The live music and new brews at Ales for Trails last Friday, Sept. 22, were outstanding! Thank you to everyone: brewers, bands, sponsors, guests, volunteers and the Radisson, for making Ales for Trails such a success year after year.

Award winning beer this year went to High Plains Brewing, who took the Golden and Bronze Pedals for its Pepper Cream and Oatmeal Stout, respectively.

Enjoy the beers without traveling far:  High Plains Brewing is located in Laurel!

The second place Silver Pedal award went to Beaver Creek Brewery from Wibaux, Mont. for its Raspberry Ale.

Thanks to the artists at SCRaP for creating the Golden Pedal awards this year!

New to our stage this year were the Chilled Beans, Song Dog Serenade and The Vigilantes. Favorites the Maverick Hillbillings and Lindsey Jacobsen returned to provide great music!

The Fat Tire raffle winner was Robert Peterson, who couldn’t believe his good fortune: “I have never won anything,” he exclaimed as he happily loaded his shiny limited edition New Belgium cruiser into his parents’ truck.

Our 50/50 raffle winner happily accepted his earnings late in the evening, as people flocked to the Billings TrailNet booth to check the status of the drawings.

And once again, Uberbrew’s Silent Disco was an Ales for Trails favorite for nearly everyone who attended!

Although it moved inside at the last minute, Ales for Trails had the support of nearly 2,000 people last Friday. Several loyal Ales for Trails enthusiasts expressed their gratitude for the inside venue to avoid the rain and chill.

One volunteer noted the multitude of young people (over 21!) who turned out for the event. “It’s a great ‘first foray’ for young people to support a fundraiser,” she said.

Billings TrailNet thanks everyone who gave to or attended Ales for Trails this year to celebrate and support our trails.