HAVRE- Vizsla Brewing, a micro-brewery located in Havre, won numerous awards this past week at Montana Brew Fest in Great Falls.
Viszla Brewing is owned by husband and wife duo, Raymond Miller and Maria Naranjo.
The couple opened the brewery in October 2018 and were one of 35 breweries who participated in this year’s Montana Brew Fest.
They submitted three beers into the beer and cider judging competition and all three won gold medals in their respective categories.
The three categories were Belgium Ale, American Brown Ale and American Amber Ale and the three Vizsla Brewing beers that received gold medals were Bichon Saison, The Brown Lab and Winter Red Ale.
In addition, they were also awarded the ‘Montana Brewery of the Year’ trophy, which is given to the brewery each year with the highest cumulative score for all beers and ciders submitted.
The trophy is given to a new brewery each year, but will stay with Vizsla Brewing through next June.
Co-owner Maria Naranjo said it’s unreal to win the awards, especially after only being open for less than one year.
“We entered just hoping for the best but not realizing we were going to do this well. It’s really nice to be recognized for the hard work that we put into it and the hard work that my husband has put into the beers, especially since he holds a day job,” she said. “He puts a lot of time and effort and hard work into the brewery.”
Vizsla Brewing currently has eight beer taps and rotates in new ones frequently. They focus on using local ingredients.
“We’re trying to promote essentially local Montana products and businesses,” Naranjo said.
The brewery’s theme is meant to appeal to the outdoorsy people of Montana. Their motto is: Good Beer, Good Dogs, Good Life. A lot of their beers are based on different dog breeds.
While in Great Falls, they also participated in the Beer Now Conference as well as the cheese and beer pairing lunch.
You can visit Vizsla’s Brewing’s Facebook page for more information.
Story by Kasey Herman, MTN News
