Content Description

Montana Brewery Oral History Project (2017) Includes 18 audio recordings and 18 transcripts collected as part of the project. All interviews with brewers cover the expectations they held when they first opened their doors vs. reality, the role they feel breweries play in the state socially and economically, and the source of their equipment and brewing supplies. Many also discuss the taproom bills presented in the 1995 (HB 554), 1997, and 1999 (HB 442) legislative sessions, as well as the 2017 bill to increase annual production limits from 10,000 bbl to 60,000 bbl for breweries with functioning taprooms (HB 541). Interviews include: ~Steve Lozar interview April 8, 2017. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank at the Montana Historical Society. Topics include the effects of prohibition on the brewing industry in the state of Montana from the 1910s through the modern era. ~Jim Lueders interview April 24, 2017. Interviewed by Brian Shovers at Wildwood Brewery in Stevensville, MT. He discussed getting involved in the homebrewing scene in Missoula in the 80's, working at Bayern, working to start Wildwood in Stevensville, and distribution issues. ~Todd Daniels interviewed March 29, 2017. Interviewed by Brain Shovers in Bozeman, MT. He discusses purchasing Kessler Brewing Co. in the 1990s, distribution issues, the formation of the Montana State Brewers Association, lobbying for taproom bills presented at the 95, 97, and 99 state sessions, choosing to shut down brewing operations . ~Tim Bozik & Jason Goeltz interviewed June 21, 2017. Interviewed by Brain Shovers at Bitter Root Brewing Co. in Hamilton, MT. Tim discussed getting involved in the brewing business and beginning his brewery in the Bitterroot and revamping an old buidling, brewing and branding his beer, distribution issues, the brewery's set-up (equipment and drainage system). Jason discusses the Montana Brewery Association and the 2017 bill to raise the annual barrel rate to 60,000 bbl for 10,000 to retain rights to sell on-site. ~John and Sandy Campbell interviewed May 25, 2017. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank at their home and former site of Lang Creek Brewing Co. in Marion, MT. Discusses getting involved in the homebrewing scene in Montana, entering in to the brewing business. Brewing, bottleing and distributing their beer across the Pacific Northwest, meeting Beer Critic Michael Jackson who visited their brewery. Selling their brewery and eventually being involved in the shuttering of the brewery's doors. How they've stayed in the brewing community. ~Bjorn Nabozney interviewed April 24, 2017. Interviewed by Brian Shovers at Big Sky Brewing Co. in Missoula, MT. Discusses how he and his schoolmates built up the idea for the brewery from a school project and how they implemented those plans into a legitimate business. How they've branded their beer. Distributing and legal issues they've encountered with domestic breweries. How the 2017 60,000 bbl bill would affect their brewery whose production rate has always restricted them for selling beer on-site. ~Jurgen Knoller interviewed May 8, 2017. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank at Bayern Brewing Co. in Missoula, MT. Discusses how he came to Missoula to work at Bayern Brewing in the 1980's. Building a customer base, bottling and distribution in the early years to modern day. Lobbying for the tap room bills in the 1990s. Implementing a taproom into the brewery and the rules and regulations he had to comply with. Branding of the beer. Lobbying for the 60,000 bbl limit increase in the 2017 legislative session. ~Todd Scott interviewed July 6, 2017. Interviewed by Brian Shovers at Bozeman Brewing Co. in Bozeman, MT. Discusses his brewery branding, how he got in to brewing beer, working at Spanish Peaks Brewing Co., starting Bozeman Brewing Co. and revamping an old building, canning and distribution. Montana State Brewer's Association and the Montana Brewer's Association. ~Brian Clark interviewed May 24, 2017. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank at Fun Beverage Inc. in Kalispell, MT. Discusses the history behind the three-tier system, the distributions rights of brewers in the state of Montana, how he got involved in the beverage distribution business and becoming a supporter of smaller craft breweries in the 1980's, working with bars and grocery stores to sell the product, working with Montana breweries such as Bayern and Big Sky in the 1990s, lobbying on the tap room bills during the '95, '97' and '99 state legislative sessions, working with the domestic out-of-state breweries, ~Hal Harper interviewed April 14, 2017. Interviewed by Brian Shovers in Helena, MT. Discusses how he got interested in politics and became elected as a state representative. Also discusses his efforts to sponsor bills in the '95 and '97 legislative session in attempt to legalize on-site sales at breweries. ~Sam Hoffmann interviewed June 7, 2017. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank at Red Lodge Ales in Red Lodge, MT. Discusses learning the craft as a homebrewer, starting Red Lodge Ales in Red Lodge in the late 90's, distributing his beer as a self-distributor, obtaining brewing equipment and supplies, opening his first taproom, bottling, building a new brewery, language surrounding the hours beer can be served and consumed in taprooms and the allowance of decks and patios, operating his brewery under a brewer's license and selling his beers in a taproom under a beer and wine license, his thoughts on the 60,000 bbl legislation in the '17 legislative session, the Alcohol Beverage Coalition, branding. ~Tim O'Leary interviewed May 16, 2017. Interviewed by Brian Shovers at KettleHouse Brewing Co. founded in Missoula, MT and interviewed at their third location in Bonner, MT. Discusses learning how to brew beer as a homebrewer and getting into the business running a U-Brew brewery in the mid '90s in Missoula, branding the brewery and beer, distribution issues and working with tavern owners, operating a brewery with multiple locations including the new location in Bonner, MT, the Montana State Brewers Association and lobbying for the taproom bills in the '95, '97, and '99 legislative sessions. ~Tim France interviewed June 21, 2017. Interviewed by Brian Shovers at Worden's Market in Missoula, MT. Discusses how he became the owner of Worden, selling homebrewing equipment in the store, selling beer from some of Montana's earlier craft breweries and regional breweries in the '80s as well as international beers, how he determines what beers to carry and what Montana beer's have sold the most in his store, canning the beer, working with distributors, his thoughts on the brewing laws in the state. ~Max Pigman interviewed May 1, 2017. Interviewed by Brian Shovers at Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. in Helena, MT. Discusses how he learned the craft as a homebrewer, purchasing the Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. in 2002, changing the name to Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. and branding his beer, distribution issues, operating his brewery under a brewer's license and selling his beers in a taproom under a beer and wine license, growing his brewing operation, the brewing process, canning his beer. ~Brad Martins interviewed May 16, 2017. Interviewed by Brain Shovers at the Rhinoceros Bar in Missoula, MT. Discusses opening the Rhino Bar in the 80's and what prompted him to feature a wide variety of craft beer, the Alcohol Beverage Coalition, his views on the taproom bills in the 90's and the 60,000 bbl increase passed in the 2017 legislative session, and his relationship with breweries. ~Jim Hairder interviewed July 6, 2017. Interviewed by Brain Shovers in Helena, MT. Discusses how he learned the craft as a homebrewer, opening Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. in the mid-90's, distributions issues, the formation of the Montana State Brewers Association, lobbying for the taproom bills in the '95, '97, and '99 legislative sessions. ~Kristi Blazer interviewed July 14, 2017. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank in Craig, MT. Discusses how she became a lobbyist for the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association, lobbying for the MBWDA during the '99 legislative session, concerns the MBWDA held with some of the earlier concepts for the taproom bill, any feedback or concerns expressed from the domestic breweries during the session, working with both microbreweries and domestic breweries, lobbying on the 2017 bill to increase annual production to 60,000 bbl, and the Alcohol Beverage Coalition. ~Dan Fallon interviewed July 18, 2018. Interviewed by Brain Shovers at McDantim, Inc. in Helena, MT. Discusses how his father patented a modern keg valve system in the 1970's, the sanke valve designed gas blenders in the 80's which allowed him to build the company and how the technology has helped advance the craft brewing industry, the science behind the McDantim Trumix Blender and how it differed from existing gas blending technologies, how they came to work with Montana microbreweries in the mid-90's. ~Steve Lozar interviewed January 29, 2016. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank at his Montana Beer Museum in Polson, MT. Discusses how the first brewers in the territory brewed their beer, obtained their supplies, and distributed their product. Discusses how the industry grew as the territory became a state, communities and towns forms, and breweries became staples across the land, common styles of beer brewed, how breweries operated prior to the establishment of the three-tier system, the large impact prohibition had on both breweries and related industries, the pro-temperance movement in the state, how some breweries survived during prohibition and their efforts to start brewing again during the Great Depression and into the World War II era, advertising efforts of breweries and how they connected with their communities, the original Montana State Brewers Association, the eventual demise of Montana breweries in the 1950's and 1960's, and what spurred the rebirth of the craft brewing industry in Montana in the 1980's. ~Brian Smith interviewed March 21, 2016. Interviewed by Anneliese Warhank in Helena, MT. Discusses how he learned the art of brewing through homebrewing, opening a homebrewing supply store in Helena in the 1990's (Howling Wolf), transitioning to a microbrewery, his extensive lobbying for the taproom bills in the '95, '97, and '99 legislative sessions, transitioning from a homebrew supplier to starting a brewery, how brewery taprooms differ from bars, how their brewing practices have evolved, and how the industry statewide is evolving.

Acquisition Type

Internal Transfer

Provenance

Interviews and photographs collected as part of the Montana Brewery Oral History Project

Restrictions Apply

No