Whitefish brewery to expand

Six-packs of Great Northern Brewing Co.’s line of craft beers have been flying off grocery shelves this year at an unprecedented rate.

Business has been so good, in fact, that at the peak of tourist season the brewery’s Draught House in Whitefish was down to just three beers on tap. They couldn’t brew the stuff fast enough.

“Orders were coming in,  and we couldn’t fill them,” said Manager Marcus Duffey. “That left our distributors dry and caused us to lose ground.”

To keep pace with the booming demand, Great Northern is planning its first expansion in 19 years.

Two new 25-foot-tall fermenters and a brite tank will be installed next spring at the downtown facility, upping production by 50 percent. They expect to brew about 6,500 barrels next year.

“If we hit 6,500 barrels, we will be busy 24 hours a day,” Duffey said.

An additional brewer is expected to be hired, along with another person in packaging.

Great Northern utilized a Montana West Economic Development revolving loan fund to leverage its investment in the new equipment.

Duffey says it’s unlikely this will be the last expansion for the brewery as it continues to reach new markets.

The brewery recently tapped into the Billings area to strengthen its presence in eastern Montana, and consideration has been given to expanding beyond state borders.

“But we want to be as strong as we can in Montana first,” Duffey said.

The Flathead is still their top market, while Missoula is growing at a steady clip.

The swell in new business emerged even after the brewery discontinued its production of Black Star earlier this year.

The signature golden lager first crafted in 1994 by Great Northern was reintroduced in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus. McKenzie River Corp., which holds the rights to the Black Star recipe, produced and distributed the lager across the West with the ambition of building a national brand.

Great Northern was the exclusive brewer of Black Star in Montana.

The national roll-out under performed, and after just three years the brand quietly disappeared this spring.

Losing Black Star has had little impact on Great Northern, Duffey said. If anything, the brewery is able to focus more on marketing and producing its most popular beers, including Going to the Sun IPA, Wheatfish, Wild Huckleberry and Good Medicine.

They recently rebranded those labels with the help of local graphic designer Pete Thomas — a move that Duffey says played an integral part in their recent success.

With the expanded brewing capacity, Duffey says beer lovers can expect more seasonal brews as well.

“We’ll increase production of our flagship brands and get to experiment more with the fun side of brewing,” he said.

The original recipe series will feature six beers, including favorites like Frog Hop, TPA and Guy on a Buffalo.