Max Baucus brews up a batch at Tamarack

Senator Max Baucus, Dem., stopped in Lakeside on Friday to make his first batch of beer, Wakeboard Wit, at the Tamarack Brewery.

The visit was part of a tour of the Flathead. Baucus also made a stop in Whitefish to promote tourism between Canada and the United States, helped inaugurate the new industrial park in Kalispell and stopped by the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.

Baucus said it was the only part of his visit where he got to do some real hands-on work.

Baucus learned to brew, cleaned tanks, ran the auger and poured beers for customers during his 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. stopover at the brewery.

Montana is second in the nation in terms of craft breweries per capita and Baucus said he thinks it’s an important part of the Montana economy.

“It’s important because it’s local, it’s important because it’s growing, it’s important because it’s entrepreneurial,” Baucus said. “And it creates jobs.”