This new year takes us to Belgrade, home of the newest brewery in the Gallatin Valley, and probably the nation. Bar 3 BBQ restaurant has began brewing and is scheduled to start serving it’s new beers by New Years Eve. In mid December the brewing operation was inspected and approved, and pending health department approval and acquisition of a beer sales license, beer mugs will be filled and consumed at Bar 3 along with the great food selection.

Bar 3 is a restaurant with two locations; one on North 7th in Bozeman, and the other in Belgrade across the railroad tracks from the Belgrade Lounge. The owner and founder of Bar 3 and the man behind the new associated beer brewing operation is Hunter Lacey. Hunter is originally from Texas, but moved to Montana in 1989 with his father who found a job working on Ted Turner’s ranch.

Hunter began his culinary education at the Montana State University Restaurant Management program, and followed up his education at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. After finishing his studies in Vermont, he was on his way to a job in California, but stopped back in the Gallatin Valley en route, and has been here ever since.

Hunter first worked for a short time at Boodles, and then for MSU Catering Services, but then in 2001 he opened Bar 3 in the Bozeman location, and expanded to Belgrade in 2004. The business has been very successful, and also provides catering to parties, weddings, and events. Custom Dining Experiences (www.CustomDining.com) is the name of the company which is comprised of Bar 3 Restaurants, Outlaw Brewing, and the catering business.

Hunter says that he first became interested in brewing about three years ago, and over the last three years, he’s worked with others on around 20 different beers, perfecting the recipes and processes involved with crafting the perfect beer. For the restaurant, the plan is to have 10 different beers on tap. Initially there will be four beers; a pale ale, an Irish creme, a brown ale, and an American stout. The names have yet to be formally assigned, but will be themed to the Outlaw Brewing name. A lighter lager will also be available which many find a great compliment to a meal.

The beers are all handcrafted using the all-grain method of brewing, and the two large fermenting tanks allow for production of two different beers at a time. The process takes about 7 days and involves several stages of cooling. The cooling process allows settling of the larger particulates and eliminates the need for filtering while still producing a clear product.

Hunter says that perhaps the most difficult and time consuming part of starting the brewery is the application process through both the federal government and the State of Montana. The paperwork submitted was about an inch thick, and the approval process has been iterative and time consuming. But that’s all been done, and now it’s time to start producing these new beers which have been three years in the making.

Initially the beers will be available only at the Belgrade location. The Bozeman location currently serves bottled beer, but needs some modification to host the on-tap beers. Beer kegs will be available through the catering operation to complement the great food selection. Hunter says that a couple of the differences between Outlaw Brewing and other local microbreweries is that Outlaw also serves food and is not bottled and distributed. Outlaw beer is only available at Bar 3. So come on in and enjoy some great new beers and food, and maybe take some home in a growler too.

Bar 3 can be found on the web at:
Bar 3 Restaurant:   Bar3BBQ.com
Bar 3 Custom Dining Experiences: www.CustomDining.com

Mike Comstock is an MSU graduate; software engineer by day, math tutor in the evenings, musician on the weekends, and freelance writer in his spare time.