Sacred Waters Brewing Co: Beer and Adventure for the Wild Ones

Sacred Waters Brewing Company is a place where being the best you can be comes from valuing where you are. That could mean the community of people that surrounds you or the nature you bask in as soon as you step outside.

At Sacred Waters Brewing Company in Kalispell, Montana, you can find both those people and that nature. Along with quality beer and food made with a magical combination of art, science, and tenacity.

But best of all, as a Harvest Hosts member, the experience that is Sacred Waters doesn’t end when the day does. 

History of Sacred Waters Brewing Co

Meet Jordan Gentry and her dad, Kirk Gentry, co-founders of Sacred Waters Brewing Company and whole-hearted Montanas that love bringing people together over good beer and good food. A craft brewery in a small community, Sacred Waters is hospitality at its finest. 

And that is Jordan. A Montanan with a love for hospitality and community. Growing up working and playing at Spotted Bear Ranch, the family business, Jordan learned both hospitality and business skills at a young age. She also thrived off of seeing people experiencing the joy of the great outdoors. 

Knowing that she wanted to be involved in hospitality, but yet unaware of the brewery that was to become, she pursued a business degree from the University of Montana. After some soul searching, the community that is at the core of craft breweries struck a chord with Jordan. Sacred Waters was born.

And her dad supported her every step of the way. In fact, their original beer and one of their most popular beers still to this day, Guts ‘n Grit, was named after Kirk and his work ethic – the guts to get anything going and the grit to get you there.

Jordan took that ethic to heart.

With intent to be the best boss she could be, Jordan took a beertending job at Highlander Beer in Missoula, and earned her stripes before taking the reins as the big boss. 

“I wanted to be in the hospitality industry. Growing up at Spotted Bear, at the end of the day, you make the guests happy and reminisce over the day, and that’s what a brewery is. We love all of these outdoor activities, and at the end of the day you get to go to a brewery and talk about the day and the best or worst experiences. It’s about meeting people and doing that. It’s that confluence of the rivers.” (Jordan – Sacred Waters)

We’re thankful Jordan’s love of hospitality and Kirk’s support transitioned into Sacred Waters Brewing Company. It’s like coming home to family.

The Story Behind the Name

And that is exactly what Sacred Waters is meant to be. A place to come home to. 

In 2015, Jordan lost her mother, Cathy, and was determined to make her business a place to remember her. Cathy was a true outdoor enthusiast and helped show her daughter how to love being part of nature. After putting in a long day’s work at the lodge, the waters were a sacred simple respite of nature and family. The Sacred Waters logo also honors Cathy with a depiction of her fly fishing in those meaningful waters.

Jordan wonders, “What do I really want to represent? She [her Mom] made that space [Spotted Bear] so special. You work hard, then you go play. That whole area encompasses such a special time in our lives where things were simpler and that childlike wonder that there’s nothing bad that can happen. Sacred Waters represents this. I just wanted to celebrate her no matter what business I went into. I want her to be the first person that greets the customer.”

And her dad, of course. “Along with my dad. He’s our number one customer.”

She goes on to say, “After a bad day, after a good day, you have a beer. You can settle.”

Meet Your Harvest Hosts: Sacred Waters Brewing Co

And settle is exactly what you’ll do upon entering into the sacred space that is Sacred Waters. From the colors on the floor to art on the walls, every inch of space both inside and out is intentional in its welcoming hospitality.

The Space

Greeted by a front outdoor patio where dogs are warmly welcomed (the back patio space does not allow dogs), you’ll pass through this space to enter through the doors into the taproom itself. Community tables, high back chairs, and an expansive bar all make for a space that’s easy to meet up with friends or make new ones.

Sacred Waters’ beautiful logo is front and center, along with natural wood and artifacts and local artistry replicating the feeling of being in a mountain lodge. And after a long day of exploring the wilds of Montana, it is the perfect space to kick back and settle in.

The fun and beauty of this sacred space is not kept solely within its walls. The outdoors are always calling, especially during the summer months when their back beer garden is open to soak up the fresh Montana air. Kick back in an Adirondack chair or play a game of cornhole while listening to live music on their natural wood stage, beer in hand. 

What’s on Tap

Speaking of beer in hand, no matter the beer, it’ll be just as sacred as the name implies. With many flagships, along with special and seasonal releases the beer brewed here is just as beautiful as the space.

You can’t miss out on the original classic, named by the man himself, Kirk Gentry. The beer that helps define the entire background of Sacred Waters, the Guts ‘n Grit Pale Ale. It’s the perfect balance of hops and effervescence, making it easy to have more than just one.

You’ll also find Hungry Horse Hazy, another well-loved flagship, along with many creative brews such as their Seize the Trail Double Hoppy Red Ale and Party Season, a mixed-fermentation prickly-pear sour. Dark beers have a place amongst the treasured tap handles, too. Beers such as their Rough Country Double-Aged Porter and Dad’s Plaid Scotch Ale.

Each beer is brewed and named with the love of Montana. Names replicating the sacred places such as Hungry Horse Reservoir or The Bob (IPA) in honor of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

Other beverage options include such specialty beer cocktails as their Montana-mosa which blends your choice of beer with orange and pineapple juice. Or their Red Beer, blending Little Salmon Fire Pepper Ale with Clamato or tomato juice. They also have NA options, including Athletic Brewing and local Kombucha on tap.

And because of the love of the outdoors, Sacred Waters partners with local agencies to help protect what we all love. A few of those partners are: Flathead River Alliance, Wild Montana and Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation.

Hungry?

That love of nature and the beauty that created Sacred Waters flows directly into their kitchen, as well. Sacred Eats is onsite offering mouth-watering appetizers and full meals.

Chris and Kallai Boyce, the owners and head chefs of Sacred Eats have a passion for putting good food into their community. They took a leap of faith, guts, and grit to make something meaningful and delicious. 

Everything on the menu is hand picked by the chefs and holds something special for its community at its core. Serving unique menu items such as their Kimchi Reuben to the Edamame Falafel, to the more traditional basket of fries and smash burgers, it’s all sacred. 

Overnight Accommodations

And when the evening wanes, located just behind the brewery, a gravel lot welcomes you in with ample space to park any size RV. While not as gorgeous as the taproom itself, the lot does the job it was meant to do quite nicely. Here, you’ll be seconds from your comfortable bed on a level lot that is a perfect place to rest overnight. 

And Big Sky Country is there to greet you in the morning light. The Swan, Mission, and Salish mountain ranges are just outside your door, beckoning you into the wonders of the Flathead Valley.

Beyond Sacred Waters Brewing Co

Now that you know you’ve got your evenings covered, Sacred Waters calls the Flathead Valley home, and there is no shortage of fun to be had out in the wilds of this wondrous valley. In less than an hour, you could be paddling Flathead Lake, biking Spencer Mountain, or hiking Glacier National Park.

And the beauty doesn’t stop just because the seasons change. With Whitefish and Blacktail Mountain Ski Resorts nearby, the sacred beauty has simply changed from water to snow.

Cheers from Sacred Waters Brewing Co

When you find yourself wandering the expanses of the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park and need a community to come home to, Sacred Waters Brewing Company is that community. With proven tenacity, Jordan and Kirk have cultivated a space of inspiration. 

“It’s not about putting other people down, it’s about raising people up.” (Jordan – Sacred Waters)

At Sacred Waters Brewing Company in Kalispell, Montana, Jordan, Kirk, and the entire team didn’t create a brewery, they created a community. One that is sustainable and meaningful. One full of guts and grit.

In the words of Kirk himself, “Guts will get you going, but grit will get you there.”

You’re an RVer. You understand!

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Ken and April Pishna are craft beer and travel lovers. Also Harvest Hosts members, they live and work in their 24 foot RV, while traveling to drink good beer and explore all that Mother Nature has to offer. Together they founded Living a Stout Life to guide others along on their own craft beer and travel adventures. You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

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