Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co. owners Kristin Smith and Sarah Sorensen set up shop in Libby more than a decade ago. Now fully part of the community, the business partners say keeping things local is part of their long-term vision.  

Producing 500 to 600 barrels a year in their facility downtown, the two describe Cabinet Mountain as a “boutique destination brewery,” letting the charms of Libby and good beer lure people through the doors.  

Cabinet Mountain beers can be found on tap statewide, but the owners have made the decision not to pursue distribution through cans or bottles. Extra keg storage space for the brewery is rented and with the brewery located on a small city lot, the financial benefit of investing in distribution just didn’t make sense.  

Montana’s three-tiered system for beer distribution includes producers, distributors and retailers. Sorensen said while many breweries contract with several distributors to hit every corner of the state, they have found one business that goes everywhere.  

“If we had not gone with George’s Distributing, we’d have probably multiple distributors to get us into all the corners. But George’s is unique in that they’re completely statewide, so we can do it all with them,” she said.  

Maybe the best place to grab a Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co. beer is at the Libby location. The owners, along with their team, work to make the business a place for visitors and locals alike to hang out and grab a Yaak Attack IPA or Ross Creek Red.  

Before opening the brewery, Smith and Sorensen were looking to make some big life changes. Smith moved to Libby from Missoula to become the planning director for Lincoln County, and Sorensen had a career as a dental hygienist.  

The brewery and hangout spot of their dreams was nowhere to be found. 

“We were kind of kind of keen on what was going on in other small towns. It was a really good time to just pull the trigger and try and do something for Libby,” Smith said.  

Residents of Libby know well of hardship. The town has faced change with the closure of mills and mines that once powered the economy. Exposure to asbestos killed hundreds and prompted a Superfund site designation and subsequent cleanup stretching decades.  

Most of what many know about the small Northwest Montana town had nothing to do with its beautiful scenery or the Kootenai River that runs along the edge of town.  

That’s why Smith and Sorensen felt it was important to bring something back to the community. When they took up the effort to open the brewery, there was not much else going on in downtown Libby.  

“There were more probably boarded-up storefronts than were open, and we saw it as a potential catalyst for reinvestment in our downtown,” Sorensen said. “Now, I don’t know that there are any storefronts downtown that are closed. We have accomplished what we wanted.” 

“It’s a super vibrant downtown,” Smith said. “We’ve got new restaurants, other drinking facilities and lots of other shops for doing all kinds of stuff.” 

Both Sorensen and Smith are heavily involved with the community. Smith has sat on Libby’s City Council for nearly a decade and has been part of the Glacier Country Tourism Board, among other civic ventures.  

Smith, who worked 25 years as a dental hygienist, is chair of the Cabinet Peaks Medical Center Board of Directors and is a speaker with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, talking to medical students nationwide. She also served on the Montana Brewers Association board of directors for several years. 

A challenge facing breweries is a restriction in state law that doesn’t allow for beer to be served beyond 8 p.m. at breweries. Changing the limited serving hours for breweries in Montana is one effort taken up by the association in recent years, Smith said.  

Attempts have been made in the state Legislature to increase hours of service. The state Legislature in 2023 approved House Bill 205, which allows a business to purchase a retail license, thus no longer being subject to the 8 p.m. closing time or the 48-ounce limit per customer for sales.  It also allows brewers to own more than one retail license, enabling them to have a taproom at their manufacturing site and up to two other retail locations. 

But liquor licenses are hard to come by and can be very expensive if available.  

“They can often be very cost-prohibitive. Most people open breweries, and it’s generally like a mom-and-pop operation. It’s a small business, it’s a community gathering place, a place to make craft products and talk with your neighbors — a very different setting than your traditional bar,” Smith said. 

The limited serving hours really come into play during the summertime, when the sun doesn’t fully set until 10 p.m. or later.  

“It’s definitely a hamstring,” she continued.  

Along with advocating for longer serving hours, Smith said members of the Montana Brewers Association have talked about advocating for less stringent contracts with distributors. For many brewers, getting out of these contracts is very difficult. 

“It is easier to get divorced from your spouse than to get out of a distribution contract,” Sorensen joked.  

Industry politics aside, the business owners are focused on what’s in front of them at Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co. Their customers are to thank for making them a Libby mainstay.  

Sorensen said they’ve given back tens of thousands of dollars to local service organizations and charities. It’s something they’re happy to do — give back to the community that supports the brewery. 

“One of our early patrons loved us so much, he said, ‘I love coming in here, this is like Libby’s living room.’ So, we’ve used that as our kind of a moniker ever since, because that’s what we feel we are,” Sorensen said.  

For more information about Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co., visit cabinetmountainbrewing.com.  

Reporter Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].