Manager Sandy Clare of Flathead Lake Brewing Co. believes there’s good reason Montana has, per capita, the second-highest number of small breweries.

“Montanans in general are savvy and they like good beer,” she said. “They’re really getting behind the craft industry, so we’re popping up everywhere. It’s a fun industry to be in right now.”

It’s even more fun when you’ve had the success of Flathead Lake Brewing Co.

The brewery, which opened in 2004 on the east shore of Flathead Lake at Woods Bay, is taking over the North Shore Lanes building in Bigfork and plans to move operations, plus the taproom and restaurant, to the new site in about a year.

The business is desperately in need of the extra room. Flathead Lake Brewing Co. beer sales have increased by at least 100 percent in the last year, and some varieties have more than doubled.

“We’ve maxed out our production in this facility,” she said. “We’re literally selling everything in our tanks before we even keg it. We decided it’s now or never to take it to the next level.”

The business is just one of the breweries found in nearly every corner of the Flathead Valley, with the Great Northern Brewing Co. in Whitefish; Tamarack Brewing Co. in Lakeside; and Glacier Brewing Co. in Polson.

A trademark brand has been requested for “Kalispell Brewing” by Cole Schneider, with beer listed as the goods and services description. There has been talk that a facility is slated  on Main Street in a currently vacant building north of Colter Coffee.

And two new breweries are jumping into the local craft beer scene, with their own production facilities and tasting rooms. Desert Mountain Brewing hopes to open on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls by December and Whitefish’s The Double Tap, a new enterprise by state Sen. Ryan Zinke, R-Whitefish, is in the works as well.

“What excites me is I like the industry,” Zinke said. “There’s something about making something yourself and selling it, and with the microbrew industry, if you’re not doing it right, you won’t sell. It’s a clean industry and fits with the rebirth in this country focusing on more local products.”

Kelley Christensen, a former editor of the Hungry Horse News, is returning to Columbia Falls with her husband, Shawn, to create a new opportunity for the city and take advantage of tourist traffic heading for Glacier Park. The couple’s success at home brewing led them to the decision to start their own craft brewing operation and tasting room, named after a local landmark.

“We love beer, and we had a lot of fun making our own beer at home,” she said. “We also really subscribe to a belief in strong communities, and we believe that a brewery is an anchor business. We want Desert Mountain Brewing to be a gathering place.”

Dave Ayers, one of the owners of Glacier Brewing, located off Main Street just south of Polson’s downtown, believes that each community deserves its own brewery.

“The whole notion of these small brewers across Montana is nothing new, it’s the way it should be,” he said. “Before Prohibition, every little community in the U.S. had some sort of brewery; it was a community center.”

Josh Townsley, owner of the Tamarack Brewing Co., is vice president of the Montana Brewers Association. He said that cooperation and camaraderie among local brewers benefits everyone in the business.

“We want to see everyone succeed,” he said. “People who’ve had a good experience across the lake at Flathead Brewing or at Great Northern in Whitefish are going to try us. If they’re making a good beer, then it makes the whole craft category stronger.

Townsley gives credit to Fun Beverage for the success of many local beers.

“They’re doing a fantastic job of promoting craft beers locally,” he said.

According to the Montana Brewers Association, as of 2011 there were 34 registered breweries in the state, with two more expected to open this year. Montana brewers packaged more than 88,000 barrels, or 2.7 million gallons of beer in pints, bottles, cans and kegs in 2010, employing more than 250 people in the process.

Montana even has its own brewery champion in Washington, D.C., with Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., acting as chairman of the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan Small Brewers Caucus.

In the classic German tradition of Oktoberfest, autumn is beer season in Montana and local brewers are joining the party.  

The Montana Brewers Association Fall Festival, set for Oct. 6 at Caras Park in Missoula, features 17 different beers representing Flathead Lake, Glacier, Great Northern and Tamarack breweries. More than 75 different beers from around the state will be available, with 30 of those debuting at the festival.

Great Northern Brewing also will have a major presence at the Whitefish Oktoberfest going on this weekend and Oct. 4-6. Great Northern will have its own pouring area and will offer three different varieties.

Glacier Brewing is holding its own Oktoberfest event for Polson, but plans are not yet solidified. Those interested can check the brewery’s Facebook page for details.

Business reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.