Mt Ascension Brewing Co.

been meaning to hit this place up the last few times through helena, finally made it. the space is undeniable, cool and open inside on the ground floor, a big and uniquely shaped bar in the center of a rather typical taproom space, plenty of natural light and all, but really its about the upstairs and the rooftop patio. another bar and some cool booths inside, outside perhaps the best view in the city, overlooking the town and the surrounding mountains, basic tables out there and nothing fancy, but an epic place to sit and drink a beer and take it all in, this is why you go here, and it was great to hit it on one of the first nice days of spring where the sunshine felt extra awesome! the beer was just okay though, the schwarzbier was better than the mediocre irish red and the not great gratzer, which i was happy to see on a beer menu, a rarity, but the execution was not great. seems like a decent style mix though, and id go back to try more just for the patio. service was uninspired, both downstairs and up, it was near empty when we were there and they still seemed disinterested. they do food but its either not all the time, or not every day, or something weird where the kitchen was closed when we were there at happy hour time, a bummer because we were starving. still, even with all of that, the place is worth a visit, the upstairs is awesome inside and out, and the location alone should keep them in business. clean up the basics of beer quality and service, and it would be a top player in the area. definitely hit the rooftop!