The cat food I buy is at Costco, and Costco is two hours away, but --- within minutes of some of my favorite Montana breweries. Enough said. So I rounded up a couple friends, we hopped in the Huckleberry (my purple Honda Fit), and off we went to Billings. My ultimate goal was to make it to my 92nd brewery. Mission accomplished.
We first stopped at Target to load up on some of the necessary staples not found at Costco. That worked up my appetite. As my pals were game for anything, I suggested we stop for lunch at Überbrew, a relatively new brewery in Billings I was already acquainted with. I'm not a fan of their brews, unfortunately, but their burgers are some of the best I've ever had, and their cheddar ale soup... I can't think about it without salivating. I opted for an ice tea over a not so tasty beer and made short work of my Beer Bleu Burger. As expected, I was not disappointed. The girls seemed extremely happy with their choices as well.
We got in and out of Costco as fast as we could - cat food and kitty litter acquired - and hightailed it over to Yellowstone Valley Brewing. The night before leaving for Billings I found out that this great all girl band I'd seen once before was going to be the opening act for that Saturday's musical entertainment. They're called Maxie Ford and they are something else. Extremely talented, all cute, and very, very impressive, especially considering they're all in high school.
Maxie Ford
Note the girl in black, second from the left. She's their percussionist. Her instrument, tap shoes. That's why she's a bit of a blur; she's tapping her ass off. That is also where they get their name. Maxie ford is a tap step.
I enjoyed a lovely Black Widow Stout and the band. If it had worked out, I would have enjoyed the band that followed, Cure for the Common, as well. They sounded pretty damned good during their warm up. However, we still had plans to make it to #92. We couldn't stay.
#92 - Fat Jack's Tap Room in Laurel, MT
Oh, what fun! The place was busy. Every stool at the bar was taken, one long line of men. Nearly all the tables in the place were also taken. We found a table across the room and staked our claim. Immediately, one of the bartenders was there to take our order. I asked if they did tasters, thinking I'd like to try a sample flight. "Sure!" was the reply. I selected three beers off the board - the Vanilla Oat Stout, the Honey Porter and the Aiming Oil Pale - and within a minute she was back with three little tasters, no charge. How great was that? Usually, if it's not going to be a sample flight, you have to head to bar for the little tasters. Nope, she just poured them and brought them over without batting an eye. All three choices ended up being tasty, too, but I opted for the Pale since I was going to be driving home and it was a lower octane than the others. I paired that with some goodies the Tap Room had laid out: chips, dips, chili, deviled eggs, and little pigs in a blanket. Happy sigh.
While we enjoyed our choices, and the snacks, we got to know our neighbors at the next table, a funny bunch of ladies. We all kept each other entertained for quite a while. I told them about some of my brewery adventures, and they asked how soon they would be visiting my brewery. Oh, how I wish! "As soon as I win the lottery," I told them.
Since the next day was Black Out Superbowl Sunday, I had been sure to bring a bunch of growlers to fill. I went with the stout and the pale and nearly polished off that stout at the party - one glass left. I also filled up another with the IPA as requested by a fellow proper beer-loving friend. I could find no takers for the rest of my booty at the party, though; it was a Busch Light sort of crowd. What is wrong with those people? Oh well, more for me!
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