We are proud to be independently owned, community raised, and locally rooted.
we made dis
Graham Hart and Keela Smith, founders of Bonsai Brewing Project.
The passive aggressiveness of Graham & the aggressive passiveness of Keela teeter over a cute little Springer Spaniel named Please to create the balance that is Bonsai.
Both of us were fortunate enough to be born in this beautiful area of Montana, and we have found our niche here in liquid form. We really love living in Whitefish and have always been very lifestyle oriented. Whether Keela is cooking up something tasty, kicking it with the Fam, or getting funky to 20 Grand downtown, Graham is sure to be near by crushing the next fresh IPA on the market, bombing hills on a bike, or plotting another cockamamie project.
Either way we love our home and the community around us. We’re so blessed to have such great friends, family, and neighbors around us Lurking In The Shadows…
Thank you Whitefish! and thank you beer!
The Brewery
Graham built our 4BBL brewhouse years before we opened Bonsai. Repurposed wine tanks, kegs, sink drain fittings, and precisely milled redwood cladding still hold strong and have improved over the years. Now it’s 7BBL and only the mash tun & heat exchanger are original.
There was a time when Bonsai had no glycol chiller, no conical fermenters, a ladle and bucket for harvesting… and look at us now! “Still thrown together and still crushing great ales! I’d like to thank JC, Keela, Mom, Dad, and my sister Katie, the internet, and air conditioners in general for getting us here.” -Graham
The Barrel House
We love good wood. In fact we have a whole building for aging an array of ales, with a variety of yeast and bacteria, from tame to wild, sometimes including fruits & spices, all stored in a library of casks.
We love our French & American White Oak babies that once held red and white wines, tequila, rum, gin, and an assortment of fine whiskey.
We are fortunate to have a great partnership with Whistling Andy’s Distillery nearby in Bigfork. Check out their Hopshnop liquor distilled from an entire batch of our Due North IRA! They get wort from us, we get wood from them.
There’s always something fun or funky going on in our Barrel House and you never know what could come out next.
beautiful Whitefish
Montana is a special place.
Year round outdoor recreation. Mountain biking, rafting, hiking, fishing, skiing, boating. You name it, we get after it.
And we do so always with the respect of the land and the people that have called this place home. We’re advocates for protecting not only our slice of paradise, but the earth as a whole.
We welcome you to our corner of the world, we ask that you respect it as we do.
never litter • leave no trace • pack it in, pack it out •
Thank you!
Where to Find Bonsai Beer?
At Bonsai!
90% of our beer styles are only found in our taproom…
but we also do a small bit of distribution. You can often find Bonsai beer in bottles or on draft at these select locations:
Whitefish: Markus Foods, Third Street Market
Kalispell: Mountain Valley Foods
Missoula: Big Heads Bottle Shop
