By RYAN NEWHOUSE
Inching ever more closely to an expected late-September opening, owners of Draught Works Brewery, Jeff Grant and Paul Marshall, are ready to quench Missoulians’ never-ending thirst for good beer. Located in the newly renovated corner building at 915 Toole Avenue (formerly the Missoula Recycling Center), next to the (also new) Freestone Climbing Center, Draught Works Brewery is Montana’s 28th craft brewery and will be brewing up some exciting new draft choices for western Montana.
In a recent interview with KPAX, owner Jeff Grant said they will be bringing out their own interpretation to some of Missoula’s commonly seen beer styles, such as pale ale and IPA.
The renovated brick building on Toole Ave., originally built in 1931, was designed by wanting to create a neighborhood atmosphere and by wanting to provide a clear view of the entire brewing process. The main bar was made from salvaged logs dredged up from Flathead Lake and crafted by neighboring business, Blue Dog Furniture. And keeping with their dedication to eco-friendly operations, Draught Works Brewery uses geothermal heating from the nearby Missoula aquifer to heat its operation.
The 1,700 square-foot seating area under a barrel-vaulted ceiling will be augmented by an outdoor patio, and inside there will be no walls or glass separating patrons from the brewing process. While you’re drinking beer you’ll be watching more beer being made, which makes me want to break out a verse or two of “Will the Circle be Unbroken”.
Owners Grant and Marshall learned their beer brewing art at perhaps the most prestigious “beer school” in the U.S. – the Siebel Institute of Technology & World Brewing Academy in Chicago. The two men met while attending the University of Montana-Missoula. Grant grew up around beer, as his father owned and operated the Milestown Brewing Company in Miles City. Interestingly, part of the equipment from the Milestown Brewing Company, which closed in the 1990s, is now used at the Beaver Creek Brewery in Wibaux, Montana (Pop. 461). So you could rightly say that Grant’s father spawned two of Montana’s current breweries.
Although the brewery is expected to be open soon, Draught Works Brewery will debut a few of its beers at the Seeley Lake Brew Fest on October 8. One of the beers being tapped for the Seeley Lake Brew Fest is the Shadow Caster Alt Beer (“alt” is German for “old”). Four other flagship beers planned for the Brewery are an IPA (India Pale Ale), a pale ale, a stout and a Czech-style pilsner, the last of which will be their only lager – the rest are ales.
So stop by Draught Works Brewery and say hello once they are open for business. The owners are eager to start filling our pint glasses and growlers.
Like this Drink It blog? Chances are you’ll like these blogs by Missoula’s Drink It expert, Ryan Newhouse: Be a Winner-Brew at Home, Have Beer Will Travel, Flathead Lake Brewing Company – Beer Pairing, Tamarack Brewing Company, Montana Whiskey and Vodka. And check out our Missoula Restaurants and Dining and Missoula Nightlife sections.
Click here to see Ryan’s “Drink It” archive.
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Ryan Newhouse has lived in Missoula since 2002 and has tipped his glass in most of the town’s establishments. He is a full-time writer, husband and parent (in no particular order) and a part-time zymurgist. He makes a mean hard cider and pairs his cocktails with dishes from his blog, Cooked Animals: Recipes for Wild Game.