It’s off to Montana this week for a chat with the owner and brewer of Meadowlark where we get into the importance of craft malt, a fondness for Scottish-style ales, and brewing with mushrooms.

Meadowlark has been on my radar for a while now, but it wasn’t until owner Travis Peterson sent some beer to the home office that I was able to give the full line up a go. 

Travis tells me that he’s long had a dream of helping people experience the beauty of food and beer pairings. Neither food nor beer has to be complicated or contrived, he says,. It’s all about the experience and opening your mind to all the possibilities beer can create.

Travis graduated from Gonzaga University as a civil engineer and pursued a career working on bridge projects in both California and Washington following graduation. But in those years while visiting breweries he could not shake the desire to one day open his own. And that’s where Meadowlark, in Billings, MT came into focus. 

On the show he’s joined by Brewing Director Tim Schnars. You’ll hear his voice first. 

He’s been brewing professionally since 2006, when there were less than two thousand breweries in the United States and joined Meadowlark in 2013 Before brewing, Tim received post-secondary certification in advertising and design and pursued a career in animation.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Travis Peterson & Tim Schnars
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Texas, Foraging, Ingredients, Small Batch, The Land