Back in July I was at the Virginia City Dog & Grog Brewfest. That annual festival is a really great venue for trying out a score of great beers from a dozen local Southwest Montana microbreweries. Look for the event in mid-July next summer. I’ve been attending for the last 4 years and it’s one of the highlights of the summer for me.

This year the crop of microbrews was better than ever, and one of the beers that I found I liked the best was from Lone Peak brewing in Big Sky. Meeting and talking with Steve the owner at the festival (and of course drinking the beer) piqued my interest in Lone Peak. So this month I’m writing about Lone Peak Brewing.

Lone Peak brewing was started four years ago in October 2007 by Steve and Vicky Nordahl, a husband and wife team. This isn’t their first venture however. Steve was one of the founders of the Frederic Brewing Company in Maryland back in 1991 which had tremendous growth and went public a few years back. Originally from Montana, Steve and Vicky decided to relocate back to the northwest and start their own brewery, and that’s how Lone Peak came to be.
In talking further with Steve, it turns out we’re both Delta Upsion fraternity brothers from the University of Washington (albeit different times), so in my mind, there’s no question that he’s a hard worker of unquestionable integrity who appreciates and makes great beers.

Due to a tight schedule this month, I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Lone Peak Brewing in person, so I obtained samples from the Co-op in Bozeman. Lone Peak has recently began bottling it’s beers. They’re available only in 22 oz “bombers” and can be found locally at Heebs, Town & Country, and the Co-op as well as other locations. The two beers I decided to sample were the Nordic Blonde and the Hippy Highway Oatmeal Stout. So basically I sampled the lightest and the darkest of the lot.

The bottles all have great artwork on the labels. I especially liked the vintage ‘60s VW bus depiction on the Hippy Highway. At the Virginia City brewfest I’d tried the Hellroaring ESB and the Lone Peak IPA which were both very good as I recall. The Nordic Blonde is described as “clean and crisp with a modest bitterness”, and it definately was clean, crisp, kinda hoppy, and kinda bitter, but in a good way.

My personal taste is more towards the darker porters and stouts, so I eagerly anticipated the Hippy Highway Stout. It was most enjoyable, although it was a bit difficult to pour because it foamed profusely no matter how careful I was in pouring. After a few minutes the foam subsided. After several minutes, my frosted glass was finally full and I enjoyed sipping this beer while watching football on TV. It has a great full-bodied thick taste, not too sweet and very filling.

The other year-round labels are the Headplant Pale Ale and Buck Snort Porter, neither of which have I tried yet, but anticipate sampling in the near future. Lone Peak also has several seasonal beers, including the Octoberfest brew available now, and the Hopfest ‘11 in the next week or so. These labels can be found in establishments across Western Montana from Billings to Missoula, and Helena to Big Sky. Locally Montana Aleworks in Bozeman typically has three Big Sky beers on tap.

If you like your beer fresh from the brewery, along with full kegs of beer, Lone Peak offers 64 oz growlers, 64 oz Nalgene bottles, or “Party Pig” mini-kegs. The tasting room is open daily from 11:30 until 10pm and is located in the lower village at Big Sky. Lone Peak has a beer & wine license and also serves great food, better than typical pub fare, including ribs, shrimp, fish, calamari rings, bison burgers, Panini sandwiches, and even Jambalaya.

Steve runs the brewing operation while his wife Vicky manages the restaurant and bar. Currently Lone Peak is producing about 2500 kegs per year but has double that capacity, so future growth and expansion won’t require relocation or new equipment. So try a Lone Peak brew on your next visit to your local pub or supermarket, and if you get the chance, stop by the restaurant and tasting room on your next trip to Big Sky.

Mike Comstock is an MSU graduate; software engineer by day, math tutor in the evenings, musician on the weekends, and freelance writer in his spare time.