drink • it • in
figure of speech, to pause and experience something with great enjoyment
Drink It In Montana aims to tell the story of the Montana craft beverage industry while introducing Montana locals and visitors to our communities. Montana grows some of the best grain in the country, with international labels like Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors sourcing grain from Montana. Our craft beverage industry is set apart with access to the same high-quality grains.
Over the past decade the craft beverage industry has been gaining speed and is even becoming a reason for people to travel. A survey conducted by Visit Anaheim found that “tasting tourism” has increased as “seven in ten Americans have traveled to a destination specifically to sample the alcohol in the region.” Further, the survey offers that 72% of beer drinkers have spent vacation time going to a tasting at a local brewery and this trend is only increasing.
Michael Garrity, owner of Triple Dog Brewing in Havre, Montana offers “I don’t feel we’re much of a craft brewery, I feel like we’re the way beer should taste in the first place.”
The tradition of craft beverages in Montana dates back to territorial Montana in 1863 when the Virginia Brewery (which later became the Gilbert Brewery) opened in Virginia City. Today, the tradition continues with nearly 100 craft breweries and 25 distilleries statewide.
The initial release of this project features 8 breweries and 2 distilleries from the Southwest Montana and Central Montana tourism regions.
Not only does this project highlight Montana’s local businesses but provides viewers with a glimpse of our communities and the recreational opportunities within them. Community is at the center of the Montana lifestyle, and each of these businesses jump at the opportunity to support their local communities.
Seth Swingley, co-owner of Mighty Mo Brewing notes that they “can’t imagine not being in downtown Great Falls it’s kind of our identity … we are very involved with downtown, put on a lot of events for the community, and that’s just kind of where our goal is to be a big part of the growth of the community.”
Drink It In Montana was developed in partnership by Southwest Montana Tourism and Central Montana Tourism through matching grant funds with the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development statewide Tourism Grants. The videos were produced by Tempest Technologies, LLC. This grant program “awards funds to projects that strengthen Montana’s economy through the development and enhancement of the State’s tourism and recreation industry.”
As you travel through Montana, Drink It In. Experience Montana the way the locals do and enjoy our regional flavor.
Participating Breweries & Distilleries
Crawford Distillery in Havre, Montana
Triple Dog Brewing Co in Havre, Montana
Mighty Mo Brewing Company in Great Falls, Montana
2 Basset Brewery in White Sulphur Springs