Billings, Montana - An Unexpected Surprise.

Unexpected and unique experiences abound in Billings especially when it comes to beer and the great outdoors. Billings is Montana’s Trailhead and largest city. But after two visits to this bustling metropolis over the past few months, it really is the perfect basecamp to get out and explore some of America’s greatest natural treasures. From breweries, tasty food, interesting history, and a great trail system, everything that Billings offered really caught us by surprise.

DRINK GOOD BEER

Exploring Montana and Billing’s Beer Scene

Billings takes its beer seriously. Right in the heart of downtown, Billings, you’ll find 6 breweries, two distilleries and a cider house all situated along a 1.5 mile span which is known as the Billings Brew Trail. Beer lovers could spend an entire weekend exploring Billing’s Walkable Brewery District or enjoying other brews coming out of Montana at one of the cities 40 bars. Many of them have great outdoor patios, so soak in the gorgeous Montana air, grab a pint and celebrate with a local brew. Some of our favorite bars and breweries were:

Carter’s Brewing

Set in an old storage facility along the train tracks, this brewery definitely feels a bit like a start up, but their brews were delicious. The entire brewery reflects the rail road culture, from the logo design to the beer names. My favorite beer was the Derailed, which was an IPA with a hint of pineapple. It is definitely a great beer for a hot day while sitting on their patio. There are almost a dozen beers on tap at Carters with many featuring their award winning medals wrapped around each sign.

Montana Brewing Company

Montana Brewing Company is a brewery, saloon and restaurant all in one, and when coupled with the Hooligans Sports Bar next door you have yourself the makings of a nice evening.

This said, the restaurant’s menu was all over the board offering everything from burgers to Mexican to Italian and everything in between…but we came here for the beer. The beer menu consists of an array of stouts, pale ales, ambers, wheats and golden ales as well as a small selection of beer cocktails. I tried the Hazed and Confused which was a New England IPA that I couldn’t put down…which is why I had three of them. Situated along Broadway in the heart of downtown Billings…this is a great place to either start out or finish up your night out.

Other Fine Brews

While out and about, I also had the chance to sample a few other of Billing’s finest brews.

Uberbrew which is one of Billings hot breweries has a tasty little number called the Pink Sip which is a an English Summer Ale infused with copious amounts of raspberries.

Grazing Clouds from Mountains Walking brewery in Bozeman was a 7.5% ABV New England Style Hazy, Hazy Hazy IPA. It was chock full of fruity goodness. Did I say it was Hazy? It was delicious, but felt a bit more like a wheat.

Montana is known for their huckleberry production. This said, I felt it was worth a shot to try the Wild Huckleberry Wheat Lager from Great Northern Brewery. The smell of huckleberry is evident as soon as the waitress popped the top. It is a nicely balanced wheat lager, but the huckleberry was there through the entire drinking process. It was a bit fruity for me, but overall a nice refreshing summer brew.

DRINK GOOD COFFEE

MOAV coffee

The venue in which you get to enjoy your coffee is an absolute treat. It is very spacious and designed by somebody with a great vision. Situated in the lobby of an old hotel built in the 30s, I found that my eyes never get tired of looking around. What is also nice about the space design is that you do not feel crowded or like having your privacy compromised. The coffee is brewed in an expertly manner and with love to detail….but with love to detail comes a super super super super super long wait time. The coffee I had was delicious and the lattes my collegues had were expertly crafted. It just took too long.

Rock Creek Coffee Roasters

Located downtown on the corner of an intersection marked by a soaring outdoor sculpture called “Skypoint,” Rock Creek Coffee Roasters is a café and roastery…that has been keeping Billings caffeinated for over 10 years. It even has an enormous, fire-engine-red coffee roaster prominently placed on its main floor. Rock Creek is great for people watching or cozying up with a book.

Annex Coffeehouse & Bakery

What I love most about the Annex is their baked good creations. Everything is made from scratch daily using locally sourced ingredients. They are thought up with most creativity…and people flock to sample their ever changing menu of hand crafted doughnuts served up daily. Everything looks too good to eat. And nothing is uniform, which for me expresses true artisanship. Their coffee was delicious and (from Revel Coffee Roasters) atmosphere makes you feel invited to unfold and relax.

EAT WELL

SO YOU CAN DRINK MORE GOOD BEER

Jake’s Steakhouse

Montana’s Premiere Steakhouse. Cattle ranching has been central to Montana’s history and economy since the 1850s, so you would expect that folks in Montana can serve up a great steak. We had early dining reservations, and noticed a bustling happy hour crowd tipping back a few as we walked to our table in the dining room. The decor was traditional for a steakhouse with masculine woodwork reminiscent of any steakhouse USA. Being from Kansas City, I definitely know a good steak when I see it. Following the waitress recommendation, we went with their signature prime rib which we were told sold out almost every night. I have to say, I was not impressed. I felt like John Candy in that movie Great Outdoors trying to eat the Old 96er. It was definitely a huge piece of meat, but most was gristle and fat. Definitely not impressed…and most of my dinner party who tried other items ranging from their Chicken to their Salmon…had similar experiences

Lilac

Lilac has been regarded as one of the best restaurants in all of Big Sky Country. Chef Jeremy Engebretson opened the restaurant in 2012 and described the food as, “Local from scratch responsible cooking. Modern American food with a fistful of approachability.” Priding itself on serving dishes made using only responsibly sourced, local ingredients, Lilac offers simple, delectable fare. The appetizers, entrees and desserts are all sounded fantastic, but opted for the Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich…hey it had been a long day and wasn’t overly hungry. Colleagues tried the steak salad and panna cotta pasta. I have to say that while this restaurant came highly recommended, we definitely weren’t impressed. My chicken had a huge piece of ham on it that overpowered the chicken, the steak was almost rubber, but on the bright side...the panna cotta pasta was just delicious. Now we were told that Chef Jeremy was “out sick,” so maybe that is the excuse for an underwhelming experience….but jury is still out on this restaurant and if we will be back on our next visit.

Walkers

This restaurant has been across from my hotel the entire time, and I always ignored with the goal of getting out and exploring. This said, Walker’s just became my go to restaurant in Billings. By the look of the crowd, it appears that Walkers is a well-established downtown favorite and a destination for Billings foodies. The menu is a glorious mix of international cuisine and western comfort food and selections offer freshness and simplicity with professional wait staff that contribute friendly service in a casual, yet urban, dining setting. The pasta bolognese I had, for example, deliciously mixed pork and beef elements with house-made noodles and Italian spices. And the other two members of my party enjoyed a Thai Salad and Bourbon Street Pasta which were both delicious.

Veronika's Pastry Shop

If you are looking for a delicious way to start off your day than make your way over to Veronika's Pastry Shop...but make sure you are there in the line for the 8am opening otherwise you might miss out. Averaging $3.50 apiece, customers can choose from French almond croissants, hazelnut escargot, raisin escargot, pain au chocolat, raspberry puff turnovers and chocolate bouchons. Everything we had was absolutely delicious. Make sure you check it out. Early.

TO DO

Billings has 45 miles of trails situated throughout the city. We chose to venture out for an early morning walk through the Four Dances Nature Area. Just a few minutes from downtown Billings, Four Dances Natural Area is situated atop sandstone cliffs which yields spectacular views of Billings overlooking the Yellowstone River. There are a handful of trails available that twist through the 765 acres of undeveloped natural beauty, but given our short window of time, we took the upper trail which was approximately 2 miles and took us along the rim of the cliff and afforded us great views of Big Sky Country. We also caught a glimpse of over a dozen hot air balloons participating in the Big Sky Balloon Rendezvous.

A Great Basecamp To Explore

While my activities so far have been limited to the city limits…there are a number of signature attractions situated short drives from the city. And if you are interested in the amazing history of the United States, American Indian heritage or cowboy culture you won’t be disappointed.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

Little Bighorn Battlefield is located less than an hour outside of Billings. The battlefield lies to the southeast of the city and is known for being the location where indigenous groups including the Cheyenne, Lakota, and Sioux fought against the 7th Cavalry of the United States Army. AKA Custer’s Last Stand. Depending on when you visit, there are even period reenactments of the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn that happened in 1876.

Pompey’s Pillar National Monument

Situated about 45 mins from Billings, Pompey’s Pillar is the name of a sandstone pillar that rises over 150 feet into the air and is famous in the region for being over 200 years old. This amazing historical monument dates back to the days of pioneers Lewis and Clark who traveled through Yellowstone Valley in 1806, and Captain William Clark carved his name into the pillar as a reminder of this trip.

Pictograph Cave State Park

Located just outside of Billings, this park is known for being the home of Pictograph, Ghost, and Middle caves which have over 100 rock paintings and artifacts that date back to prehistoric times. I was hoping this might be a quick in and out visit, but our Uber drive said we needed 4-5 hours to explore. Maybe next time.

Yellowstone National Park

About 65 miles away is one of our greatest and first national parks. Enjoy geysers, mud pots, painted canyons, wildlife and more.

WHERE TO STAY

Not a lot of options in Billings, but the two main spots are the Northern Hotel which is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and the Doubletree by Hilton. I haven’t had the chance to stay at the Northern yet, but from the lobby and restaurant outlets it looks like the place to be. My past two visits have been at the Doubletree which is just a block or two away from the Northern. There might be a handful more select service hotels, but so far, the Doubletree has met my needs. The service has been great, the rooms are large and well appointed, and it is located in the heart of downtown Billings on 27th Street. This said, the Doubletree is your typical corporate hotel. What makes a stay here worthwhile is a visit to The Montana Sky restaurant 20 floors up which affords great views of the city and surrounding vistas. The views from Montana Sky is a great way to start your day.