Golden Triangle Brewing Co. makes move to new home in Bigfork

Golden Triangle Brewing Co. owners Brandon Roberts and Stacia Fuzesy say they are happy to be closer to family in the Flathead Valley and are excited to work with local farmers to get the best quality ingredients for their craft beers.

A love of good beer led the couple to open up their brewery in 2017 after having a landscaping business in Bigfork. Landscaping paid the bills, but it wasn’t really their passion.

Fuzesy said one Father’s Day she bought Roberts a home brewing kit on a whim and soon he developed a penchant for what he calls “culinary science.” Melding different flavors together to create new and interesting beers became his favorite hobby and not long after, Golden Triangle Brewing Co. was born — but not in Bigfork.

They chose Fort Benton as a more affordable option to open their dream brewery. In a historic building right off of the Missouri River, they developed their beers with the help of local farmers by working closely with them to source ingredients and develop ideas for brews.

“I’ve sat in the combine and helped them with harvest wheat, which goes into a lot of our wheat beers. We take it over to Farm Power Malt over in Power, Montana … So besides the yeast coming from labs along the West Coast, we are pretty much 100% Montana ingredients in all of our beers across the board,” Roberts said.

They have around four to six recipes for beer, including their most popular, the Jalapeno Honey Hefe, which is a hefeweizen. The jalapeno flavor sails through coupled with the sweetness of local honey. It’s actually not spicy, says Roberts. But it was a beer he never expected to make, so he didn’t put a lot of stock into it at first — it was a friend from one of their farming partnerships that convinced him.

“Farmer Dean Bomgardner tried the jalapeno beer and he just basically bugged me until I brewed a batch and it was a hit. The recipe and everything has never changed, so we got really lucky with that,” Roberts said.

Fuzesy said Roberts is a perfectionist when it comes to beer and is always looking to improve on a product.

“He's a little scientist that gets to play and add these ingredients and see what comes out. He just really enjoys it, it's like a little kid in a science lab,” Fuzesy said.

The brewery recently got a delivery for two new tanks at their new home in the former Whistling Andy’s building off of Montana 35. Excited to get back to Bigfork, they are increasing their equipment to brew for a larger crowd of customers this summer.

The brewery is seeking an all-beverage license to be able to serve different types of alcohol in its new location. The front of the building will be a more traditional-style pub house with the brewery in the back, where customers will also be able to sit and enjoy a beer.

Fuzesy said she’s excited to work on showcasing different Montana breweries and distilleries in the pub up front, which will be called The Nimble Goat. She said along with a rotating tap, she would like to see representatives from other breweries stop by and give presentations on their processes.

“Because a lot of people enjoy the beverage that's in front of them, but don't know the process of ‘what made you put this in here? What made you do this?’ I think it's just a good opportunity for the public to get to reach out to these people that they don't normally talk to,” Fuzesy said.

Fuzesy said she and Roberts are also interested in finding ways to give back to the community. At their Fort Benton location, they often worked to raise funds for their local animal shelter and plan to continue with shelters here in the valley.

“Nonprofits trying to get awareness for anybody that needs assistance and helping them raise money in a fun way for them and trying to do something different, like game nights and events — especially in the wintertime for the community so they have stuff to look forward to,” Fuzesy said.

They are also fleshing out a mug club membership called “The Wayfarers,” where participants can get $2 beer for an entire year. Roberts said the club is planned to be more than just a way to get discounts, but also a way to incorporate community service.

“If there's something the Wayfarers can help out with, you know, like just going down and doing beach cleanup … I'd like to see a membership that not only enjoys beer, but enjoys giving back as well,” Roberts said.

Along with setting up their new space, Roberts and Fuzesy will be focusing on doing their favorite thing — brewing beer.

“There’s almost infinite variables within the brewing process to change things up. So being able to have this brick and mortar space in Bigfork, it’s just super cool,” Roberts said.

A soft opening for the brewery is planned in May and a grand opening event is expected sometime in June. For more information about Golden Triangle Brewing Co., visit goldentrianglebrews.com.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.