My Facebook feed is foaming over today with posts about a story on Livability.com that ranks Billings among the top 10 best beer cities in America.

While I don’t disagree that Billings has some great brews, I’d like to point out a few reasons that Bozeman should be on the list.

  • 1

    Hike and Beer

    Bozeman’s breweries are conveniently located near stuff we love doing: skiing, biking, hiking. In fact, getting a beer after our favorite outdoor activities is so easy that my girlfriends and I started a little tradition last year that we like to call “hike and beer.” After work, we’d hit up Drinking Horse or the “M” with our pack of mutts, and on the way home we’d swing by 406 Brewing or Bozeman Brewing Company to grab a pint.
  • 2

    The Food is Good

    It used to be that you’d have to drive to Lone Peak Brewery in Big Sky if you wanted to have food served with your beer. No more. While I love swinging by Lone Peak for their chicken wings (a saucy mixture of hot and barbeque), it is a tad out of the way most days. Now, Bridger Brewing offers pizza (even gluten free if that’s your thing), bread and specials like a delicious quinoa salad I had the other night. 406 just added yummy pizza and house-made breads to the menu too.

  • 3

    They Have Awesome Neighbors

    Earlier this year Wildrye Distilling opened in the same building as 406. A distillery and brewery in the same building? Genius! Wildrye specializes in Montana-made spirits, including “brum” or beet rum made from Montana sugar beets. And they mix up some of the best cocktails I’ve had in Bozeman, like their Bloody Mary, a hearty, spicy concoction. Plans are in the works to locate a distillery in the same building on Broadway Avenue that houses Bozeman Brewing Company. Word has it there are also plans to build another new brewery next to Bozeman Spirits Distillery that recently opened on Main Street in the old Schnee’s building.

  • 4

    We Don't Just Brew Beer Here

    We have hard cider too. Lockhorn Cider House on Wallace Avenue offers hard cider in several varieties: hops, ginger and traditional. The space is super cozy and you can even sip your cider on their patio that’s warmed by a crackling fire.

  • 5

    They're Involved in the Community

    One thing I love so much about Bozeman is the community involvement. Hey, we all love Bozeman and want to make it a better place, right? Bridger Brewing hosts Pints with a Purpose on Monday nights with $1 of every pint sold between 5 and 8 p.m. going to a different nonprofit each week. Just yesterday, Bozeman Brewing Company held a fundraiser for Friends of Hyalite.

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