Watch out for that Dump Truck!

The arrival of Dump Truck season couldn't be timed better, accompanied by the nice, spring-like weather we are having this weekend in the Northwest. It makes many of us eager for longer, sunnier days and warmer temperatures. These types of outdoor conditions are often accompanied by activities such as fishing, rafting, kayaking, camping, biking and all sorts of great adventures. For many of us, a day of outdoor fun ends with a barbecue meal with friends. No matter how you choose to enjoy the coming season, Bayern Brewing is pleased to announce that you will soon be able to add a light, flavorful, refreshing Dump Truck to your outdoor fun. How soon? Read on...

We've been brewing the first of many batches of Dump Truck Extra Pale Summer Bock the last two weeks, and Bayern is ready to roll it out next week. The photos included with this post show a Kombitank holding 112 U.S. Barrels of Dump Truck and also the bags of Sauermalt (acidulated, malted barley) and Spitzmalt (raw, organic barley) that we use as part of the unique recipe Bayern's Owner and Master Brewer, Jürgen Knöller, created three years ago. You can read more about why Dump Truck is so unique (and so delicious) while checking out the new Bayern Brewing web site: www.bayernbrewery.com

Bayern will be shipping to our distributors around the Northwest this week. They'll get it out into the market for you to enjoy at your favorite establishment, or pick up a 6-pack in stores very soon. There are some who simply can't wait though...we know how you feel. Everyone at Bayern is really excited for Summer! So we are having a Dump Truck Summer Sneak Peak on Monday. You can get some prerelease Dump Truck at our Tasting Room in Missoula and, if you show up in your summer gear (think river sandals, zinc oxide on your nose, Hawaiian shirt, PFD, etc.) you may win a prize! Prost!

St. Patrick's Day Events

Lots of fun events happening the next few days with St. Patrick's Day on Sunday. Don't bother to point out the irony of the Northwest's original German brewery getting in on the celebration of a very Irish holiday. The truth is: there is a very strong Irish influence on Montana's culture and Bayern Brewing, the oldest brewery still operating in Montana, is part of Montana history. In 1988, Owner and Proprietor of Bayern Brewing, Jürgen Knöller, even created the first Irish Red beer in the USA (Killarney Red Lager) to honor Montana's Irish heritage. Plus, a lot of people enjoy good beer around St. Patrick's Day so we are happy to oblige them.

If you haven't personally witnessed the ceremony of  tapping a wooden barrel or tasted Killarney, Jürgen's original Irish Red Lager, from a wooden barrel, then you shouldn't miss one of the opportunities listed below. We hope to see you!

• March 14, 7:30 pm @ Lucky Strike (Missoula, MT) - Tapping wooden barrel of Killarney during Beer Trivia Night
• March 15,  5:15 pm @ Depot (Missoula, MT) - Tapping wooden barrel of Killarney
• March 16,  7:00 pm @ Litz's Bar (Spokane, WA) Killarney Wooden Barrel pre-St. Patty's day party
• March 17,  4:00 pm @ Bayern Tasting Room, Killarney Wooden Barrel St. Patrick Day Celebration featuring a live pipe band!

Bayern's New, Re-useable Boxes

Hello friends! As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce the brewery's impact on the environment while using good sustainable business practices, Bayern recently made a change to the design of the new mother cases (boxes that 6-packs ship in). Since there are currently no stores where you can buy Bayern beer by the case,  most of our friends and fans don't see these boxes. That is all the more reason to point out what is so special about them: they are re-usable!

When breweries (and other beverage manufacturers) ship 6-packs to their distributors, they are usually packed in cases. After these cardboard boxes are used to get the product into the stores, they often get recycled. Sometimes, they just end up in a landfill. To reduce this waste, and promote actual REUSE of Bayern's boxes, we had our new ones constructed of sturdy, partially recycled cardboard with a design that does not require glue or tape to keep contents secure. Besides the lidded top, the bottom also folds/unfolds easily so they can be collapsed and shipped back to us flat. Another design feature that promotes reuse is the small window revealing the contents (beer style) contained within, eliminating the need for labeling. To see a picture of the new box, please read our latest Brewsletter available on Bayern's website or by clicking here.

Bayern Mother Cases stored flat

Here are a couple of pictures you won't see in our Brewsletter. At one of our distributors' warehouses we saw how the boxes are already being stored to ship back to us for reuse. Note the other bin of boxes nearby that will probably be recycled or "re-purposed", requiring them to be cut up, pulped and processed in various other ways.