Friday, November 15, 2013

Thirsty for our beer?


Ever since we announced we'll be opening the brewery in Livingston, we're hearing people can't wait! That's great news for us. We want to assure you that our focus for the brewery is consistant and quality beer served in a relaxing atmosphere. 

The renovation is underway, we'll be able to seat 60 people, have a space for acoustical music and much more. We're committed to using recycled and reclaimed products as much as possible. 

In order to reach our goal we do need help from people who like to drink beer! We've created a way for people in and around Livingston to become a part of helping us build the brewery. We have mugs and steins available for purchase. The mugs and steins will stay at the brewery and will have each owners name on them. The ownership of the mugs and steins are for life and give each owner a lifelong discount and opportunity to continually be involved as we grow and make new beer.

$900                                            $250     

A limited number of mugs (100) and steins (50) are being offered now through January 31, 2014 at a discounted price. Mugs will be $250, a savings of $50 and Steins will be $900, a savings of $100.

Stein owners will receive everything mug owners receive (steins replace the mugs), including $1 off every pint for life, but they will also get three free pints each month for life, a limited edition Katabatic “Goldenstein” and a member-only Goldenstein t-shirt.

 Mug owners will receive a $1 off each pint in each mug for life along with discounts on t-shirts and hats as well as exclusive invites to special beer tapping events. 

Mugs and steins are on sale now at www.katabaticbrewing.goodsie.com.

Prost!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Winds Coming Soon To a Brewery Near You!

Phew... we have finally gotten to the point where we can tell everyone that we are opening a  brewery. Up until this point we've kept it a pretty well hid secret. Meaning only our friends and families knew. Now we're ready to get it out there to the general public. Here is a press release that went out to local newspapers, feel free to share in any way.


Brice Jones
katabaticbrewing@gmail.com
(406) 370-5923
www.katabaticbrewing.goodsie.com


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Winds Coming Soon To a Brewery Near You!
Livingston Will Have a New Brewery in 2014

           
Livingston, MT will be home to a new brewery in the Summer of 2014. Katabatic Brewing Company has begun renovations at 117 E Park St. and the owners hope to be up and serving craft beer by May or June.

Katabatic Brewing Company was founded by two local Montanans, both of whom are very passionate about crafting full-bodied beer and building on the local beer culture based on Montana traditions. When asked about the origin of the name, Brice Jones, co-owner, responds, "We wanted a name that embodied the unique character of Livingston and captured the essence of our tagline, Rugged, Yet Refined.


Katabatic is a type of downslope wind, which can be severe at times. Katabatic winds form when cool air from the tops of mountains rushes downhill, sometimes at amazing speeds. Katabatic winds are the type of winds that Livingston experiences and one of the things that makes this town very unique."

Renovations began about three weeks ago. LaNette Jones, co-owner, is excited about the new space, "We have a great partnership with the landlords, Eric and Caroline Schneider. They have started demolition of the inside of the building and will be renovating the space to fit our needs. Once the shell of the building is renovated, Katabatic Brewing Company will take over and begin installing our brewing equipment and bar and making the space our own."


Katabatic Brewing Company will house a 10-barrel brewing system and the owners anticipate brewing 625 barrels of beer in their first year of business. To put the number in perspective, 625 barrels equals 155,000 pints of beer. Beer will be served in the tasting room, where customers are allowed to consume three 16 oz beers in a 24-hour period. Beer will also be distributed in kegs to bars and restaurants in the region.

The tasting room will be open from noon-8pm. The owners will focus on creating four to five signature beers that will always be on tap and will have a rotation of four beers throughout the seasons. Katabatic Brewing Company will be a production brewery only, which means it will serve only beer, no food. "This gives us the opportunity to focus on making good beer," said Brice Jones.

As the renovation continues, many people have already asked how they can get involved. LaNette says, "When we started planning our brewery we began to realize, Montanans take pride and ownership in their local breweries. So we've created a way for people in and around Livingston to become a part of helping us build the brewery. We have mugs and steins available for purchase. The mugs and steins will stay at the brewery and will have each owners name engraved on them. The ownership of the mugs and steins are for life and give each owner a lifelong discount and opportunity to continually be involved as we grow and make new beer."

A limited number of mugs (100) and steins (50) are being offered now through January 31, 2014 at a discounted price. Mugs will be $250, a savings of $50 and Steins will be $900, a savings of $100. Mug owners will receive a $1 off each pint in each mug for life along with discounts on t-shirts and hats as well as exclusive invites to special beer tapping events. Stein owners will receive everything mug owners receive, but they will also get three free pints each month for life, a limited edition Katabatic “Goldenstein” and a member-only Goldenstein t-shirt. Mugs and steins are on sale now at www.katabaticbrewing.goodsie.com.

For pictures of the renovation and to follow the updates on our brewery visit www.katabaticbrewing.blogspot.com

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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The best thing about beer is the beer!

The best thing about beer is beer! A wise man once said that, actually scratch that. I just made that up. Sounds like drunken inspiration. Let me explain myself.... By the way this photo is of my brew kettle where I added almost a pound of whole leaf hops that went into an IPA last week. They were heirloom hops I got from a guy who got the rhizomes from a broken down homestead in Ovando, MT. It hadn't been kept up for 80 years. I'm making a single hop IPA with them to try out a different malt bill than the IPA recipe I have been working on. They smell piney, spicy, and very citrusy, with a touch of skunky/dank/cattiness. So back to my tangent...

The path I am on, I did not necessarily plan. When we started this endeavor we thought about the business side of things through and through, researched for over a year, went to some schooling, wrote the business plan, put it in front of advisers, talked to brewers, talked to people in the industry and I had no idea the craft beer industry was so cool. 

The craft beer industry is all about having fun. Little did I know that when I started. I thought it was all business, just kinda sudsy. The business is welcoming, warm, respectful, crazy, off-the-wall, and especially accommodating to say the least, and fun. I have talked with close to a dozen different breweries or the employees/ brewers/ staff and they all are super excited for us, helped us in different ways with information, and have been super accommodating. Truly cool.

The other thing that is interesting is how passionate the people in the craft beer industry are about beer. They love to talk about it. They love to make it, they love to taste it, look at the color, look at the bubbles, smell it, swish it in their mouths and swallow the last drop while pining for more.

Right now, I fancy myself as a traveling salesman with a suitcase of beer. I show up to talk to potential investors with cooler in hand, crack a beer and talk about beer. Whether the presentation is 9 am or 8 pm, it's never too early or late to talk about beer.
Here is a Bier-de-Garde (French Farmhouse Ale) that some might have tasted before. It's a repeat offender on my brew list. I would also say, I think it is hands down LaNette's favorite recipe that we've made so far. LaNette, if you don't know, is the brains of Katabatic, some say the real boss and my wife. She'll be doing the books, brews beer herself and she has a great palate. I might even be convinced it's better than my own. I'm no slouch though.

The closer we get to opening, the more I love my new reality. I just really love beer. Making beer to test recipes, or certain hops, or malt bills, ah man, that is tough. Seems like every week I have to break out a new beer to try. If it isn't mine, it's one that I buy. I haven't had that one before, hmm, I think I'll try it. 

At Katabatic, that's what we're about. We are going to have 4 to 5 standards with 4 to 6 rotating handles after we get up and running so you can have the old standby's or try something new, something maybe a little unique. 

Prost!