German Intern Changes

Bayern Brewing will be saying goodbye to the German intern, Broder Kallsen (pictured at right), who has been with us for the past year. While his coworkers and the friends he has made here in Montana will be sad to see him go, we will soon be welcoming a new intern from Germany, Raven Fritscher.

Every six months, a new intern comes from Germany to learn and work with the Bayern Brew Crew through a Cultural Exchange program. Bayern's Brewmaster actually came to Missoula many years ago through a similar program so this is a long-standing tradition of education and opportunity. The interns who participate are typically in the process of earning their Master Brewers Diploma (or similar education) and in a journeyman phase of their education. Broder came to Bayern after doing his apprenticeship working at Flensburger Brauerei near the Baltic Sea for three years. Our other current intern from Germany, Jan Albers, worked and apprenticed at the Jever brewery. Raven Fritscher arrives in Montana soon, coming from his previous brewery experience at Koenig Pilsener in Duisburg-Wedau, Germany.

Raven Fritscher

Broder really enjoyed his time in Montana where he made many new friends, visited our national parks, played soccer and enjoyed many other outdoor activities that we have to offer here. After spending next month touring around the Western United States and particularly California, Broder's next experience brewing abroad takes him to China, where he will work for Amoy Bräu, a German brewery in Xiamen.

Please wish Broder the best of luck in his next adventure and give a warm welcome to Raven. ~Prost!

Expanded Business Hours and New Menu Items

The Tasting Room and Edelweiss Bistro are now open from 11am to 8pm. Please visit the Tasting Room any day of the week during these hours. However, Edelweiss Bistro will be closed on Sundays.

There are a number of new items on the menu at the Edelweiss Bistro. One of the most popular new items is the Jäger Gravy, a mushroom gravy sauce that can be used for dipping your fries (or smothering them). Jäger Gravy is also available as a topping for your schnitzel as in the new menu item the Jägerschnitzel, pictured above right with another recently-added side: traditional home-made Spätzel (a German noodle). Another new favorite is the appetizer, Brotzeit Teller: an assortment of sliced deli meats, two cheeses, German pickles, radishes, German rye bread, butter and hot Löwen mustard. Some people even get that one as a meal for themselves.

For a full menu, you can visit www.edelweissbistro.com.

Valentines Day is Sunday... Maybe you and your sweetie would enjoy treating yourself to some authentic German food and beer... The restaurant does have some romantic ambiance... Just sayin'...

~Prost!

Killarney is back!

Ah! The luck of the Irish is with ye' now, lads & lasses, because Bayern Killarney Irish Red Lager is here!

I might just as well let the photo do all the talking because, let's face it, you can't stop looking at that amazing red color, can you? Well, I could describe the flavor I suppose... It is 5.8% ABV, smooth, malty and complex because it is made with five different kinds of malt (Pils, Wheat, Munich, Chocolate and Cara-Red from Germany). Killarney is also medium-hopped with hops from the Hallertauer Region of Germany. Sounds rather German for an Irish Red Lager, right? That is because it is a tribute to the Irish heritage here in Montana. This beer is truly one-of-a-kind and Brewmaster Jürgen Knöller (Owner of Bayern Brewing) claims it is actually the first Irish Red Lager made in America. How can he make such a claim? Well... before I go plagiarizing myself, I'll just refer you to the Bayern Brewsletter I wrote at this same time of year back in 2009.

You can find it pouring in the Tasting Room at Bayern Brewing, as well as in bottles and on draught in the Northwest craft beer market. If you've run out of Doppelbock for your Superbowl party, no one will be too disappointed with Killarney as a substitute.

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe everyone!  ~Prost!