The folks at Bayern Brewing believe they have a responsibility to practice eco-friendly and sustainable business practices wherever possible. Besides...it just makes sense. This section of the website shares Bayern's efforts to lower the brewery's impact on the environment, creating quality beer while preserving natural resources such as the water used for brewing.

For several years now, Bayern has been buying back our 6-pack holders and/or giving recyclers trade-in value for beer or merchandise in the Tasting Room. In Spring 2010 Bayern took this a step further and began recycling its own glass (and caps) making it the first brewery in Montana, and one of the few in the nation, that recycles its entire packaging material. The aim was to keep as much of Bayern's packaging out of the landfill as possible, but reusing our 6-pack carriers (as much as possible) makes good business sense too. To learn more about these programs, please read the Bayern Brewsletter - Special Recycling Edition 2010.

Good beer starts with good water. In Missoula, Montana, we are very fortunate to have some of the best-quality water in the entire nation just below our feet. The Missoula Aquifer is fed by 4 major waterways and other runoff from the beautiful mountains that surround the Missoula Valley. To contribute towards preservation of this resource, and to celebrate the angling/river sport culture of our area, Bayern teamed up with Montana Trout Unlimited, naming Dancing Trout as the official beer of this non-profit organization. A percentage of all Dancing Trout merchandise and beer sales goes directly toward Montana Trout Unlimited and their efforts to conserve and restore Montana’s coldwater fisheries, riparian areas and watersheds.

In another effort to conserve water, Bayern contributes to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation water restoration program. It takes a lot of water to make beer (at least 31 gallons per barrel of beer). Bayern's participation in this program allows the brewery to "recycle" the quality water used to make quality beer, paying it back so it can be used by ranchers, wildlife/ecosystems or for recreation. It is a wonderful program that Bayern is proud to be part of - visit the BEF website to learn more.

Another key ingredient in beer is malted barley (and occasionally wheat). After these malted grains have been used to create beer, although much of the starches have been removed, most of the protein (and fiber) is still present. That is why breweries have been giving away their "spent grains" for use as feed for livestock for as long as commercial brewing has existed. The spent grain at Bayern Brewing goes to a ranch owned and operated by a family in the Frenchtown area, where the cows come running when they see the truck full of this tasty meal!