AJ Smith pours a Rose Trois American Sour at Draught Works Brewery. Breweries often create beers to match lifestyles, and summer presents opportunities to create beers with flavors or lower alcohol contents. Photo by Tom Bauer, MISSOULIAN
Missoula’s brewing industry strong, more expected to open soon DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson@missoulian.com Missoula’s craft beer industry is one of the most diverse and flourishing of any city in the state. With 13 breweries and counting in the county, there’s no end to the variety of ales and hefeweizens one can seek out here. The pandemic was tough on the brewing industry, but Montana Brewers Association executive director Matt Leow says he expects a rebound. “Before March 2020, Missoula’s craft brewing industry was healthy, thriving and
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growing,” he said. “Between 2018 and 2020, four breweries opened in Missoula and the surrounding area: GILD and Conflux in 2018, Old Bull in 2019 and Cranky Sam in 2020. Of course, the past year has been a tough one and the industry faced incredible uncertainty a year ago.” Last spring, Montana breweries reported taproom sales were down 45% and distributed draft sales (kegs sold to bars and restaurants) were down 60%, Leow noted. “But things are now moving in a positive direction, especially as vaccine distribution picks up and the broader hospitality industry
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gets back to normal,” he continued. “I do expect the growth in Missoula’s brewery scene to continue. The pandemic may have delayed things, but I’m aware of three breweries in planning for Missoula with two, Cymatic Fermentation Project (formerly Tonal) and Odd Pitch, set to open this spring or summer.” Bayern Brewing is the oldest continuously operating brewery in the state, founded in 1987 by Jurgen Knoller. It’s located at 1507 Montana Street. Big Sky Brewing is the largest brewery in the state, pumping out well over 40,000 barrels of beer a year. That brewery is located at 5417 Trumpeter Way, near the
