By Cole Boehler
The place has eight, maybe 10 middle-aged, working class customers attending to sudsy pints of beer at 4:15 on a chilly November Thursday afternoon.
But the transition is complete by 6:30 when the place is crowded with upwards of 40 twenty-somethings who appear likely to be college students and local laborers.
It is, after all, "Pint Night" at the Rhino in Missoula.
When Kevin Head and Brad Martens launched the Downtown business 18 years ago, they were evidently looking somewhat ahead of the curve. They saw the import/craft beer craze coming and positioned themselves to capitalize on it.
But at first, they had just six taps running some standards like Strohs, Miller Lite and Molson. Later, they added eight more. On the way to a Portland brew festival, they discovered pubs in Seattle with 15 and 20 taps.
"We knew we had to do something," says Head.
Today the Rhino boasts 50 tap handles and kegs of the most exotic beers available from Montana, the nation and around the world. Their selection of draught beer is unmatched in the city and, as far as the partners know, in the whole state.
And that's why this place gets crowded toward evening: beer drinkers know they can enjoy their favorite or sample something entirely new...all the time.
On "Pint Night" the Rhino will feature one beer; perhaps a new one. But beforehand, the partners work with the local distributor or directly with the brewery to obtain plenty of pint glasses--as many as 100--sporting that particular label's logos. For the price of a beer plus $1, a customer gets to try the brew and keep the glass. Later refills are discounted 25¢, pitchers of the featured beer are reduced by a buck.
Head says any leftover glasses are sold at $1 each. "We have collectors who like them and sometimes the distributor will help us with the costs, too. The breweries and the distributor reps really like 'Pint Nights,'" Martens says.
Head adds, "People come here to try new beers because they know they don't have to go look for them. We try to get to the big beer fests; we went to Seattle last year. The strong beers are coming on, and so are the live beers and cask conditioned. We've got a bourbon porter aged in bourbon casks."
This night the Rhino was featuring Sierra Nevada's New Harvest, which represents a fresh trend in very fresh beer, where the hops spend less than 24 hours from the field to the tanks. The week prior it was Rogue Brewery's "Dead Guy Ale."
True, the Rhino has exploited the beer connoisseurs market niche in Missoula. If someone says, "Hey, let's go get a beer," there's a good chance they'll head for the Rhino.
But Martens and Head are not satisfied with being well known for one specialty line. Currently, they are leading the curve on developing a complete offering of single-malt scotches and developing the customer base to go along with it.
Head says, "There is a small but growing palate for single malts."
The back bar features 50 varieties of single-malts covering the whole price spectrum, all available through the state warehouse. The reporter asks about the Balvenie Double Wood. Head says, "I've got it. I've also got a small-cask 1966 Balvenie 21-year-old."
Head says the margins on the high-end scotch are pretty good--perhaps 30 percent on cost-of-goods-sold.
Indeed, Head later lets the reporter in for a special treat: a few samples of his "private stock" including a 38-year-old Balblair that would retail for $350 per bottle... if it could be had at all. The Balblair is a divine, heavenly elixir.
We then sample a Bowmore Darkest which Head warns is "peaty, smoky." Oh yes, quite so. I imagine eating asphalt would be like drinking the Bowmore; not for this kid.
But then Head pours a taste of MaCallan Cask Strength, a nicely colored Highland aged in sherry barrels which retails through the state at about $50, and retails over the bar of the Rhino at $6 a shot. Delicious.
Head notes that the high-end scotches are all served with bottled water since the city's chlorinated stuff will unacceptably alter the taste.
But back to the Rhino...
The partners scraped and scratched up $35,000 to launch the business 18 years ago. Of the $35,000, $20,000 went toward a down payment on a license, leaving a scant $15,000 for all the other start-up costs including equipment, furnishings, inventory, operating capital and so on.
Head laughs, then says, "We started on a shoe-string. Heck we had to borrow some stools to get open!" Fond memories, now.
"I remember one time when we had $1.50 in our checking account. We each were getting a salary of $400 a month, plus tips. We were the swampers, both worked 12 hour days, six days a week; we did everything," Head says, and that went on year after year for many years. In fact, Head took his first real vacation since opening the business last year.
"I remember standing at the door inviting passersby to come in and have a beer," Head says. "We're doing well now; we can't complain. It's nice to know that license could help us retire. We've worked for it."
It's one of Missoula's hoppingest establishments today. Martens said they usually run one or two bartenders during the day, three or four at night, depending on the night, sometimes with a couple of security people at the doors checking cards. Altogether, they employ 10 people full-time and about 22 including part-time.
"We don't have a lot of turnover," Head says. Martens adds, "You can make nice money here. On a good night, you could pull down anywhere from $20 to $40 an hour with tips. That's good money!" Head adds, "If they're making good tips, that means they're doing a good job and that's good for us."
The Rhino also provides full health and dental plans, an IRA retirement program and other benefits for long-time staff.
And Martens and Head believe in server training. "We use TIPS training and we'll do it again soon. We've had plenty of city stings--at least seven--and we've passed every time." Anyone who fails a sting "has their job on the line," Head says, but notes "the fakes are just so good anymore."
The place sports three gaming machines, a shuffleboard, pool table, pinball and snack machines, ATM and a house sound system. Martens pipes up, "And a hot tub!" Huh? "Yeah, that great big circular booth" that would likely seat a dozen: "We call that the 'hot tub.'"
Head chimes in, "We're a unique place: we're a true neighborhood pub; the whole community just happens to be our 'neighborhood.'"
But the 1890s-vintage building at the corner of Ryman and Front sucks a lot of cash for utilities--up to $800 a month--and other maintenance costs. Even though the partners don't own the real estate--they lease--they recently spent almost $120,000 on renovations including new up-to-code bathrooms, a heating and air conditioning system, new plumbing and wiring...
The partners recognize the big expenses as part of the cost of doing business: "It's good for our customers, it's good for our staff" to work in an up-to-date, comfortable venue, they say.
So, what's on the agenda for Head and Martens?
Both say they are content with business today, but could always take a leap at another enterprise sometime in the future, even though a second location they opened a few years back--the Blue Heron--folded.
But the Rhino's liquor catering businesses is blooming now. They have landed the catering contract for the University of Montana and provide complete adult beverage service for University of Montana events, including Grizzly football.
Most recently, they catered the biggest musical event in the state's history--the Rolling Stones concert of this past October where 23,000 fans converged on Washington-Grizzly stadium.
"It was by far the biggest event we've ever done. The volume was fantastic, but the margins are slim," Head says, but admits that night "made up for many losers and break-evens we've done.
"We put every server--120 of them--though TIPS training. The special insurance was $4,000. I was scrambling all over town to find 52 cash boxes," Head says with a laugh.
The Stones concert "was just so great for the whole community," Head says. "Everyone in town was sold out--restaurants, motels... And there were no reports of problems. The people who didn't go had their windows open or sat out on their decks. Old timers were there, little kids. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event; fun for the whole community.
"The only problem is, we'll probably always be disappointed at whatever is coming next."
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, Jan., 2007, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.