Brewing

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 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 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

“This is essentially our flagship,” says Will MacKenzie, KettleHouse’s retail sales manager. “So if you notice the decor in here, we wanted to reflect on the history of Bonner/Milltown so all of the wood is reclaimed from the river. It’s pretty cool when you think about it.” Photo by Kurt Wilson, MISSOULIAN

Missoula International Airport.

All the breweries in Missoula have tasting rooms, where customers can sample the different styles and flavors of beer. Draught Works Brewery, located at 915 Toole Avenue, specializes in putting interesting flavors into their beers, like their Blood Orange Gose and their Last Rites Mexican Chocolate Porter.

“The craft brewing industry is vitally important to the local economy in Missoula and other Montana communities, creating an economic impact of around a half billion dollars annually in Montana,” Leow said. “Breweries create economic activity that benefits other businesses providing good and services for brewers. Additionally, Montana breweries create a value-added product from Montana agricultural products.”

The growth of Montana’s craft brewing industry has helped to spur the growth of a craft malting industry in the state as well, he said.

“Montana has long served as a source of malt barley for the world’s brewers, but now that we have a thriving brewing industry, there is additional opportunity for entrepreneurs to produce another value-added product, craft malt made from Montana-grown barley,” he said.

Brewing is unique in the way it straddles the hospitality industry and the manufacturing sector, Leow continued.

“The industry is a significant creator of manufacturing jobs in Montana, and in some counties, it is the only industry providing manufacturing jobs,” he said. “We’re very proud of the diverse role we play in Montana communities, taprooms serving as community meeting places, local businesses that in-turn support other local businesses and agricultural suppliers, and a leading creator of manufacturing jobs in Montana. Choosing Montana craft beer is not only the right choice for your taste buds, it’s also a great way to keep your dollars circulating in the local economy.”

Beer is a bipartisan issue in Missoula. Two state lawmakers from Missoula on different sides of the political aisle teamed up in 2017 to raise the limit on beer that brewers could produce every year. State Rep. Ellie Hill-Smith, D-Missoula, and former Rep. Adam Hertz, R-Missoula, worked on House Bill 541 that raised the production cap on Montana’s microbreweries from 10,000 barrels annually to 60,000 barrels while still allowing them to sell beer in on-premise taprooms. “Economic growth and innovation are unlimited when we allow free markets to thrive,” Hertz told the Missoulian at the time. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this bipartisan regulatory reform that will position Montana’s craft brewing industry to be a bigger player in the regional market and create hundreds of new jobs.” N Missoula.coM/newcoMers