Barley & Beer at Hard Spring Wheat Show Feb. 8

Meadowlark Brewing founder Travis Peterson will speak with Dr. Rich Horsley from NDSU at the 64th National Hard Spring Wheat Show at 4:45 pm on Feb. 8 at the Grand Williston Hotel in Williston.

Peterson and Horsely will talk about how two-row barley is used in the brewing process of craft beer. They will also focus on what traits are important to craft malters, the current trends in the industry and explain how brewers write a recipe for a style of beer.

Following the presentation Peterson will host a Beer Tasting Social at 5:30 pm. This will give Wheat Show attendees an opportunity to sample the different styles of beer to compare the different flavors of ingredients along with how variations in the brewing process affect the flavor of each style of beer.

Peterson returned to Sidney six years ago to help with his family's business. He launched Meadowlark Brewery and began brewing beer with his brewer, Tim Schmars in 2014. Meadowlark now has 21 in house styles served at the Meadowlark Public House; three styles in cans on store shelves and is distributed to restaurants throughout Montana and North Dakota. Peterson plans to expand into Wyoming and South Dakota in 2017 and has recently added a 22 oz. bottler.

With the growing trend of local breweries spreading throughout the county, Peterson was at the forefront of bringing local craft beers to his hometown in Sidney. Seeing Meadowlark's success, other local breweries will be starting in Watford City and Glendive. "A lot has changed in the last six years," stated Peterson. "The more craft beer in our area the better."