Bowser starts bottling jalapeno hefe

Kristen Inbody, kinbody@greatfallstribune.com   –   Great Falls Tribune

Long a customer favorite, Bowser Brewing Co.’s Jalapeno Hefeweizen is being bottled, a first for the Great Falls brewery.

A couple from Illinois, formerly stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, has called dibs on four cases already and is coming to Montana to pick them up, owner Evan Bowser said.

“One of the reasons for bottling jalapeno hefe was it’s different, something no one else is doing. We’re known for the funkier beer,” he said. “We don’t do the generic five beers. This is the beer that says what we’re all about.”

The jalapeno hefe is the brewery’s most popular, and customers have long requested bottles. Bowser has a machine that does 12-oz. bottles and cans as well, but Bowser is beginning with 22-oz. bottles.

The flavorful hefe also is award winning. Bars in eastern Montana have been requesting it since the beer won best of show among the 90 beers of the Bakken Brewfest in Sidney this spring. It will compete in the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this summer.

“A lot of people think it will be hot, but we de-seed the jalapenos. It’s a refreshing beer without a lot of heat,” Bowser said. “Add a lemon, and it’s a great ‘lawnmower beer’ for after yard work.”

The brewers removed seeds from 1,000 jalapenos for the 3,800 bottles of beer.

“I didn’t plan to go in this direction. I planned to focus on the tap room, but customers talked me into it. They wanted bottles not cans, and I prefer bottles, too,” Bowser said. “It just tastes better from a bottle, I think, though the debate is always ongoing.”

The first day, bottling took 20 hours. The second day, Bowser and his team had trimmed that to 13 hours. By the wee hours of the nights, labels no longer went on as straight as they had hours before. He plans to switch to screen-printed bottles in the future.

People who return six empty bottles will get a free beer in the tap room. Bottles are $8 in the brewery and $8.99 to $9.99 in the stores.

The Bowser bottles will be in Albertsons, Smith’s, Town Pumps and Zip Trips. Look for bottles in wooden grain elevator displays.

The brewery itself has cultivated a calm and relaxed atmosphere, with funky art and interesting conversations.

“It’s great for people who just moved here because you meet friendly people,” Bowser said.

The brewery also has an English hand pump drawing from beer in a barrel, where it ferments with natural carbonation.

“It’s starting to catch on,” Bowser said.

Bowser also experiments with beer cocktails, combining brews for fun new combinations. The jalapeno beer goes especially well with the strawberry blonde.

“A lot of customers say, ‘Mix me something,’” Bowser said. “If they like it, we remember the mix.”

Sometimes the brewery goes in an experimental direction. This summer will be “a purist summer of simple beers,” Bowser said.

Summer also brings Bowser’s Singer Songwriter Summer Series, with Friday sessions through the summer.

The food available at the brewery is focusing more on submarine sandwiches for summer, too. Nachos, mac-and-cheese and a flat bread will stay on the menu for the summer, too. The brewery makes a cheese sauce with beer, and bar nuts with the jalapeno hefe.

Bowser is Great Falls’ oldest brewery, with the Bowser family, Evan joined by his parents, Rich and Deb, and his wife Michelle, opening the brewery doors just before Christmas 2011.

A traditional gift for the fifth anniversary is wood, so Bowser will showcase barrel-aged brews for the celebration.

“I can’t believe it’s been five years,” he said.

Reach Tribune Staff Writer Kristen Inbody at kinbody@greatfallstribune.com. Follow her on Twitter at @GFTrib_KInbody.

If you go

BREWERY: Bowser Brewing Co.

SINCE: 2011

LOCATION: 1826 10th Ave. S.

HOURS: 3-8 p.m.

TOP BEER: Jalapeno Hefeweizen

ONLINE: bowserbrew.com

NOTE: A bottle release party is 6-8 p.m., Friday, July 22, at the brewery. The event will include the raffle of a bottle signed by everyone who worked on the bottling project, live music and the release of the first five cases bottled.