Qwest vs. Bresnan, Bayern vs. Big Sky (Missoula, Great Falls: house, landlord)

[meridavi]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to set up some internet, but just moved here and am having trouble deciding between providers. Which do you use and why? I'd also like to hear people's opinions of their favorite local beers. Any hefewiessen (sp) out there?

Thanks!

[flyingcat2k]

Originally Posted by meridavi

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to set up some internet, but just moved here and am having trouble deciding between providers. Which do you use and why? I'd also like to hear people's opinions of their favorite local beers. Any hefewiessen (sp) out there?

Thanks!

Both Qwest and Bresnan just got bought out by CenturyTel and Cablevision respectively. Personally, I haven't heard much about CenturyTel but what I have heard was not good. A good friend of mine works at Bresnan and based on his assessment, Cablevision is changing very little. I'd recommend Bresnan but I'm biased.

Beers!?! Bayern has a great Dunkelweisen (Dark Hefeweisen) by the name of Dragon Slayer. They also make St. Wilbers Weizen (Regular Hefeweisen). There are others that are available at the brewery that I haven't tried as I don't go to Missoula often (Stupid Grizzlies are there). However, the BEST beer Bayern makes IMO is the Oktoberfest. I would put it against Hofbrau and Hacker-Pschor Oktoberfest any day of the week and I think it would win.

I like Big Sky's Moose Drool and Slow Elk.

You'll find that Montana has a great beer culture, second only to Colorado. There's a lot of smaller towns that have part-time brewpubs or small breweries with tap rooms. Some do pretty well and grow to be bottled and sold regionally. Big Sky started that way. Red Lodge Ales is getting there.

[strudel42]

We have Bridgemax for internet. It's pretty reliable, but I don't think you can get it in all parts of town. Might be worth checking out.

[meridavi]

Thanks! I've never tried a dark Hefeweisen; that bayern dunkelweisen is the next thing i'll request at the bars (which carry it?)
What do you pay for your internet and how fast of a connection is it? I'll be living out in grant creek; my landlord mentioned bresnan at ~50/month. I was hoping for $40 or less.... Is Bridgemax reasonably priced for its speed?

[strudel42]

Speed is not spectacular. I think we get 2 mbps and it's around $30/month. It's fine for us, though; we have no problem watching the odd movie, tv show or Cavs game online. Bridgemax works from cell phone signals (this is as technologically advanced as my understanding gets!) so we do occasionally get a "dropped call" sort of phenomenon. There's a local dealer in town. If you call them they'll tell you whether you can get it in your area. We've had it a year now and no real problems.

[loren01]

Bayern is good but check out Kettlehouse...I think thats the best brewery in Missoula. They make a porter called Old Bongwater thats real tasty as well as a great IPA.

[kkatiee]

I've heard horror stories before, but I've never had any bad experiences with Bresnan. It's just expensive. Sometimes you can ask service providers about special offers or contracts and negotiate a bit lower price. Not with Bresnan, though (at least not in my experience.)

We also eventually went with Bridgemaxx, but only because we absolutely couldn't afford Bresnan. So far, it's been reliable, but REALLY slow and you have to have a contract (unlike with Bresnan, which is nice.)
Bridgemaxx's service varies widely depending on the exact location of your house (and where you put the wireless receiver). I have a friend who got it and he lives kind of under a mountain and he doesn't get ANY speed hardly.
Also, my understanding is that there is only so much bandwidth to go around so, if they over-sell it, it could get really slow. It will also be slower at different times of the day, when more people might be using it.
Overall, I've found it tolerable, but only just barely, and only because it's half the price of Bresnan.

[MSPLove]

Originally Posted by meridavi

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to set up some internet, but just moved here and am having trouble deciding between providers. Which do you use and why? I'd also like to hear people's opinions of their favorite local beers. Any hefewiessen (sp) out there?

Thanks!

Don't know about Quest, but I went with Bresnan. I liked them. Their digital cable is good. You can get it with a DVR. They run these weekly tests every week, but they're brief and don't last long. They can be kind of annoying when they interrupt a show though. Phone support is pretty good. Internet's not down terribly often, IMO.

I don't know about local beers, but I'm a Budweiser/Bud Light girl. *thumbs up*

[MSPLove]

Originally Posted by flyingcat2k

You'll find that Montana has a great beer culture, second only to Colorado.

Uh, nobody can outdrink Wisconsin.
I've not seen it around here, but try Leinenkugel's if you get a chance.
http:// (broken link)www.leinie.com

[havreman]

Originally Posted by strudel42

Speed is not spectacular. I think we get 2 mbps and it's around $30/month. It's fine for us, though; we have no problem watching the odd movie, tv show or Cavs game online. Bridgemax works from cell phone signals (this is as technologically advanced as my understanding gets!) so we do occasionally get a "dropped call" sort of phenomenon. There's a local dealer in town. If you call them they'll tell you whether you can get it in your area. We've had it a year now and no real problems.

I signed up for Bridgemaxx a month ago here in Great Falls. So far, so good. I've been pleasantly surprised. It's going to depend where you are in town though...as was suggested above, go to a local dealer and he/she can tell you if you are in range of a tower.