A Night of Craft Beer & Artisan Cheese - Draught Works Brewery & Tucker Family Farm
On a snowy, slightly bitter, Wednesday evening in the ever-so delightful mountain town of Missoula, MT – two local businesses joined together for a night of palette pleasing. Draught Works Brewery hosted Tucker Family Farm to pair their craft beer with local artisan crafted cheese. To be upfront, I am no master when it comes to describing beer or cheese – so I'm not going to pretend to be. Rather, I enjoy indulging in both immensely and I let my tastebuds tell me if they approve or not.This was my first year partaking in this event, but it most certainly won't be my last.
This sold out beer and cheese tasting was a delightful way to kick off my evening after a day of sitting in front of a computer screen for work. While Missoula is mediocrely sized, events like this feel right at home here. Residents take pride in Montana Made products– and judging by the amount of craft breweries, and restaurants offering cheese boards, they also enjoy locally produced beer and artisan cheeses. At least, I know that I highly appreciate it.
The setup of the event was simple: a punch card was given with the numbers 1-6 on it; you would walk up to each station, which displayed the type of beer and cheese, they would mark off a number on the card, and you would retreat back to your table with a taster of beer and slice of cheese in hand.
A pamphlet was also given out so you could read in-depth about the creations you were about to put in your mouth. This was also very much appreciated, as I can't always rely on my palette to decipher the code that goes into complex creations, such as these.
This night was just one more example of Missoula providing a unique, enjoyable way to have a date night and dive deeper into what Montana has to offer. As much as the focus was on craft beer and handcrafted cheese, the night was really about being immersed in Missoula's culture. Two local companies joining together to not only gain awareness of their brands, but to host an event for their community to come out and unite together for an evening of fun and delicious treats.
About Tucker Family Farm :
Tucker Family Farm was founded by Tyler and his wife Kendra after their previous career paths weren't quite what they desired out of life. Tyler's family orchard on Flathead Lake and Kendra's family farm down the Bitterroot had instilled a love for the land and utilizing their surroundings to produce something fruitful. After not agreeing with the way that mass farms were producing and raising food, they decided to take a stand and create a business that believes in ethical ways of going about the process. After a trip to Germany to experience a farm that was in line with their beliefs, they returned to Montana and began a farm of their own. They aim to offer food that is raised in the manner of a true family farm that focuses on healthy upbringings and products. You can read the in-depth story on the Tucker Family Farm website.All in all– Draught Works Brewery and Tucker Family Farm hosted a night in Missoula that was not only refreshing, but slightly eye-opening to the phenomenal products that are created in Montana. We may be a large state with minimal population, but that is the beauty of this place (aside from the mountainscapes). The fact that this state continues to inspire and house immensely creative and passionate individuals will never cease to amaze me.
•Draught Works Brewery is a must visit for anyone that finds themselves in Missoula– great beer, phenomenal atmosphere, and live music on a regular basis!
•Tucker Family Farm should be an essential staple for anyone that enjoys high-quality artisan cheeses.My palette has never been more pleased.
