A few blocks off Bozeman’s main strip, in an unassuming building tucked away in the industrial part of the city, a small transistor radio blasts classic rock music on a sunny fall afternoon. A knock on a dust-covered front door bearing the Bozeman Brewing Company insignia yields no response from within. Cell phones are dialed, and finally, contact is made. The (brew)master of the house is indeed home... along with his treasure chest of fine microbrew beer.
Once the head brewmaster at Spanish Peaks for 11 years, BBC owner Todd Scott is now knee-deep in the throes of remodeling his own space, where his one-man operation churns out about 27 barrels a week of Bozone Plum St. Porter, Hefeweizen, and Select Amber Ale, Scott’s so-called "flagship beer." Now only used for brewing, he plans on transforming his headquarters’ front rooms into a full tasting room in the near future, which he’s careful to note is different than a full-fledged bar. Ah, legal technicalities are fun, aren’t they?
Scott took us on a tour of his property, taking the time to explain in detail each step of his carefully crafted brewing process. We learned about how he tricks the malted wheats to break down their insoluble starch, how a beer’s hops help balance out the sweetness of its malts, and were even allowed to taste a handful of the fresh wheats and barleys. Every brewmaster has his own personal methods of making beer, and while Scott, like many other microbrewers, likes a rich hops flavor in his beer, he knows that it’s an acquired taste. "I love hops, but I don’t think most people like it as much as I do, so I try to tone down it down as much as I can," he says.
Of course, our tour wouldn’t be complete without sampling some of the finished product, and Scott was gracious enough to let us try each of his ales. He’s right–the Select Amber Ale is certainly one to write home about, though I did enjoy the others as well. With another stop scheduled at The Great Brewing Company in just 20 minutes, we bid Scott and his Bozeman Brewing Company farewell and jumped back in the truck, the sound of classic rock fading away as we pulled out of the driveway.