Our Story
Meadowlark’s creation came about like any other American dream, it was just that, a dream. Our founder, Travis, an avid craft beer “researcher”, moved home to Sidney, Montana in 2010 to help with the other family business Sidney Red-E-Mix, which is when the real encouragement from his parents came into play. Sidney, a small town in Eastern Montana was ready for some locally made beer. As with the rest of the country, Sidneyites, Sidneyers, the people of Sidney, were becoming more aware of and thirsty for craft beer. Travis and family saw this new “thirst” very inline with their new goals and dreams, and so the journey began.
The Billings location is Meadowlark’s second brick-and-mortar location, but its first committed to craft spirits, including vodkas, gins and whiskey.
“Spirits has been a field of interest to us for a few years now,” remarked Meadowlark founder Travis Peterson. “We have all the knowledge and equipment to brew wash for distillation. Spirits seemed like a natural evolution for the business.”
About our founder:
Travis Peterson, a local of Sidney Montana, loves beer.
Food and beer, beer and food. They’ve always gone together and Travis had a dream of helping people experience the beauty in food and beer pairings. Neither food, nor beer has to be complicated or contrived its all about experience and opening your mind to all the possibilities beer can create.
Driving his wife crazy at every single brewery, in every single town they lived, stopped in, thought about stopping in… you know that drill. All the “what ifs” and “we shoulds” went on for years until dreams, of what was always to be named “Meadowlark” came to fruition.
Travis, a civil engineer, pursued a career working on bridge projects in both CA and WA post graduation from Gonzaga University. He has four children, a loving wife, and feels pretty darn lucky.
Our Head Brewer:
Tim Schnars II- You may believe that you, a craft beer LOVER, thinks highly of a well made, diverse beer. Then, you’d meet Tim and realize you are merely “acquaintances” with craft beer, in comparison. Not that it’s a competition. But you’d lose. Sorry.
His passion for what he calls “ the most diverse and sophisticated beverage on the planet” is to him, a spiritual matter. He thrives on the simplicity of beer’s ingredients and that anything is possible with these ingredients that he so respects. Its his life metaphor, really. After all, Tim often can be found speaking of beer as a historical icon and a main driving force behind the rise of the culture of civilizations world wide. Beer, in Tim’s world (which we are happy to live in) represents hope and possibility.
We are lucky to have this hard working, beer thirsty man working with us and traveling from his childhood home of Erie, PA. Tim is the previous Assistant Brewer for the Erie Brewing Co., with additional collaborations with The Brewerie at Union Station as well as Lavery Brewing. Prior to his brewing career, he pursued a career in computer animation with post secondary certification in Advertising and Design.
Our new tap room and restaurant.
We host events of all kinds. Click below to reserve a space for your next business event, weekly gathering, or special occasion.