GREAT FALLS – The International Association of Firefighters Local #8 has teamed up with Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company to celebrate 100 years of the IAFF.
Bryan Painter, IAFF Local 8 Secretary and Treasurer, said, "Our state firefighters have a convention every year and we vote for what city it is in. This year it is in Great Falls. It just happens to coincide with the International’s 100th year."
These firefighters are able to have a hand in the beer-making process. "I have toured a couple of home breweries of brewers but never actually been involved, other than a couple homebrew batches," Painter said.
This is not only fun for the firefighters, but is also a good time for the folks at Jeremiah Johnson, says the brewing company’s operations manager Tristan Bradford. "With our set recipes, we know what we are doing. This is where it gets really fun because we really get to take that creative approach to it. We also get to creatively attack any challenges."
Bradford says it helps to have the firefighters on site so they can express their likes and dislikes. When first discussing the beer, they started leaning towards an amber but they have added changes to make it unique.
Bradford describes it as "more of an Irish red, so it is a little bit lighter in style. It is a little bit lower in A.B.V., so we will be about 5 to 5.4 percent. That is really drinkable on a summer day but with a really good backbone and body on the beer."
They also added a pinch of smoked cherry malt to give it a smoky character. As the IAFF Local Eight gears up for their state convention, they are also celebrating their history with the IAFF.
"We were one of the original signers of the charter when they first formed," says Painter. "It’s really uncommon to even see locals in three digits much less single digits. It is a really cool deal."
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