By BRAM MOORE
Over 70 beers from 43 different breweries will be available for tasting at the 27th Annual Garden City BrewFest on Saturday, May 4. Six wines, mimosas and Big Sky Brewing’s newly-released Spiked Seltzer will also be offered from 12-8 pm in Caras Park. Twenty-four (24) beers are from Missoula, and an additional 30 are from Montana-based breweries. There are 19 from breweries all across America, from Boston, Mass., to San Diego, Calif. For the second-consecutive year, Garden City BrewFest will be offering six ciders from three different locations, as well as a variety of wines and mimosas.
The Garden City BrewFest is the largest and longest-standing BrewFest in Montana. Started in 1992, the event was originally called BRIW Fest, as the creators of the event were Bayern Brewing Company, the Rhinoceros, the Iron Horse and Worden’s Market. It was the first brewfest in recent Montana history and offered special beers that were not typically available for purchase. The event was gifted to the Missoula Downtown Association in 2003 and has served as a major fundraiser for Downtown projects and improvements.
“The offerings for this year’s Garden City BrewFest once again provide a wide variety of new and traditional beverages to taste, including wines and ciders for those who don’t enjoy beer,” said Ellen Buchanan, planning committee chair. “We have a great lineup of music, and this BrewFest kicks off the summer season in Missoula!”
Entertainment will be provided by three Missoula-area bands: Good Old Fashioned will open the festival at 12 noon. Rotgut Whines will provide the entertainment early afternoon (2:30-4:30 pm), and Moneypenny will close out the event (5-8 pm).
Sponsored by TrailWest Bank, Bayern Brewing, Farmers State Bank and five other businesses, Garden City BrewFest is admission-free for all to enjoy. Those interested in tasting the offerings can pay $20 for a 7-ounce commemorative glass, wristband, and five tokens. Additional tokens are two for $3.00. Several food options will be on hand, including El Cazador, Dobi’s Teriyaki, Clove Cart Pizza and Missoula Sentinel Kiwanis. Big Dipper will also be offering beer-flavored ice cream.
What sets this event apart from all the others in the marketplace is the Garden City Beer Awards, judged and provided by Missoula’s local brewing club, the Zoo City Zymurgists, who sample and judge each beer for a variety of awards presented at the event.
Similar to last year, Run Wild Missoula will be hosting the Garden City BrewFest Beer Run. The run will begin at 1pm on the Caras Park pedestrian path and anyone can participate in either a 3-mile or 5-mile run. Sign-up for the run is not required. For more information and rules of the run, visit www.runwildmissoula.org.
Saturday, May 4 also marks the first day of the Missoula Farmers’ Market and the Clark Fork River Market, which provide a great start to the weekend’s festivities. University of Montana Commencement will also be taking place that day. For more information on the Garden City BrewFest, visit www.missouladowntown.com or call 406-543-4238
27th Annual Garden City BrewFest
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Caras Park in Downtown Missoula, Mont.
Beer, Cider, Wine List
Alphabetized by Location & Brewery Name
