Country
by ryaN NEWHouSE
By 1900, only 11 years after Montana be-
came a state, 21 breweries were in operation,
and a report by the state's industrial board
that same year named breweries as one of its
most important industries. In fact, the govern-
ment publication claimed, "In the near future Mon-
tana will be one of the chief beer producing states in
the nation," simply because of the pure water and
superior barley grown here. As the nation saw an in-
flux of immigrants after the Civil War, many traveled
west and were well versed in the brewing arts of their
homelands.
Today, Montana ranks second in the nation for
breweries per capita, just behind Vermont.
However, Montanans don't just make beer; we
drink it. Montana is one of three states where the
average annual consumption of beer per adult is over
40 gallons, and collectively, we consume nearly 30
millions gallons of beer a year.
