MISSOULA - June is Pride Month when the LGBTQ+ communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves.
The original Pride organizers chose this month to pay homage to the Stonewall uprising in June 1969 in New York City, which helped spark the modern gay rights movement.
Closer to home we have the story of a local brewery that has tapped into Pride week.
Draught Works is raising a glass to Missoula’s Pride Festival with the “Say Gay” Juicy Pale Ale — a new beer and the official one of the Pride Festival.
We talked with Head Brewer Kyle Sillars who’s in charge of designing the special flavors that go into this inclusive beer.
“We wanted it to be approachable to a wide variety of people, not only for the inclusivity of the Pride Beer Project along with the Pride Fest, but because we wanted as many people to appreciate or enjoy the beer as possible,” Sillars explained.
The brewery was hopping, beers flowing inside, and people enjoying them on the porch during a Wednesday launch party.
Sillars describes the drink as having a crowd-pleasing, complex flavor, “we wanted a big citrus punch, a little bit of pine, maybe a hint of dankness but really citrus-forward, coif-fable, juicy pale ale.”
Draught Works made almost 1,000 gallons of the beer in preparation for the Missoula Pride Festival.
It will be available at many local bars, and $1 from each pour will be donated to the Western Montana Community Center and Missoula Pride.
Sillars said he was proud that he was able to contribute to this year’s celebration, “just a small way I can be a part of that by making a beverage hopefully a lot of people can enjoy.”
There are several events planned around Missoula to mark Pride Week that will take place this weekend.
