Harvest Moon Brewery

We stopped by for a few well deserved beers after hiking the nearby Sluice Boxes State Park. This is not a fancy spot at all but it was crowded on the Saturday afternoon we were there with most seats taken. The crowd was a mix of locals and beer tourists and since Belt, MT is kind of off the beaten track, you really have to search it out. Note that while talking to the other patrons, two groups were on the MT Ale Trail and were getting their passports punched. What a fun idea and a great way to promote the state's breweries.

The bartender was super nice and was free with samples. I think they had about 9 beers on tap and maybe 5 styles were also available canned and ready to go. I had their Red and their Nut Brown and enjoyed them both. My wife was a big fan of their Get Lost IPA.

They have well priced swag for sale and I got a t-shirt to commemorate my visit.

Note that we also stopped at the Belt Creek Brew Pub while in town. It is not a brewery but is a great saloon that offers a decent selection of craft beers, some cheap macros and a great deck along the creek. Make it part of your journey if you venture here.

these guys came onto my radar what seems like forever ago with their pigs ass porter, a beer ill remember very fondly from a first impression standpoint. i have been enjoying harvest moon beers ever since, so it was a little surreal to finally be able to get to this part of montana to check out their space. its in the tiniest, seemingly most isolated little town in the world, this place is just up the hill from a tiny little two block main street that time seems to have forgotten. it looks about like expected, with some obvious production capacity but also kind of tired from the outside, very much a working brewery, with the taproom sort of in the center of the action, although there wasnt much action at all here when i came though, i was the only one there the whole time, although it was a weekday during the day, i expect they are busy at more common hours. its almost surreal sitting here in this tiny little town thinking about how far this beer has reached, i knew it would be rural, but this is crazy. the space is like your cool neighbors garage, you know, the guy that turned some old cable wheels sideways for tables, put a bar in, has an old cigarette burned couch in there, drinks beer from a tap he put into an noisy fridge, that sort of vibe, low key, fully blue collar and no frills, almost like they are unaware of or unfazed by their celebrity status. definitely old school. i had a tasty red ale in here, wish i had time for more, ive always liked their beer, and while there didnt seem to be a whole lot of innovation beyond their standard flavors, i was thrilled to be able to have a beer in this now iconic little brewery. its like time is just standing still in here, and its so cool that their beer is as relevant as it is, seems almost impossible sitting here in the center of it. the service was odd, like the dude was back there brewing or something and saw me, poured a quick pint, and disappeared again, i just sat there by myself sipping it and taking it all in. maybe they werent even really open? in any event, this was an experience, everyone should see this town and this brewery, i think the whole scene in montana owes these guys a big debt of gratitude and it was rad to be able to actually visit. not to be missed!