SigMT

SigMT Vol12 Iss 4

Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1187514

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 19 of 123

2 BASSETS BREWERY "Tails" of a Two-Dog Brew Pub SiG MT 20 Text by Mark Baune BEER MAN GREAT FALLS HELENA HAVRE The Beverage Company Now oN Tap -Tis The Season- Available Here Cloudblast Hazy IPA It wasn't long ago that a "cra beer road trip" wasn't even a thing. Now, with the explosion of cra beer, and amazing breweries popping up across the Montana landscape, it's easy to quench an undying thirst for malty beverages in a matter of miles. I recently made a beer road trip with my 23-year-old grandson to White Sulphur Springs to check out 2 Bassets Brewery. Rumor mill has it they brew gluten-free beer. Anything gluten-free catches my attention as my oldest daughter is gluten intolerant and when you throw the word 'beer' behind gluten-free, you can darn sure bet I'll be warming up the next available bar stool to check it out. Barry and Chris Hedrich are the proud owners of 2 Basset Brewery, a name inspired by the couple's two basset hounds, Stanley and Leroy. When faced with two kids graduating and becoming empty nesters, they decided to replace the kids with dogs, but not just any dogs. e Hedrich's wanted a breed that was friendly, easy going, social, loved to relax and most importantly, make you laugh… much like company you want to share great tasting cra beer with. Bassets Stanley and Leroy, without fail, make the patrons laugh. "If we can share a laugh with people, hopefully they will remember our brewery and keep coming back," says Chris. While visiting with the Hedrichs and sampling some of their beer, I asked about their glu- ten free beer. Barry explained that they experimented with an enzyme originally developed to prevent haze in beer. "One of the side effects is that it neutralizes gluten, but it doesn't render it entirely gluten free, but rather gluten reduced," says Barry. To be a truly gluten free beer, 100% gluten free ingredients must be used such as substi- tuting wheat and barley with grains such as buckwheat or rice. Gluten reduced beers are required to keep their gluten content below 20ppm (parts per million), which is the nation- ally accepted threshold in North America deemed safe for consumption. 2 Bassets Brewery's beer falls into the gluten reduced beer category, meaning there are traces of gluten. 2 Basset's beers incorporate local ingredients from the White Sulphur Springs area as much as possible. Other items have been locally sourced including the Douglas fir wood used to cra the bar and the frames that showcase their pride and joy bassets. ey also use dog references in the titles of their brews. ey brew 23 beers 15 or more on tap. One of the most popular is the Drooligan, an easy, flavorful Irish red ale. It checks in with an ABV of 5.2 and a 20 IBU. It has a roasted barley amber hue with a slight hint of caramel, lightly hopped and finishes clean and smooth. Bassito is a raspberry Hefeweizen that checks in at 4.8 ABV and 29 IBU. It is exception- ally effervescent and crisp with a nice balance of raspberry. e grandson gave this one his stamp of approval. e Wooa, 7.2 ABV and 35 IBU, is a strong German lager called a doppelbock. is one is a great fall/winter brew with its heavier flavor and moderate hop presence. It is very drinkable with no harsh aertaste, but I must warn you, it packs a punch! e K9 Collusion is an 8.9 ABV, 60 IBU imperial stout. With roasted malt and barley and notes of dark, bittersweet chocolate, fruit and caramel, this stout was a home run. My how the time flies when you are sampling the fruits of a brewery's labors. With 23 beers to taste, we made it through four. Already have my next trip scheduled to sample some more, and I would encourage you to do the same. Cheers! • Beer man

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of SigMT - SigMT Vol12 Iss 4