Montana Brewer Honors His Japanese Island Roots

Montana brewer Gustav Dose goals to deliver the brewing traditions of Japan’s Hokkaido island to America.

Dose, the proprietor of Mountains Walking Brewery & Pub in Bozeman, grew up on Japan’s northernmost island and has created a second label that brews rice beers, New Hokkaido Beverage Company. Dose calls New Hokkaido “a phantom brewery” — extra generally referred to as a gypsy brewery — as a result of he plans to persuade different breweries to brew his rice beers.

“Rice as an adjunct is appeared down upon in Asia and Germany as an inexpensive substitute for malted barley,” says Dose, who presently brews New Hokkaido beers at Mountains Strolling. “I do not see it that method. We use rice from Hokkaido in each batch together with totally different types of steamed, malted and puffed rice. The rice gives a distinct canvas than malted barley. It has been rewarding studying about it and making an attempt to make nice rice beers.”

Twelve New Hokkaido beers have been brewed for draft and cans, and 7 are actually featured on the brewery’s web site: Yuki-Onna Snowy IPA, Kodama Double IPA, Yamabiko Rice Lager, Yabai Tanuki Hazy IPA, Kitsune-Sakura Mochi Beer, Oni Triple IPA and Daruma IPA.

Dose, whose mom and first language are Japanese, says he’s “combining the cultures” by combining Japanese brewing and American craft beer practices. Hokkaido, Japan’s second-largest island, has a thriving craft beer and saki trade.

Dose was born in Taipei, Taiwan, grew up on Hokkaido and in Tokyo and lived within the two Japanese locales for a few years as an grownup.

“I really like Hokkaido,” he says. “I’m drawn to wild and mysterious locations. Hokkaido is a chilly place with warm-hearted folks. Being a blended tradition child, I by no means felt at house or accepted wherever, however Hokkaido is shut. Many Japanese who don’t really feel accepted or have alternatives on the primary island of Honshu enterprise to the wild north.”

Dose moved to Montana about seven years in the past to start out a brewery.

“I wished to purchase an outdated warehouse and convert it to a brewery,” he remembers. “After a number of visits, I discovered our present location. I had appeared in different cities and states, however nothing felt fairly like Bozeman.”

Mountains Strolling opened 5 years in the past.

“I had been within the trade for a decade by then and actually wished to do my very own factor,” Dose says. “If I might identified what I do now, I in all probability would not have. Brewery years are canine years. We have been open for 5 years, nevertheless it looks like 35.”

It could really feel like lots of onerous work, however many Bozeman residents apparently respect the sweat and tears. Bozeman Journal calls Mountains Strolling one of many metropolis’s “hidden treasures” and says locals “can be onerous pressed to discover a higher Bozemanite gem.”

Dose lives along with his spouse, Sarah MacDonald, and three kids adjoining to the brewery.

“My spouse is a associate within the enterprise, and we reside in a one-bedroom teardown home subsequent to the brewery,” he says. “They’re alongside for the trip, ups and downs!”