Seed-to-Malt-to-Brew

By Whitney Jurenic and Tucker Kramer

The malting and brewing industry in Montana is not only hard working – but working efficiently! From the tractor seat to the bar stool, these local businesses have invested in energy-efficient projects with a goal of energy management best practices. What’s more, they have all received rebates and incentives from NorthWestern’s Energy Efficiency Plus (E+) Programs to “go green” while saving some green, too.

The Seed: Bos Hay and Grain

Barley is an important crop, and Montana supplies the U.S. with approximately 22% of the nation’s barley production. Malt barley is a subset grain crop that is primarily used for beer production. Located in southwest Montana in the Gallatin Gateway, Bos Hay and Grain is a family farm that was established in 1965by Ron Bos. Craig Bos, Ron’s son, now operates the business, which produces a variety of grains including malt barley. Malt barley is considered a specialty crop that requires thoughtful and efficient irrigation practices. Craig stressed that “irrigation is critical in the success of our business,” as malt barley has specific protein requirements that are water dependent. Bos Hay and Grain has participated in NorthWestern’s E+ Irrigation Program with the installation of a variable frequency drive (VFD) pump, which Craig states was “impactful and helpful” to their business.

NorthWestern offers rebates for Montana irrigation customers including farms and ranches that produce feed and grain, as irrigation systems can be energy-intensive. Our rebates can help irrigators upgrade their systems to be more energy efficient. In the 2020-2021 program year (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021), NorthWestern’s E+ Irrigation Program saved customers 173,250 kilowatt hours and incented $14,437 in irrigation rebates for 12 VFD projects.

The Malt: Montana Craft Malt

Montana Craft Malt (MCM) is stirring things up with big ideas and a bold vision to transform the craft malt business. Headquartered in Butte, Montana, MCM is located near the world’s best barley-growing region. “Montana has premium agriculture products,” said Jen O’Brien, President of MCM. “But we send it out of state to be processed, which is where the jobs are created.” MCM was created with the goal of using Montana-grown grain to produce malt for craft breweries. Making malt is an energy-intensive process. Barley is soaked in water to germinate. The germination process is then halted by using hot air to dry the grain. MCM produces about 25 million pounds of malt per year, which is distributed across the country and into Mexico. The company sells directly to numerous craft breweries in Montana.

When construction began in 2018, MCM collaborated with NorthWestern to participate in E+ Program offerings. MCM was able to receive three incentives for implementing energy efficiency measures in their facility utilizing the E+ Commercial Lighting, E+ Electric Business Partners and E+ Natural Gas Business Partners programs. The E+ Commercial Lighting Program rebated an LED lighting upgrade at the MCM facility. Through the E+ Electric Business Partners Program, NorthWestern funded an incentive for MCM’s compressed air system, which feeds the pneumatic robots used in the malt house. In 2020, MCM completed a heat recovery system for its kiln (essentially a large oven where malt is dried) that received an E+ Natural Gas Business Partners incentive. With the heat recovery system, the kiln is about 10% more efficient. Through the implementation of these three projects, MCM was able to capitalize on both electric and natural gas savings.

The Brew: Philipsburg Brewing Company

Philipsburg Brewing Company opened its doors in 2012 with a mission to provide quality, handcrafted beers in a friendly, unique setting. Philipsburg Brewing uses only the finest Montana malt and local mountain spring water to craft its beer. Initially, Philipsburg Brewing opened inside an old bank building in downtown Philipsburg. A couple years after opening, the brewery had outgrown its space. “There was demand for our beer on draft that we couldn’t keep up with,” said Nolan Smith, Co-owner and Operations Manager. In 2015,Philipsburg Brewing opened a production brewery up the street from the downtown location. The facility is inside a water bottling plant that was built in the ’90s that sat vacant for about 10 years. “It’s actually where the original brewery was built in Philipsburg in 1875,” Nolan said.

The building, known as The Springs, was equipped with mercury vapor lights that had to warm up for several minutes before they reached full brightness. “It took a while for them to come on,” Nolan said. In2018, NorthWestern worked with Philipsburg Brewing on an E+ Commercial Lighting Program rebate, which helped the brewery upgrade its lights to LEDs, including motion sensors. “The lighting upgrade certainly was needed,” Nolan said. “It makes the work environment a lot better for our guys, and we’re saving energy.”

Our Efficiency Plus (E+) Programs

NorthWestern Energy offers a variety of rebates and incentives through our Efficiency Plus (E+) Programs. The E+ Programs help Montana customers save money and energy. E+ Program savings are realized through lower customer use of energy resources, which reduces the amount of electricity and natural gas NorthWestern must generate or purchase to meet customer needs. Several options are available to NorthWestern’s Montana residential and commercial customers: simple rebates, weatherization programs, energy assessments, custom commercial incentives and support of renewable energy generation. To learn more, visitNorthWesternEnergy.com/EPlus.

To learn more about these featured Montana businesses, please visit their websites at boshayandgrain.com,montanacraftmalt.com and philipsburgbrew.com.