MISSOULA — Cranky Sam’s bottled, or actually canned, up the spirit of Brennan’s Wave. Their award-winning Tropical Blonde Ale is now named after the iconic Missoula spot and the kayaker it memorializes. With an party Thursday evening, the new cans are surfing onto the shelves and into the taps.
“Once the idea was floated to call this beer Brennan's Wave, I immediately reached out to the family, because obviously, you know, without their blessing, this is a moot point and we move on to another idea,” said Timmy Evon, co-owner and director of brewing operations. “A big part of this for us is just to create more ties with this community.”
The brewery was looking to rebrand a beer to celebrate Missoula and the amazing recreation opportunities here. They settled on Brennan’s Wave. The wave was created and named in honor Brennan Guth, a Missoula kayaker who tragically passed away, to carry on his passion for paddling.
"Speaking with the family has been amazing. Learning more about Brennan's story through this process and the story of how they were able to manifest that wave and what that wave has brought to Missoula has been amazing,” Evon said. “I really hope that this is kind of a bridge for us and the paddling community and the whitewater community, because we love this place.”
Evon said the brewery would like to support the wave and its future. They are already getting started on that, with a party to celebrate the grand opening of the Caras Terrace, which offers a more accessible path to Brennan’s Wave and the river.
“Tonight, we're giving away some prizes and we have a little raffle,” Evon said. “We're discounting the beer and just trying to drum up attention about this rebrand and, hopefully, about Brennan's Wave and Brennan's story and the paddle community here and surfing community.”
