Malteurop Celebrates Craft Breweries During American Craft Beer Week

By: Living a Stout Life

American Craft Beer Week takes place May 10–16, 2021.  This annual nationwide event celebrates small and independent craft breweries throughout the U.S. Malteurop Malting Co (MMC) has joined forces with a few of these phenomenal breweries, highlighting their stories of strength and camaraderie during a time when struggles are common, but support and community continuously shine through.

 

About Bridger Brewing

The name comes from the local Bridger Mountain Range which sits just a few miles north of Bozeman. The community comes from the people that work and live here. The beer comes from Daniel Pollard and his team at Bridger Brewing.

 

Welcome to Bridger Brewing in Bozeman, Montana, where we sat down with Daniel Pollard, Brewmaster and Director of Operations. As Bridger Brewing’s first employee when they opened their doors in 2013, Daniel can pay tribute to everything that is Bridger.

 

Founded by three friends, David Breck, David Sigler, and Jim Eberhard, Bridger Brewing was born out of a love for beer and community. In 2007 Breck and Sigler started an engineering firm together. But what Breck really wanted to do was start his own brewery.  So, they did both, and in 2011, the planning for the brewery finally got serious. Bringing on Eberhard and his open-flame cooking skills to help with the kitchen side of things, they were poised to make a name for themselves.

 

But they still needed a brewer.  In comes Daniel. Running a warehouse for a big box chain in 2007, his wife suggested that he take his homebrew passions to the professional level. And like any good husband, he listened to his wife and started working at Pelican Brewing Company on the Oregon coast. In 2012, the three friends reached out to Daniel, and he has been brewing at Bridger Brewing ever since.

 

 

A Passion for Community and Inclusivity in the Brewing Scene

Daniel and the entire team at Bridger Brewing have a passion for what brewing does for the community. From their Pints with Purpose program helping out local organizations, to collaborating with the community and other breweries, Bridger Brewing draws attention to many community causes.  It leverages its position as a community gathering place and highlights the people and organizations that are promoting exciting and meaningful projects that improve everybody’s lives.

 

“The industry as a whole and what we do at Bridger Brewing, our community outreach, gets me excited. It’s a great way to connect with our community and feel like we’re making a difference above just running a business. It helps us feel really engaged.” 

 

Daniel is also highly passionate about diversity in the craft beer industry from the customer base through to brewery employees.  Daniel believes that since the start of craft brewing in the 70’s the industry has been a type of monoculture. He wants to encourage people who weren’t traditionally involved in craft brewing to enter the industry and bring new perspectives, backgrounds, life stories, and skills.

 

“I’m interested in helping our industry grow and diversify and become a more interesting, fun, and inclusive place for everybody. Where people can feel like they can come in and partake and enjoy without being excluded for whatever reason.”

 

The Future of Craft Beer

That is where he sees the future of craft beer heading as well. It will diversify. Not just in terms of who’s working in the industry and who’s drinking the product, but because of this. Similar to when Hazys, or Brut IPAs, or fruited sours came across the taprooms, he sees new creative ideas to beer styles heading our way and even evolving beyond style guidelines.  There will be increases in production of seltzers, non-alcoholic beers, gluten-free and gluten-reduced beers.  These trends will continue to grow and he’s excited to be a part of it.

 

Community and Music Always Brewing at Bridger Brewing

With music lovers as owners and crew members here it’s easy to see how Bridger Brewing came to be known for its music events. Since their opening in 2013 they’ve hosted many parking lot concerts. With a new facility slated to open within a year they’ll be hosting even larger shows, eight to ten thousand seat shows to be specific.

 

Currently hosting three to four shows annually there’s one big one everyone knows them for, their back to school show. Being located on Montana’s State University campus, this event builds community, sells beer, and celebrates music!

 

Bridger Brewing is also known for trying new recipes. As long as they have fun options on the board, they’re not afraid of letting a few of their flagships run out.  It’s all about the fun and creativity of new beers. 

 

But what they are really known for is their gluten-reduced beers and those beers have been on the menu since day one. They have a very loyal following from this and Daniel enjoys seeing a customer’s eyes light up when they know they have found a gluten-reduced beer that they can enjoy again and again. 

 

Accomplishments and Achievements at Bridger Brewing

Daniel and everyone at Bridger Brewing recognizes the fact that being open as a brewery since 2013 is a great accomplishment in itself but they have also won a few medals that they are quite proud of. A few of those medals include gold at the Great American Beer Festival for their English Style Brown Ale and gold for their Coffee Stout at the International Beer Awards. Let’s not forget about their pizza.  Named best pizza in Montana by Zagat, Bridger Brewing has made a name for themselves not only in Bozeman, but all over the state.

 

And as for Daniel, he has a few achievements of his own. Serving on the board for the Montana Brewers Association and on the safety committee for the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, Daniel does not take his position as Brewmaster lightly. 

 

His credentials don’t stop there. Taking full advantage of working on a college campus he even finds time for consulting work for the university on manufacturing practices along with working with their sustainable food systems programs. He also gives an annual talk to students enrolled in their microbiology courses.  He wants to make sure they know how fun brewing is. “Just because you’re going into microbiology, there’s a fun side. The ability to get paid to go to brew festivals is a lot better than sitting in a lab all day.”  At least to him it is.

 

COVID-19 Challenges Faced Head On

On the other spectrum of the dial of having fun with the college students is the actual challenge of owning a brewery.  Owning a brewery in general is not easy and the difficulty increases when there’s a restaurant involved too. It’s a fine balancing act without a pandemic but then throw a global pandemic into the mix and it turns the whole thing on its head. 

 

So yes the biggest challenge this past year has been COVID. It’s been a learning process to navigate through.  “I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job, but there’s a good luck factor as well. It’s bittersweet to be able to say we’ve successfully so far navigated this. And the bitter side is knowing that a lot of other folks have also done everything right and they won’t be able to (continue with their business).”

 

 

Moving Forward with Support

Bridger Brewing is moving forward and trying to find the positive in a difficult situation. Covid has provided time to slow down a bit, reevaluate overall business operations, and implement a few things that they didn’t have time to do before.  They never had the proper amount of time to brew a lager.  Now that production has slowed they do.

 

“When you’re not in as big a rush all the time you have a bit more time to sit down with coworkers and just chat and check in and have better conversations.  I would like to see those conversions continue.”

 

While their second location in Three Forks, just 40 minutes west of Bozeman, has been in the works for quite some time, it was delayed due to COVID but has finally started moving along again in the right direction. With 250 acres to include a restaurant, a 10,000 square foot production facility (allowing them to diversify their portfolio), and two new concert venues, moving forward isn’t just symbolic.  It’s real.

 

“The support and flexibility we’ve had from our staff to accommodate the changes we’ve had to implement. The customers are fantastic. We’re blessed with a strong community here.”

 

And it doesn’t stop with the staff or the customers. The vendors have been phenomenal, too. They have adjusted to the change in production and have been flexible with delivery commitments and payment terms. They have been just as encouraging and responsive as the customers and the staff.

 

“It’s been an awesome group effort and really speaks to the community as a whole in craft beer and how we can rely on each other.  Everybody’s willing to give advice and share resources because we’re all in this together. If one of us goes down, that ripples upstream and hurts our suppliers as well.  And with Malteurop we’ve got Montana farmers that work really hard to produce the best grain in the country. So it’s very important for us to continue to support that and grow that industry.” 

 

The Latest and Greatest Beers Brewing

With production ramping up again Bridger Brewing is excited to be back at it with their flagship beers as well as new styles.  Daniel is looking forward to their brand new Cranberry Gose that’s currently in the works, billing it as a hopes and dreams beer for the fresh new spring season.

 

Brewing for American Craft Beer Week

There are plans in the works for a special beer for American Craft Beer Week. All he knows so far is that it will have some sort of crazy hop.  We’re excited!

 

Getting Personal with Beer

Beer means something different to everyone, and Daniel is no different. While his favorite style of beer varies based on what he’s doing at the time he generally gravitates towards lagers.

 

“A good lager is just so much fun.  It’s hard to make and it tends to be more on the lighter perspective. But sitting outside on a hot summer day with a really well done pilsner is a lot of fun.”

 

Working in the craft beer industry can take a toll on drinking styles at times.  Brewers are often asked for their opinions whenever they sit down for a beer.  This can make simply enjoying a beer a difficult task.  So it makes sense that a macro lager – every once in a while – is also a favorite to many brewers.  We get it and Daniel explains it well.

 

“There’s something very satisfying about a macro lager. If you’re at a baseball or football game or hiking all over creation and wind up in a sports bar in the middle of nowhere Montana, and you crack open a Coors Banquet, there’s something very satisfying about that.”

 

Dustin Craft, MMC’s Mountain Craft Sales Manager, agrees. “It’s something very liberating when you’re in Craft Beer.  There’s something redeeming and positive about not analyzing a beer.  I know what I’m getting and I’m going to crack it open and I’m going to enjoy it.”

 

And along those same lines, if Daniel were a beer, he’d follow in his ancestors’ Irish footsteps.  Born in Ireland, being a Guinness Genuine Draft was a given. Going back to visit family in Ireland it’s all about ending up in a pub drinking Guinness. Slainte!

 

Thank You!

Looking back on this past year, we may never know the full scale of the impact that COVID has had. But looking back also provides insight into the future. “It’s helpful to look back and realize what you’re grateful for.”

 

“Everyone has got to be looking out for everyone else in order to be successful. The craft beer industry has seen a lot of closures but it’s seen far fewer than it could have because our entire industry is based on ‘How do I do something that’s never been done before?’  COVID is a big challenge but it’s one that our industry is about as prepared for as we could be with regards to attitude and capability and mental space.” (Dustin Craft, MMC)

 

When Dustin invited Daniel to speak for Bridger Brewing he knew what he was doing.  Daniel and the entire team at Bridger have embodied exactly what Dustin said. And we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.

 

Connect with Bridger Brewing

Bozeman

1609 S 11th Ave

Bozeman, MT 59715

 

Three Forks (opening Spring 2022)

10751 Hwy 287

Three Forks, MT 59752

 

Bridger Brewing

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To listen to the Craft Beer Travel and Adventure podcast with Daniel from Bridger Brewing, click here.