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Michael Garrity, right, pours a beer for Charlotte Vermillion Saturday at the Blaine County Fairgrounds in Chinook. Garrity is the owner and brewmaster at Triple Dog in Havre, one of multiple breweries in the area and throughout the state that had beer at the fundraiser for the Blaine County Fair Foundation.
People begin to fill up the building during Blaine County Brew Fest Saturday at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook. Extra tables and chairs were set up as the crowd swelled.
Darla Wlech, of Old Station Brewing, pours a beer during the first annual Blaine County Brewfest Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Mont.
TJ Overcast, a member of Plowed Under, performs a solo set during the Blaine County Brew Fest Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Mont.
Raymond Miller, who owns Vizsla Brewing with his wife Maria Naranjo, takes a glass from a customer Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Mont.
An empty glass with the 2019 Blaine County Brew Fest logo sits on a table Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Mont. For $15, fest-goers were given a glass and two drink chips.
Darla Welch, of old Station Brewing, pours a stout for a customer Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Mont.
People line up for the first ever Blaine County Brewfest Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Mont.
Connie Borson hands a beer to a customer Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Mont. Connie and her husband Ben own Busted Knuckle Brewery in Glasgow.
Beer and cash were flowing Saturday night at the first-ever Blaine County Brew Fest in Chinook, and event staff said they are already looking forward to holding the fundraiser for the county fairgrounds next year.
"An hour in and we knew we would make this an annual thing," event coordinator James DesRosier said.
Despite not knowing what the final turnout for the fundraiser would be, DesRosier said he and fellow event planner Loren Skoyen, a member of the Blaine County Fair Foundation, quickly realized the event was a major hit.
DesRosier and Skoyen had been looking for a way to help pay for improving and running the fairgrounds, and after trying out comedy events and other fundraisers, they said they figured a brew fest might be the answer they were looking for.
"It's been hard times, but we need to put on a fair," Skoyen said. "And I knew people always want to drink beer. Yeah, you can never go wrong with beer."
After contacting 52 breweries, the Fair Foundation was able to round up local beers from Triple Dog Brewing Co., Old Station Brewing Co. and Vizsla Brewing in Havre, Busted Knuckle in Glasgow and Jeremiah Johnson from Great Falls. Offerings from Draught Works in Missoula and other breweries across the region also were at the event, not to mention wine tasting from Yellowstone Cellars and Winery.
In total, 28 brews were on tap, plus wine and a few food options.
Almost everything from the beer to the entertainment was donated, DesRosier said, and the event was particularly successful due to the generosity of vendors and the help of volunteers.
"There were so many people pitching in," he said. "It all came together because of them."
Michael Garrity, owner of Triple Dog Brewing, said it was nice to work a festival in Chinook because the town doesn't have any of its own craft breweries. He saw it as an opportunity for local vendors to introduce Blaine County residents to unique beers that are available right here on the Hi-Line, he said.
Event organizers had not crunched the numbers Saturday night, but with hundreds attending at $15 a head, they quickly deemed the fundraiser a success.
DesRosier said that after seeing the turnout and support for this type of event, he wants the Blaine County Brew Fest to become a January staple in the area for years to come.
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