Bayern Brewing
Bayern Brewing is a 38-year-old, founder-owned German-style craft brewery in Missoula, Montana, producing ~15 traditional Reinheitsgebot beers alongside an on-site taproom, Biergarten, and Edelweiss Bistro, distributed across Montana and four Western U.S. States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersMissoula, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Bayern Brewing does
Bayern Brewing, Inc. is a privately-held, founder-owned craft brewery established in 1987 in Missoula, Montana by Jürgen Knöller, a Bavarian-trained Masterbrewer who graduated from Doemens' Masterschool in Munich and purchased the company outright in 1991. The brewery produces a portfolio of approximately 15 traditional German-style beers — including year-round offerings such as Amber (the 1987 founding Märzen), Dragon's Breath Dunkelweizen, Pilsener, St. Walter Hefeweizen, and Montana Original Lager, plus seasonal specialties like Doppelbock, Maibock, Oktoberfest, Dump Truck Summer Bock, Face Plant Doppelweizen, Groomer Wintermärzen, Killarney Irish Red, Celebration Pilsener, and Citra Dump Truck — all brewed in accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) of 1516 using decoction-mash techniques, slow cold fermentation, and natural carbonation. In 2018 the company purchased a custom bottle-washing machine described as the only one of its kind in the United States, enabling a 100% reused-glass program and supply-chain partnerships with Conscious Container (Reno, NV) and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative's Bottledrop Program.
The business operates as a unified production-and-hospitality operation from a single site at 1507 Montana Street, Missoula, combining a brewhouse (visible through viewing windows), a daily taproom, an outdoor Biergarten with seating, umbrellas, and life-size chess, and the Edelweiss Bistro — a scratch-made German restaurant serving Bavarian dishes (schnitzels, bratwurst, Nürnberg, Jägerschnitzel, fresh-baked pretzels and breads) at menu prices ranging from $6.50 to $19. Distribution is conducted through a network of regional wholesalers covering all major Montana metros (Billings, Butte, Helena, Missoula, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Sidney) plus Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and Oregon. Revenue is generated through per-unit on-site beer and food sales, wholesale distribution margins, and a $3 Ecopack deposit system yielding $0.05 per qualifying bottle returned. The customer base is primarily local Missoula residents and regional travelers seeking authentic German-style lagers and Bavarian cuisine, with a secondary cause-marketing alignment to Montana Trout Unlimited via the Dancing Trout brand.
Bayern Brewing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bayern Brewing
- Legal name
- Bayern Brewing, Inc.
- Website
- https://bayernbrewery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bayern Brewing is a 38-year-old, founder-owned German-style craft brewery in Missoula, Montana, producing ~15 traditional Reinheitsgebot beers alongside an on-site taproom, Biergarten, and Edelweiss Bistro, distributed across Montana and four Western U.S. States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bayern Brewing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Beer
- NAICS
- Breweries (31212), Breweries (312120)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF), Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)
Keywords
Where Bayern Brewing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Missoula
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bayern Brewing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Beer Sales - Taproom & On-site: Direct sales of brewed beer to consumers at the taproom and Edelweiss Beer Garden. Customers can purchase draft, bottle, and can options on-site.
- Beer Distribution: Distribution of packaged beer (draft, bottles, cans) through regional distributors across Montana and Western States including Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, and Oregon.
- Food Service - Edelweiss Bistro: Restaurant and food service operations at the Edelweiss Bistro, serving scratch-made German cuisine Wednesday through Saturday. Features fresh-baked pretzels, breads, and pretzel buns made daily.
- EcoLeague Program: Customers purchase Ecopack wax boxes for $3 deposit, use them to return bottles for recycling and receive $0.05 credit per qualifying bottle returned.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bavarian Pretzel - $8.50-$9.50 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Appetizers and Soups - $6.50-$15 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Main Meals - $11-$18 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sausage Plates - $13-$19 |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Ecopack Deposit - $3 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels2 records
Bayern Brewing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bayern Brewing is a craft brewery that produces and sells traditional German-style beers brewed according to the Bavarian Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) of 1516, sold on draft, in bottles, and cans. It also operates an on-site German restaurant (Edelweiss Bistro) and an outdoor biergarten, and distributes packaged beer through regional distributors across Montana and parts of the Western United States.
Product overview
Bayern Brewing is a traditional German-style brewery founded in 1987 in Missoula, Montana. The company operates as a unified brewery and restaurant operation with two primary offerings: a portfolio of 15 award-winning German-style beers (including Amber, Dragon's Breath, Doppelbock, Maibock, Kölsch, Pilsener, and seasonal specialties like Oktoberfest and Face Plant) and the Edelweiss Bistro, a scratch-made German restaurant. The brewery also maintains a taproom and outdoor Biergarten where customers can view beer production. A sustainability-focused EcoLeague bottle reuse program complements the core brewing and dining operations. All beer production adheres to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 (Reinheitsgebot), using traditional decoction-mash brewing methods.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Amber Märzen-style amber lager that started Bayern Brewing in 1987. Rich malt flavor with smooth hop balance, 5.4% ABV, 23 IBU, available year-round in draft and bottles.
- Dragon's Breath
- Celebration Pilsener
- Dump Truck
- Doppelbock
- Citra Dump Truck
- Face Plant
- Kölsch
- Groomer
- Killarney
- Maibock
- Montana Original Lager
- St. Walter Hefeweizen
- Oktoberfest
- Pilsener
- Edelweiss Bistro
- Edelweiss Beer Garden (Biergarten)
- Taproom
- EcoLeague Bottle Reuse Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 87,000 out-of-state bottles reused
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bayern Brewing
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Bayern Brewing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Bayern Brewing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Conscious ContainercorePartnership with Conscious Container out of Reno, Nevada to collect beer bottles and ship them to Missoula for washing, refilling, and reusing. Part of Bayern's 100% reused glass initiative.
- Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC)corePartnership with OBRC's Bottledrop Program in Portland, Oregon to collect beer bottles for shipping to Missoula. Enables Bayern's bottle washing and reuse program.
- Montana Trout UnlimitedflagshipBayern partnered with Montana Trout Unlimited to name Dancing Trout as the official beer of this non-profit. A percentage of Dancing Trout merchandise and beer sales goes directly toward conserving and restoring Montana's coldwater fisheries, riparian areas and watersheds.
- Bicycle BenefitsminorBayern joined Bicycle Benefits, a program providing discounts to participants who bike to the brewery with program stickers on their helmets, promoting alternative transportation.
- Briggs DistributingcoreMontana beer distributor for Bayern products in Billings area.
- Summit BeveragecoreMontana beer distributor handling Bayern products in Butte and Missoula areas.
- Mountain CountrycoreMontana beer distributor for Bayern products in Helena area.
- Bronken's DistributingcoreMontana beer distributor for Bayern products in Bozeman area.
- Gusto DistributingcoreMontana beer distributor for Bayern products in Great Falls area.
- Blue RockcoreMontana beer distributor for Bayern products in Sidney area.
- Odom CorporationcoreWestern States beer distributor for Bayern products in Idaho (Hayden) and Spokane areas.
- Northwest BeveragecoreWashington beer distributor for Bayern products in Seattle area.
- Connect BeveragecoreWyoming beer distributor for Bayern products.
- Point Blank DistributingcoreOregon beer distributor for Bayern products in Portland area.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bayern Brewing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- New Belgium Brewing Company: Large craft brewery with broad US distribution and a destination taproom in Fort Collins, CO. Comparable in craft positioning, sustainability leadership, and distribution-plus-taproom model, but at much larger scale.
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. One of the largest US craft brewers with national distribution and a flagship brewery-taproom in Chico, California. Overlaps with Bayern in regional distribution, sustainability initiatives, and brewhouse-taproom model, but at significantly greater scale.
- Deschutes Brewery: Oregon-based craft brewery with regional distribution across the Western US and a flagship brewpub. Comparable in Western US distribution footprint, brewpub experience, and craft beer tourism appeal.
- Bitburger Brewery: Major German pilsener brewery with established US distribution. Competes with Bayern in the German-style lager category, particularly their Pilsener offering, though at significantly larger import volumes.
- Paulaner USA: Imported German premium beer brand with significant US distribution. Direct category competitor in authentic German-style beers; competes with Bayern for on-premise accounts but at much larger scale and through import channels.
- Warsteiner Brewery: Major German brewery with established US import distribution. Competes with Bayern for German-style beer shelf space in Western US retail and on-premise accounts, especially in traditional German restaurants.
Direct peers
- August Schell Brewing Company: Family-owned German-style brewery in New Ulm, Minnesota, founded in 1860 and still operating independently. Highly comparable to Bayern as a German-American heritage craft brewery with traditional brewing, regional distribution, and on-site restaurant/taproom.
- New Glarus Brewing Company: Independent, founder-owned craft brewery in Wisconsin with strong regional distribution and a destination taproom experience. Comparable in ownership structure (private, no VC), regional craft focus, and on-premise consumer experience.
- Big Sky Brewing Company: Montana craft brewery also headquartered in Missoula with regional distribution; comparable in scale, regional craft positioning, and Montana distribution, though differentiated by style (Montana lagers and ales vs. Bayern's German traditional focus).
Regional players
- Trumer Brauerei Berkeley: Austrian-owned German-style pilsener brewery in Berkeley, California. Highly comparable in authentic German-style brewing focus and regional US distribution, though with a narrower pilsener-centric portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bayern Brewing social profiles
Digital presenceBayern Brewing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bayern Brewing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Bayern Brewing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bayern Brewing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bayern Brewing
What does Bayern Brewing do?
Bayern Brewing is a craft brewery that produces and sells traditional German-style beers brewed according to the Bavarian Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) of 1516, sold on draft, in bottles, and cans. It also operates an on-site German restaurant (Edelweiss Bistro) and an outdoor biergarten, and distributes packaged beer through regional distributors across Montana and parts of the Western United States.
Is Bayern Brewing a public or private company?
Bayern Brewing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bayern Brewing founded?
Bayern Brewing was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bayern Brewing based?
Bayern Brewing is headquartered in Missoula, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bayern Brewing make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Beer Sales - Taproom & On-site is the primary driver. The others are beer Distribution, food Service - Edelweiss Bistro and ecoLeague Program.
Who are Bayern Brewing's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are New Belgium Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Deschutes Brewery, Bitburger Brewery, Paulaner USA and Warsteiner Brewery. Direct peers are August Schell Brewing Company, New Glarus Brewing Company and Big Sky Brewing Company. Trumer Brauerei Berkeley is listed as a regional player.
Does Bayern Brewing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bayern Brewing.
What industry is Bayern Brewing in?
Bayern Brewing's product category is Craft Beer. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAA, Beer Brewing & Brands, with a secondary code of THAFALAA, Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service). Its NAICS code is 31212 and its SIC code is 2082.