We're Number Two!

Montanans like craft beer, and having neighbors few and far between. That’s not news. But this is: We now rank No. 2 in the country in breweries per capita, behind only Vermont, with one for every 30,919 Montanans.


Based on 2011 counts, Montana’s 32 breweries pushed the state from No. 3 to No. 2, surpassing Oregon, according to the national Brewers Association.

“I’m extremely pleased,” says Montana Brewers Association Director Tony Herbert. And, he says, “I think we’re on the way to catching Vermont...if we add another three or four breweries.”

That's looking likely. At least two more breweries have already opened in 2012—Uberbrew in Billings and Wildwood Brewing in Stevensville. Phillipsburg Brewing Company will open in a few weeks, and Desert Mountain Brewing Company in Columbia Falls and Bridger Brewing Company in Bozeman are slated to begin pouring this fall.

Bowser Brewing Company in Great Falls, Higherground Brewing Company in Hamilton, and Draught Works in Missoula all opened their doors late last year.