Big Sky Brewing Company is a
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...
and
taproom
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
** Chocolate bar
*Protein bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of ...
located in
Missoula
Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...
,
Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
.
It is owned by three partners, Bjorn Nabozney, Neal Leathers, and Brad Robinson.
It is Montana's largest brewery. It first opened its doors in 1995 on 120-A Hickory Street, but eventually moved to its current location at 5417 Trumpeter Way.
[Bjorn. Nabozney. Oral Interview, April 19th, 2018, by Haley Wynne and George Krumm at Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula, Montana. Digital recording and transcription in possession of Kyle. G. Volk.] The brewery features both seasonal and regular
ale
Ale is a style of beer, brewed using a warm fermentation method. In medieval England, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops.
As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale ...
s and has continued to function under the same owners for twenty-three years.
History
Big Sky Brewery began when Neal Leathers and Brad Robinson moved to Missoula, Montana from Michigan in 1990. This is where they met their future business partner Bjorn Nabozney, a native Montanan. Brad and Neal began work on starting a brewery. Bjorn created a business plan while studying at the
University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...
for a brewery that put Brad and Neal's idea into perspective. Big Sky Brewing Company was founded shortly after this in 1995.
After raising capital, they purchased their original location at 120 Hickory Street Missoula, Montana, which spanned 7,000 square feet. Big Sky Brewing began brewing beer at their Hickory Street brewery in 1995. Big Sky Brewing's Hickory Street brewery was known as a "
draft only" brewery, which means that they did not bottle beer at this establishment. With their eyes set on becoming a regional brewery, Big Sky Brewing planned on bottling beer, the Hickory Street location did not constitute enough room to add bottling production. After an arrangement, Big Sky Brewing began brewing beers at Portland Brewing Company for a few days each month. Portland Brewing also bottled and shipped Big Sky Brewing's beer to distributors. During this arrangement, Big Sky Brewing raised money and worked towards building a new brewery where they could bottle their own beer. Due to this plan they were forced outside of Missoula in 2002 to their current location at 5417 Trumpeter Way, which is over 24,000 square feet. At this new building they bottle and brew their own beer, and their current production rate is around 40,000-47,000 barrels. With their production moving at full speed, they now employ over forty-five full-time employees and sell beer in twenty-four different states. In 2017, Big Sky Brewing lobbied the
Montana Legislature
The Montana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to t ...
, helping pass Montana House Bill 541 allowing breweries to produce 60,000 barrels of beer. Big Sky Brewing also built an
amphitheater
An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...
, where they hold charity events and concerts, in an effort to give back to the Missoula community.
Awards
See also
*
List of Montana Breweries
::Other Breweries in Missoula, Montana
**
Bayern Brewing, Inc.
**
Kettle House Brewing Co.
**
Draught Works
:::Taprooms only
:**
Tamarack Brewing Company
:**
Flathead Lake Brewing Co.
:**
Portland Brewing Company
Portland Brewing Company was a brewery in Portland, Oregon. A pioneer in Portland's early craft brewing scene, it was known as MacTarnahan's Brewing Company from 2004 to 2013 before resuming its original name. It was closed by the Costa Rican com ...
References
External links
Big Sky Brewing CompanyBig Sky Brewing Company at Beeradvocate.com
Bibliography
Bubnash, Kasey. "Missoula's Brewmasters." Montana Kaiman: The Last Best College News. October 6, 2015. Accessed March 11, 2018. http://www.montanakaimin.com/news/missoula-s-brewmasters/article_60abbcb4-6879-11e5-bc5e-9f85f0262a47.html
D.J. "Interview with Bjorn Nabozney as Big Sky Brewing Launches Griz Montana Lager ." Brew Public . September 14, 2017. Accessed March 11, 2018. https://brewpublic.com/beer-fundraiser/interview-with-bjorn-nabozney-as-big-sky-brewing-launches-griz-montana-lager/
Erickson, David. "UM partners with Big Sky Brewing to sell Griz-branded beer." ''Missoulian'', August 28, 2017. Accessed March 11, 2018. http://missoulian.com/news/local/um-partners-with-big-sky-brewing-to-sell-griz-branded/article_f680978e-e27a-5b88-8929-25ab9a796d24.html.
King, Jon. "Big Sky Brewing, Anheuser-Busch Settle 'Hold My Beer And Watch This' Dispute." Newstalk. January 23, 2014. Accessed March 11, 2018. http://newstalkkgvo.com/big-sky-brewing-anheuser-busch-settle-hold-my-beer-and-watch-this-dispute/.
Newhouse, Ryan. ''Montana Beer: A Guide to Breweries in Big Sky Country''. Charleston, SC: American Palate, 2013.
{{Montana Regions and Towns with Breweries
Companies based in Missoula, Montana
American beer brands
Beer brewing companies based in Montana
Companies established in 1995
1995 establishments in Montana