USA, MT: Nordic Brew Works set to become Gallatin County’s 13th brewery

Gallatin County and craft beer are becoming quite the pairing.

The county is set to get its 13th brewery, this time on the west side of Bozeman, when Nordic Brew Works opens in the newest building taking shape at Ferguson Farm off Huffine Lane, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported on April 5.

Marked by a pair of grain elevator-style towers, the Market at Ferguson Farm is slowly taking shape just north of Sidewinders. Nordic Brew Works will occupy the west side of the 21,000-square-foot building around the same time it’s completed around July or August.

Matt Paine, founder and president of local real estate developer Paine Group, has been overseeing the buildout of both the Market and the adjacent office building in partnership with Delaney and Co., which is responsible for the entire Ferguson Farm development.

The Market has eight or nine spaces for businesses (two restaurants, a coffee shop and a flower shop are all confirmed tenants so far) and Paine has been actively recruiting owners to create what he calls a “local artisan space.”

One of the cornerstones of this vision was a brewery, but none of the local brewers Paine reached out to was willing to take on the project. So he decided to organize it himself, bringing in a brewer from Texas, a manager from Bozeman and his longtime colleague Jesse Therien to help with the project.

“We’re not just trying to build a project to make money,” Paine said. “The goal is to add value to the community, something the people on the west side can be proud of.”

Paine describes the brewery as “if Bridger Brewing and Plonk had a baby” — a two-floor space seating 120 with a fireplace, full kitchen serving wood-fired pizzas and an emphasis on easy-drinking beers.

The designer, Bozeman’s Envi Interior Design, added a few touches such as using repurposed flooring from the Rialto Theater and large windows exposing the brewing equipment.

The building will have an outdoor patio in the warmer months, as well as a second-floor balcony where people can take in the view (though not eat or drink, yet). Eventually, Paine said he hopes the Ferguson Farm development will act as a one-stop shop for residents on the west side of Bozeman: a place where they can get everything from a haircut to a few groceries.

Down the road, he said, the area will likely include a grocery store and some type of lodging.

“I want to do right by the community first, and everything else will follow,” Paine said. “I’ll be excited when it’s perfect, but until then I’ll keep working.”

05 April, 2018