Diploma Masterbrewer, B.Sc. Thorsten Geuer served his apprenticeship as brewer and maltster between 1996- 1999 at the "Hofbräu Früh" brewery in Cologne, Germany (actually called "Köln " in the German language). This brewery is arguably the worlds first and most prestigious brewery to have brewed "Kölsch " beer, the beer of Cologne.
After graduating as a journeyman brewer he interned with Bayern Brewing the summer months of 1999 before starting his studies in Berlin, Germany, at the famous brewing college VLB Berlin. He graduated in summer of 2002 as Diploma Masterbrewer with a Bachelors of Science degree. He had stayed in contact with Jürgen during his time at college and wanted to come back to Montana so, when he was offered the position of Brewmaster, he accepted, and the rest is history...
Sustainability
Bayern Uses 100% Reused Glass
One-hundred percent of beer bottles filled and distributed by Bayern Brewing now come from reused glass. In 2018, Bayern purchased a custom-made bottle washing machine, which is the only one in the nation.
"I just could not handle it anymore," "Week after week, putting 50,000 bottles in the landfill with a perfectly good container that can be used over and over again until it breaks.” - Bayern Brewing owner, Jurgen Knoller.
Bayern began working with Conscious Container out of Reno, Nevada and Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative's Bottledrop Program in Portland, Oregon to collect beer bottles and have them shipped to Missoula.
To date, Bayern has received 87,000 out-of-state bottles for washing, refilling, and reusing.
The Bottle Process
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Bottle Sorting
Bottles are first sorted and prepared for the pre-spraying.
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Labels Removed
The bottles get cleaned inside and sterilized.
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Bottle Cleaning
Pre-spraying gets most of the soil off of the bottle.
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Bottle Inspection
Bottles are then inspected using light to make sure they are ready for re-use.
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Bottles are Filled
Bottles then get filled with beer and capped.
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Labels are Added
The bottles then get labels.
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Bottles get Sorted
Bottles are then organized into six packs and boxed for transportation.
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Six Packs get Boxed
Those six packs are then organized into boxes for transportation.
Packaging
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, making it the first brewery in Montana, and one of the few in the nation, that recycles (or reuses) its entire packaging material. Now, participants can use a Bayern Ecopack to recycle their glass and get a refund for bottles returned to the brewery (see Eco League for details). The aim is to keep as much of the brewery’s packaging out of the landfill as possible, but reusing our bottles and 6-pack carriers (as much as possible) just makes good business sense too.
Water Conservation
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.
Transportation
Bayern is always striving to transport our beer efficiently and buy the quality materials we use to make and package our beer from nearby sources to reduce the company’s carbon footprint (unfortunately, German hops MUST come from Germany). Also, in order to promote alternative means of transportation, Bayern has recently joined Bicycle Benefits, a program providing discounts to
participants who bike to the brewery with one of the program stickers on their helmets. To learn more about the program and how you can join, please visit their website: www.bicyclebenefits.org
Also check out their latest articles on Benefits of Cycling at this link: https://outwittrade.com/cycling-benefits/
EcoLeague
Bayern is proud to be able to reuse glass bottles, but we need your help. By participating in the Bayern EcoLeague, you can give those empty bottles a new life. For a one time $3 deposit you get a Bayern Ecopack. The purpose of this wax box is that it is fitted to our machine and makes transporting bottles in and out safer. Fill the Ecopack with 24 bottles in 4 carriers and we give $.05 cents credit for the bottles that qualify. Exchange for an empty Ecopack each time you drop off a full pack at Bayern Brewing. If you have any questions or concerns bring the bottle or bottles into the taproom and we can help you with your questions. You can also contact the taproom at 406-721-1482.
Examples of bottles accepted by Bayern Brewing’s EcoLeague:
Angry Orchard
Back to the Mother Kombucha
Big Sky
Deschutes
Full Sail
Grand Teton
Great Northern Brewing
Kirkland
Not Your Father’s Root Beer
Omission
Red Lodge Ales
Samuel Adam’s
Uber Brew
Widmer
Qualifying bottles include:
12 oz brown glass
No twist off lids
No embossing
No sticker labels
Brewing Waste
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 offering 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 family-owned ranch in the Frenchtown area, where the cows come running when they see the truck full of this tasty meal!
