By RYAN NEWHOUSE
Montana has its share of celebrities, but this time the Treasure State is hosting one of the biggest celebrities in the world of…beer. Yes, Charlie Papazian, author of numerous best-selling beer books, president of the Brewers Association , and founder of the “beer mecca” that is the Great American Beer Festival, will be hosted by the Montana Brewers Association for one-night only.
The event is a cruise around Flathead Lake with appetizers, live music (courtesy John Floridis), a chance to mingle with Mr. Papazian, and of course, beer.
Most of the tickets for the event have already sold out. The cruise is August 10, leaving at 5:45 p.m. from Lakeside, Montana, and returning around 9:00 p.m. The three-hour tour is provided by Far West Boat Tours, a leader in Flathead Lake recreational touring.
For those unfamiliar with Mr. Papazian’s “celebeerty” (yes, I just made that up), he is the author of The Complete Joy of Home Brewing, a book likely every brewer in Montana has read cover to cover (it’s been reprinted 25 times in three editions and sold nearly 1 million copies). As president of the BA, he represents over 2,000 craft breweries across the country. He also writes as the National Examiner for beer. But perhaps equally important to all these accomplishments, he is the founder of National Pie Day.
An added benefit to attending this cruise, as if helping the Montana Brewers Association raise funds isn’t enough, is that attendees will also be hanging out with many of Montana’s own top brewers. It will be a “who’s who” of Montana’s beer world. See the growing attendance on the event’s Facebook page.
To purchase tickets, which run $150 each with a limit of four tickets per purchase, visit the MBA website.
See you there!
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Ryan Newhouse has lived in Missoula since 2002 and has tipped his glass in most of the town’s establishments. He is (in no particular order) a full-time writer, husband, parent, and a part-time zymurgist. He is the author of Montana Beer: A Guide to Breweries in Big Sky Country and he is the principal beer spotter at Montana Beer Finder.