Lewis and Clark Brewing Co.

The taproom is growing and this year has seen an explosion in live music events because of the acoustic upgrades in the main taproom. Their beer is some of the best in the state, perhaps the nation (with Tumbleweed IPA the flagship in my opinion). Sean Tobin, the brewmaster, loves to give impromptu tours of the brewery, highlighting local grains and hops. They sponsor a live hops trade in the early spring whose results are harvested and turned into "Neighborhood Ale" in the fall. Depending on the day (and whether there’s live music) you’ll find it empty or packed. The have a rotating art exhibit in one of the backrooms, and have a private space upstairs you can rent for small gatherings. They opened an outdoor patio/music area last summer and it’s a very pleasant place to listen to live music. The bands are both local and those passing through Helena. This summer we’ve seen country, blues, opera, jazz, rock, and folk bands there. And it’s mostly free shows. They’ve been canning some of their brews for a while, but just introduce Pillar cans (1/2 growler) which are made from any beer on tap, while you wait: perfect for taking on the river or to parties. Sean has fun with his beers, and at any given time you’ll find 1-4 one-off batches available for testing. Our standards are the Tumbleweed, Prickly Pear Pale Ale, Miners Gold, and the Golden Ale. (I can’t believe Tumbleweed isn’t on the list below). They only carry their own beers, but I’ve only had one dud out of the 30 or so brews I’ve sampled here. Service can be surly when they’re packed, but generally they are friendly and helpful (and the patrons are quick to share their preferences). You can bring your kids, but it’s probably not the best place to let them run around. The ambiance is casual, friendly, and perfect for after river / ski / lake outings.

Huge sprawling warehouse. Lot of rooms upstairs or down. Mellow crowd when we visited but there were no games on. Sample trays and good service.

cramped sports bar interior: teevees, loud noises, little to no elbow room at the bar. but the tap list is fairly good; about half house beer and half local/regional. that’s all i ask for. and since they serve food they open earlier than 2pm.

Stopped during our tour of Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Western Montana and Western Wyoming regions. As we visited all the National Parks and Breweries summer 2004. We had a blast here. We met the owner as he was cleaning out one of the vessels. He gave us a huge tour and 2 cases of Lewis and Clark anniversary brew and tons of other swag. Pays to be nice and talk to the people. We went to the down stairs bar and we got to try all the brews and just had fun. Made us late to West Yellow Stone.

great place with good food and good beers. very social folks that know thier beer.

Sat at a table on the second floor right above the brew kettle. Felt the vibrations through the table during lunch. Cool. Beer was served too cold but staff were friendly and food was good. Big menu. Many of thier and local brews on tap as well as some surprises including Kokanee.