While enjoying a pint-sized Bozeman Ale one recent Sunday night with friends at Aleworks, I learned that there’s a new micro-brewery in Bozeman. Always wanting to patronize local businesses and try new beer (as an excuse to write this months article), I decided to visit the new 406 Brewery. 406 is located on Oak Street in the old Sweet Pea Cannery about a block west of Rouse right across from the Fairgrounds baseball field.

The front of the building has the big 406 sign, which apparently not everyone realizes is named after the area code for Montana (some think it’s the address of the building, kind of like the Pub 317 on Main). The entire front is glass which lets in lots of light, and the facility has high ceilings and lots of room. There’s a bar to the left, and windows to the right which look in upon the large shiny tanks where the beer is made. The furnishings are made of iron and rough cut wood with some copper trim, and the foot rest is a long industrial type chain. The establishment has a very homey and warm feel to it with lots of tables and chairs around the room as well.

Matt Muth is the owner/brew master/proprietor of the 406 Brewery which he runs with his brother and two other employees who serve beer and tend bar. Montana law dictates that tasting rooms may only be open to the public from 10am until 8pm, 7 days a week, so 406 probably won’t be on your pub crawl schedule, but it makes a great Friday Afternoon Club hangout or a fun place on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I made several visits to the establishment and tried the different beers on tap, and there seemed to be a good draw of chatty patrons each evening that I stopped by. The staff is very friendly and laid back. They seem to really love their work as I’d imagine most folks who work in breweries do. It looks like a lot of fun too (probably even more fun than researching and writing this piece).  And if you stop by in the mornings, you may be able to watch the beer being made. I did, and I must admit that the thought of Homer Simpson (me) on a tour of the Duff Beer factory came to mind.

The 406 Brewery is different than other breweries, at least initially, as none of the product is bottled or put into kegs. It truly is a micro-brewery. The long term goal is to eventually move towards distribution, but for now, the tasting room is the only place you can get 406 beer. You can take it home with you however, and many people do. Growlers can be filled for a nominal price, and if you don’t have one, they are for sale at the brewery.

Matt says that the next step is to work towards serving food (all of which will include beer), but a menu has not been worked out just yet. Matt has been making beer for several years and had worked at a couple other Gallatin Valley breweries before deciding to start the 406 Brewery. The plan was to be open about a year ago, but delays pushed the opening date back to mid-April of this year.

The brewing equipment at the 406 was manufactured by Powerplant Brewing in Kansas City and as one might imagine, was rather expensive and took some time to assemble. But when properly operated with 100% Montana barley from a Great Falls supplier and specially selected hops, wonderful beer is produced. Matt explained in great detail about the hops, he has a small collection of rhizomes to grow his own hops.

Hops (Humulus Lupulus) is a vine which grows kind of like ivy. Typically it is strung up, and the flower (which looks a lot like a green pine cone) is the part of the plant used in making beer. Different hops provide different flavors, sometimes bitter, tangy, sweet, or oaky, and hops act as a stability agent in beer.

There are several different types of beer on the menu at 406 right now. There’s the Session Pale Ale, the JAMber Amber (JAM are Matt’s brother’s initials), an IPA (India Pale Ale), coming soon the Mayfest Ale, and my favorite, the Brown Porter. I really enjoyed the Brown Porter as it was dark, but not too dark. It reminded me of Anchor Steam Porter, one of my favorites back in college. The different beers all have rave reviews from the small sample of people I’ve met and talked to, and I intend to go back and become acquainted with all of the different types of beer that 406 makes.

So two thumbs up for 406 Brewery and Matt Muth for providing a wonderful establishment and product here in Bozeman.

Story: Mike Comstock, an MSU graduate; software engineer by day, math tutor in the evenings, musician on the weekends, and freelance writer in his spare time.

Photos by: Zach Hoffman, an MSU Student and Bozeman Magazine Photo Intern.