Straw-colored August sunlight filters through the windows as I entered the Lone Peak Brewery in Big Sky, Montana. The tasting room is a little over half full and it is quickly filling up with a crowd seems to be equally split between summer tourists and locals who are just getting off from work. As usual, I make a beeline straight towards of the tap handles. They have 9 different beers on tap. Oh, the options. I start playing the “Have I Had That Beer” game. “I’ve had that one, but it was awhile ago.” “That one might be interesting”. I finally select the Hopfest 2010 and in a few seconds a dark brown beer is sitting in front of me. At first, it was hard to tell whether this was a Cascadian Dark Ale (or Dark IPA or whatever folks want to call it) or a beast of a different color. I finally figure out that it is a hoppy brown ale. “Ah, that’s the reason for the pronounced malt backbone.”

I sip my beer and people watch while I wait for Steve Nordahl, Master Brewer, to finish up with loading kegs onto the distributor’s truck. Lone Peak’s beer are available at a lot of the area’s bars and restaurants. As I hang out, one of the bartenders shoots the shit with me and describes the Hopfest to me. He obviously saw my puzzled look with each sip or gulp…it was hot damnit. We talk about getting a flight of their beers, but I have to drive home still (am I getting older and reasonable?). Soon enough, Steve comes through the brewery and behind the bar. He says hello to his wife and kids as they have been helping out, well as much as a couple of little ones can lend a hand. He comes over the offers the warm handshake that all brewers seem to possess. His long goatee causes me to think that I should consider growing mine out, from its current state, but only if it doesn’t result in me being single again.

We move back into the brewery and begin to talk about beer geek stuff. He tells me that they have nine beers in tap at all times in the tasting room, and they do a few seasonal beers each year. The next seasonal coming online in a couple of weeks is a bourbon-barrel aged stout. I had the last year’s version of this beer, and I cannot wait until it is available on tap. I take pictures of fermentors and mashtuns, how beer geeky is that?

We talk about his brewing philosophy and how he came to be here in Montana. “My introduction to beer was in Belgium when I was 16,” he nonchalantly states. “C’mon man,” screams in my head. He lived every craft beer drinkers wet dream, having your palette develop on Belgians, saisons, and sours. My first beer was an Old Milwaukee that had been stolen from the refrigerator of a buddy’s mother. Three of us split this single warm, road-shaken can between ourselves behind an outhouse (hand to God, that happened). I noticed, though, that he did not have any Belgians or Imperials on tap. I asked him why and the answer was honest and direct. Most of folks that stop by this brewery are not fans of the big beers or do not have the palette from them, and not brewing them comes down to a business decision. That does not mean that his beers are not artfully brewed. Instead, he strives to introduce styles into the bar that are extremely well crafted, and, at the same time, approachable to all beer drinkers. I find this admirable as we already have the Dogfish Heads of the world, and they can be, frankly, alarmingly different to most beer drinkers. We talked about how he came into brewing, starting with his attending UC Davis and their brewer program. Later, Steve was one of the founders of the Fredericksburg Brewing Company, and was along for its incredible growth, but he wanted to do something else, something fun. Several years later he and his wife, Vicky, found themselves opening the Lone Peak Brewery in Big Sky. Lucky for those of us who have found this little gem of a brewery.

Besides having great beers on tap, the Lone Peak Brewery has a full bar and a great kitchen. As I hung out, I saw mouth-watering ribs and burgers on the plates of my bar mates. Vicky let me know that she really likes the Killer Bison Quesadilla. But the one sandwich that really caught my eye is the Angry Bison Burger. A big bison burger with jalapeño paste, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle aioli. This is far better fare than normal finger foods or popcorn that seem to be available in most of the tap rooms around. Next time that I am around Big Sky, you better believe that I will be stopping by for an IPA and the Angry Bison burger. Perhaps, a bourbon-barrel stout will follow this meal.

Unfortunately, Lone Peak does not yet bottle, but they getting a canning line in the near future. So, your only option is to come to Montana, travel up the Gallatin Canyon, and have a seat in the Lone Peak Brewery. It will definitely be worth the trip.