Montana Brewery Oral History Project

Collection

Identifier: OH-2334

Staff Only

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).

Dates

Creation: 2016-2017

Creator

Warhank, Anneliese, Archivist and Oral Historian, Montana Historical Society (Interviewer, Person)

Languages

English

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Historical Note

The Montana Brewery Oral History Project was established in 2016 by Anneliese Warhank, Archivist and Oral Historian at the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Its aim was to gather the stories from those individuals who worked in the brewing industry prior to and during the legislative debates surrouding the legalization of on-site sales. In the 1980's and 90's although breweries in surrounding states could sell full site pints directly to their customers through taprooms, Montana law prohibited the on-site sale (a residual effect of Prohibition). Something needed to change, so beginning in the 1995 Montana Legislative session a small group of Montana brewers brought forth a bill the modify the law. This bill was strongly opposed by the tavern owners of the state, who wanted to protect the interests of their own industry. The bill was defeated in 1995 and once more in 1997. It was not until an agreement was made with the Montana Taverns Association during the 1999 session that a revised version of the bill was passed into law.

While the first two interviews were conducted by Anneliese in 2016, a $4500 grant from Humanities Montana allowed the project to expand. An advisory board, comprised of members of the Montana brewing industry and Montana historians met in early 2017 to define the main interview topics and to identify potential individuals to interviews. With the assistance of a contract oral historian, an additional 18 interviews were conducted during the following spring and summer. A contract transcriptionist transcribed those 18 interviews in their entirety. All participants were given the opportunity to review these transcripts before they were posted online.