The Historic Daily Post Building in Uptown Butte is getting quite the addition. Originally housing Butte’s newspaper in the early 1900’s, the Daily Post has long since hosted a series of drinking establishments, one of Butte’s favorite pastimes. Now hosting a pub on the first floor and a martini bar on the second, the building is set to get Butte’s newest brewery, Muddy Creek Brewery.
Muddy Creek is a joint venture by owners Gregg Wigen, Todd McAdams, and Chris Sherman. Gregg, an avid home brewer taking the plunge into the commercial side, will handle the brewing. Chris will manage the business aspects and Todd will offer input on brewing processes and production parameters, putting his chemical engineering doctorate to good use.
The brewery’s name comes from a suggestion for Gregg’s Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, ironically provided by a co-worker at a Butte software company who does not drink alcohol. The name Muddy Creek Chocolate Stout stuck, and the partners decided it would make a good name for the brewery as well.
Renovations are underway to the basement of the building to house the brewery. The east end of the second floor is also undergoing extensive improvements where the tap room will be located. Old dust isn’t the only thing they’ve found.
“We just recently removed some planks from some basement walls that contained hundreds of carvings and drawings of former paperboy names and pictures from when they waited for paper deliveries in the early 20’s through the 40’s and 50’s,” Greg said in an email conversation. “Years and years of historic memorabilia is recorded on the boards and we have removed them and given them to the owners who intend to create art exhibits in the building and around town from the pieces.”
The brewhouse will consist of a 10 barrel electric heat exchange recirculating mash (HERM) system that is capable of maintaining a very specific mash temperature. Initial plans are to start with three beers, the Muddy Creek Chocolate Stout, No Paddle Amber Ale, and Dirty Blonde Ale. Both bars in the building will carry the beers which will also be available in the tap room. The building owners are installing a kitchen with the intent of serving food to all three establishments.
Muddy Creek will also produce non-alcoholic beverages including a root beer named Where’s Your Mother. If all goes well, they hope to have the brewery open by early summer. When you stop in, they promise to tell you the stories behind the curious names. Muddy Creek is located at 2 E. Galena Street in Uptown Butte. You call follow all their progress on their very active facebook page.
