Carter's Brewing

A hidden gem in Billings pouring the best beers compared to all the other breweries in town. Owner/brewer Michael has 27 years experience and it clearly shows. We tried multiple styles, and all were spot on. Twenty-one taps. Come here for good beer!

The space is fun! The brewery area is messy, there is a play space for kids, plenty of indoor and outdoors seating, and more at the bar. On street parking which was plentiful on a Sunday afternoon.

The flagship IPA “Derailed” was delicious. Reminded me of Grapefruit Sculpin. The porter and other beers were tasty. Free popcorn. Come here for the beer.

The bartender was friendly and knowledgeable. The brewer was happy to answer questions and chat about his beers and brewing generally. So glad to have paid a visit. Come here for the beer!

Located between the railroad tracks and I90 Business street. Taproom is one level up from street level. Small adjacent parking lot. Steel structure ceiling and concrete floor. Twenty plus taps. With a good selection of styles, including several IPAs. Brick walls on three sides, with windows facing an outdoor patio. One TV, and board games available. Helpful and friendly staff. A taproom that is rough and ready, and has a history. Railroad sign decor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(#5 of 49) We stopped here to try the beers. The pub is located in a large, older industrial-style building (possibly a former train station or warehouse) along a busy street. A small parking lot is adjacent, otherwise I think on-street parking is the next best option. The interior has brewing equipment and barrels visible, long tables and stols, and a small bar where the beer is ordered (there were a few stools). A rear door leads to a patio that overlooks a train yard.

Sixteen beers were available on tap, but we ordered only a sampler flight of four to try to evaluate this brewery. Each of the beers was brewed very well to beyond its respective style, and we gave an overall score of B minus for the beers. If we're ever in the area again we'd go back to try more of the beers.

 

 

The people here really like beer... service was great and had a great atmosphere. Did a sampler and beers were good but not quite great but things appear to be looking up in Billings. Unsure if they had food. Worth a stop in Billings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

visited for a couple o pre-dinner pints when I was in Billings. mid-size taproom with tables and a bar. bartender was friendly and the beers were tasty.

 

I lived in Billings for a full year (2013) while working trail with Americorps. Coming to the town, I only drank PBR, and had maybe tried a few microbrews, which I could tell were "good" but didn't really care at the time. Having spent a lot of time at each of the eight breweries in Billings, this easily became my favorite for several reasons.

A: First, the people I knew were always there, and while thats a personal reason, it was truly more of a gathering place for the socially outgoing than some of the others breweies, so Carter's and Yellowstone Valley are the places to go if you want to have great conversations. Back porch for quiet, except for the trains that Carters logo is based on. The front porch is shared with an adjacent bar, The Railyard, and in summer, its nice to be able to switch from microbrews to cheap beer while still hanging out at the same establishment. Some dislike the 4-8pm and three beer limit, but I think it makes it special, and prevents it from becoming a free for all like some of the college bars, or Montana Brewing Company (with a full liquor license, they can serve all night long). You go after work, talk to friends, its very classic American.

Q: These guys love their beer and it shows.

S: Always polite, and usually very helpful with selections. They would fill my 2-pint stein for me too when I would bring it in, nice.

S: This is where they really shine. Several of the best IPA's around (Ghost Train and Derailed are lovely), some great summer beers (Coldwater Kolsch, my favorite, as well as Farmhouse, and an excellent green tea Saison), and while I cant speak for dark stuff, my picky girlfriend can and she loves em.

F: Free popcorn! But thats it. Uberbrew down the block has the food. Though sometimes theres a food truck out front.

V: All the microbrews in town are $4 pints (with the exception of Angry Hanks at $3 and Himmelberger at $3 for 12 oz. But IMO, those places fail to live up to those who option for $4 pints.)

 

One of the stops on my personal pub crawl while I over nighted in Billings. Pleasantly surprised by this brewery. First off, no food here. It's just Carter's beers, no outsiders. And there were many different ones to choose from. I say twenty or more. Nice room, with the tables and a small bar one side and the brewery on the other out in the open. Good prices and an excellent baretender.
The brewery shares a spot with a bar (just so you know). And they close at 8pm due to state law.

I will definitely stop back in if I am ever passing through again.

Visited on a Saturday, early evening before much of a crowd arrived. As soon as the clock struck 6pm, this place got packed. Very much an industrial vibe, the build is the old brick and morter construction with tons of exposed iron. Brewing is done right on the floor, 10-20 feet from where you sit. I didn’t count, but there must have been at least ten brews on tap, maybe twelve. The server was helpful selecting a brew for my wife and of the four beers we tried three were above average. No food, just popcorn. Neat place, I'd certainly come here again, but the 4pm-8pm hours make it hard the way we travel.

my favorite brewery in billings. the place is located right on the traintracks, and connected to some night spot. its a small open layout pub, with some high picnic tables and a small outdoor area in front and another in back on the tracks. there is dim lighting, good music, and cool people. must have been 10 or 12 beers on tap, all of which were damn good. the lil blue lantern belgian white ipa was the pick for me, but i also enjoyed the brown ale and the porter. service was friendly and generous with the samples, while the prices were reasonable. i was on a bit of a brewery tour, but would have been happy to stay here all evening. the beers were delicious and the vibe was unbeatable. with all the selections i could have made a night of it. good times here.

edit: they have taken over the old pub space next door and built out a gorgeous taproom. not sure when this went down, its been years since i was up here, but the new space is lovely, mellow energy, brick, dim lights, lots of space, and a bigger beer list than i remember, a ton of different selections. the old taproom space is now all production, so we lose that tiny little patio that backed up to the train tracks, but its a worthy trade off, as the new place is way bigger and very pretty, it seems like a better spot to showcase their fine beers, which seem to have only gotten better over the years. still my favorite operation in billings!

I have been here several times, just now getting around to reviewing the place. This is a small brewery located right by the railroad, and all but connected to the Railyard Ale House. A dimly lit building with a small bar directly in back that you order from. A chalk board has the current offerings available, some high top tables scattered, and and area to sit at out side. Very relaxing.

I really enjoyed the beer. Always a host of beers being rotated in and out. Black Magic Porter, De-Railed IPA, and a Farmhouse Ale being the big hitters with me. They also rotate in various other Belgian and American styles often. I always seem to miss Saison De Carter, which I have heard great things about. Got to love the selection and quality here.

The downfall is that the place gets packed quickly, and because of Montana's beer laws you can only have three beers per day. The hours that the brewery can be open are also strictly regulated. So come right when they open the doors if you can. Otherwise a great place to get a few beers.