New lipstick, same old Bierstube

Some might say The Bierstube at Whitefish Mountain Resort got a facelift this summer, but owner Scott McIntosh said it was really more like putting lipstick on a pig.

“We got the best of both worlds. It’s totally new on the outside and totally old on the inside,” McIntosh said. “The deck is really nice, that’s nicer than any deck we’ve had before. It’s beautiful now.”

What was once a pile of mud has indeed turned into a deck, and the deck serves as a new face to the upper end of the village at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The renovations are the culmination of extended lease negotiations between McIntosh and the resort that took place over much of last year’s season, and which McIntosh said went straight to “the eleventh hour.”

Their successful conclusion also cemented his belief that mountain officials support the role of private enterprise in the village in the foreseeable future. He now has a new 10-year lease with an additional five-year option to go with the new deck, siding, roof, doors and windows.

“This could have been a 10-story hotel. It could have been a lot of different things,” McIntosh said. “It’s a special place, when it’s snowing sideways and there’s a couple hundred people in there and a ski movie going, it’s a special place.”

McIntosh has owned the business for the past 15 years, but he said the mountain’s decision should also be interpreted as a commitment to protecting history. He said The Bierstube was here long before he was, and he was happy to see the mountain’s leadership were committed to protecting its legacy.

“We’re excited about it, and I think the mountain is too, I really do. I think it’s a win-win,” McIntosh said.

The interior of the business isn’t changing, though McIntosh said with the new lease he would be better able to make long-term improvements on bar stools and other things “that make a bar great.” He said the long-term nature of the lease made him comfortable investing in his business, and he’s happy it will benefit the skiing community.

He also said it would take a while for them to decide what to do with the new outdoor deck space. One of the results is they will now be open in the summer. He hopes to host events out there eventually, but this winter he would probably just throw out some tables and be sure to keep it clean. He said eventually he would probably install a bar, but he didn’t anticipate that happening this winter.

“The temptation is to spend a bunch of cash and buy a bunch of stuff and put a foofy bar out there, but we’re going to take it slow and grow organically,” McIntosh said.

He was pleased to have a seat at the table throughout the planning process, but ultimately most of the decisions were made by mountain officials, since they own both the land and the building and have a plan for how they want the village to look. Ultimately, McIntosh was just happy they were able to come to a deal and leave the inside of the place intact.

“I couldn’t care less if it was pink,” McIntosh said.

McIntosh said the resort gave him a slight break on rent in return for financing the $300,000 project. This year his costs have gone up slightly as a result, but he feels thankful for the support from the mountain and suspects that without the collaboration the place could have been razed.

Spending money on capital improvements on a building he doesn’t own wasn’t something that was easy to commit too, but the long-term commitment from the mountain gave him the support he needed.

Work began on the building during the final week of last year’s season and didn’t wrap up until just before the first large snow storm of the season hit at the end of October, he said. Both the contractor and individual builders doing the work were hardcore skiers, so he’s satisfied it was built “by skiers, for skiers.”

McIntosh said over the summer while the mountain was busy and construction work was ongoing, many people approached him to make sure he wasn’t changing the inside of the building. He spent a lot of time reassuring people that the traits that made the Bierstube great weren’t changing a bit.

“The fears were that all of a sudden The Bierstube is going to be fine-dining and selling filet mignon and stuff like that,” McIntosh said. “I certainly want to reassure people that to us this remodel isn’t a license to change who we are, it’s really a vindication of what we’ve been doing forever.”

Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.