When beer and Montana run in your blood and you are passionate about art and history, there's only one thing you can do. Open a Montana beer and brewery museum. And that is exactly what Steve "Bubs" Lozar did.
His great grandfather was the first in his family to come to Montana from Slovenia in 1887, and as they say, the rest is history. Of course, there's more to it than that, but basically, that's what started it all. Beer has always been a part of Bubs' family. Dare I say, that it's genetic? Bubs might agree.
But before he opened the Montana Beer and Brewery Museum, his creative side got him into education and then screen printing, which he still practices today. I'll let him tell you more about that story.
Beer history in Montana, like many states, goes back to the mining days, when railroads were being built and towns were popping up everywhere to support the workers that were coming by the droves to make money. Many of these workers were from different countries and different cultures, and they needed something that felt like home.
Beer feels like home, and drinking one after a hard day's work with people that understood you was just about as important as family. Because of this, every ethnic group had its own brewery. A place to come home to. A community you belonged to.
Bubs knew this from the beginning. It was built into his family, so when the opportunity arose for him to take possession of his great grandfather's old brewery memorabilia and the bartop itself, he jumped on it. Having been collecting breweriana for years, starting with old signs, cans, and bottles, he had to find a place to keep it all. And not just store it but display it.
Housed above his screen printing shop in Polson, Montana, there's not a sign announcing it. But if you know it's there, and he happens to be around, stop on by. Bubs would love to share a beer or two with you while swapping stories about the magnificent history of beer and how it builds community, even today.
Grab a beer, sit back, and be prepared to be transported back into a history of family and craft beer that can only be told by Bubs.
For complete show notes and pictures, click here.
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To Bubs for your hospitality, your time, and your wonderful stories. We could stay for hours longer just chatting and hanging out with you around beer. Your smile is welcoming. Your museum is phenomenal. And you are just wonderful!