Minnesota Breweries Popping up Everywhere

[Tip Top]

New breweries in the last year or so...
Steel Toe
Harriet
Boom Island
Lucid
Olvalde
Mankato Brewing
Fulton
Brainerd Lakes Beer

Coming...
Dangerous Man
Smokehouse Brewpub
Pour Decisions
Badger Hill
612 Brew
Hayes Public House

When is it going to stop?  How much can the state really support?
Bemidji Brewing Company
another production brewery I am asked now to name...

[smellysell]

My buddy that was out there a few months ago raves about Harriet.  What are your thoughts?

Other buddy that was just out there said thank for your recommendations too btw.   

[Tip Top]

My buddy that was out there a few months ago raves about Harriet.  What are your thoughts?

Other buddy that was just out there said thank for your recommendations too btw.   

Harriet is good, but nothing really has blown me away.  My favorite of theirs is the Saison.  Steel Toe is by far my favorite of the new group.

[howardf]

They keep popping up all over Indy, but our percentage of craft beer sales was really low anyway, so I think they'll help bring the number up vs. fight over the small percentage.  The two latest ones to open are aspiring to be neighborhood brewpubs with little to no distribution.  We'll see how it all works out

[chi_dave]

How many of these are nano- vs micro breweries? I love seeing the shift towards nano-breweries, but I doubt these types of places will ever see the financial return of the successful established micros.

[Tip Top]

The only one I think is a nano is Olvalde.

[tavernjef]

I have my doubts that many of these won't really last for many years or get up to what Surly has done, that may not be what they are after either, but to succeed in the craft beer market, you need fantastic brews to grab people by the palate, if they brew average beers they will find themselves starving to sell on shelves on the hugely competitve market here in the TC area... Time will tell...

Of these...

Steel Toe
Harriet
Boom Island
Fulton 

Haven't had any from these yet -
Brainerd Lakes Beer
Lucid
Olvalde
Mankato Brewing

Looking forward to -
Smokehouse Brewpub
Hayes Public House

[Tip Top]

I have my doubts that many of these won't really last for many years or get up to what Surly has done, that may not be what they are after either, but to succeed in the craft beer market, you need fantastic brews to grab people by the palate, if they brew average beers they will find themselves starving to sell on shelves on the hugely competitve market here in the TC area... Time will tell...

Of these...

Steel Toe
Harriet
Boom Island
Fulton 

Haven't had any from these yet -
Brainerd Lakes Beer
Lucid
Olvalde
Mankato Brewing

Looking forward to -
Smokehouse Brewpub
Hayes Public House

I completely agree on Steel Toe.  I think Harriet has interesting enough stuff that is usually at least palatable to survive.  They have a decent following too.  Boom Island and Fulton have a lot to prove to me.  The Lucid Camo DIPA I had Saturday did nothing for me.  Olvalde has been good.  Haven't had anything from Mankato or Brainerd.

[Tip Top]

Watch out for this one.  The brewer does great work.



http://www.indeedbrewing.com/

[Tip Top]

It's not often I post a link to BA, but this is a good, comprehensive list...

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/4408278

Brewery Plans - E.T.A. 2012:
1. 612 Brew (South Minneapolis)
2. Badger Hill (MPLS)
3. Bemidji Brewing (Bemidji)
4. Canal Park Brewing Co. (Duluth)
5. Clyde Iron Works (Duluth)
6. Dangerous Man Brewing Company (MPLS)
7. Excelsior Brewing (Excelsior)
8. Indeed Brewing Company (Minneapolis)
9. Third Street Brewhouse (Cold Spring)
10. Reads Landing Brewing Co. (brewpub e.t.a. Summer 2012)

Brewery Plans - Unknown E.T.A. (2013?):
1. Borealis Fermentery (Duluth)
2. Driftless Brewing (Lake City)
3. Last City Brewing (St. Paul)
4. Minnesota Valley Brewing (Chaska)
5. Pour Decisions Brewery (Roseville)
6. Smokehouse Brewpub (South MPLS)

New and Operational Breweries*:
1. Big Wood Brewery (Vadnais Heights)
2. Boom Island Brewing (N/NE Minneapolis)
3. Brainerd Lakes Beer (Brainerd)
4. Carmody Irish Pub and Brewing (Duluth)
5. Castle Danger Brewery (Two Harbors)
6. Dubh Linn Irish Pub (Duluth)
7. Dubure (Duluth)
8. Harriet Brewing (South Minneapolis)
9. Leech Lake Brewing (Walker)
10. Lucid Brewing (Minnetonka)
11. Mankato Brewing (North Mankato)
12. Olvalde Farm & Brewing Co. (Rollingstone)
13. Staples Mills (Stillwater)
14. Steel Toe Brewing (St. Louis Park)

Notable Additions circa 2006 - 2011:

1. Surly (2006)
2. Flat Earth (2006)
3. Lift Bridge (2008)
4. Brau Brothers (2006)
5. Fulton Brewing (2009)
6. Bank Brewing -Hendricks- (2009)
7. Bard's Beer -Edina- (2008)
8. Founding Fathers -Orono- (2011)
9. Boathouse Brewpub & Restaurant -Ely- (2008)

Recent Additions -- related to notable brewpubs:

1. Town Hall Tap (2010)
2. Tycoons/Rathskellar -Duluth- (2011)

[tavernjef]

Wow, looks like there's much more to do when stopping in Duluth on my way along the North Shore.     

[Tip Top]

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/142008153.html

More going on in MN.

[Tip Top]

Doesn't hit most of the new ones.  Cool to see Steel Toe included though.

[tavernjef]

anyone tried any of the Indeed stuff yet?

[Tip Top]

anyone tried any of the Indeed stuff yet?

 

It's excellent.

[Tip Top]

What I've thought of what I have had so far...

Brewery Plans - E.T.A. 2012:
1. 612 Brew (South Minneapolis)
2. Badger Hill (MPLS)
3. Bemidji Brewing (Bemidji)
4. Canal Park Brewing Co. (Duluth)
5. Clyde Iron Works (Duluth)
6. Dangerous Man Brewing Company (MPLS)
7. Excelsior Brewing (Excelsior)
8. Indeed Brewing Company (Minneapolis) I have had both Midnight Ryder and Daytripper.  Both excellent beers.
9. Third Street Brewhouse (Cold Spring) Not overly complex stuff so far, but solid.  Like the Black IPA.
10. Reads Landing Brewing Co. (brewpub e.t.a. Summer 2012)

Brewery Plans - Unknown E.T.A. (2013?):
1. Borealis Fermentery (Duluth) 
2. Driftless Brewing (Lake City)
3. Last City Brewing (St. Paul)
4. Minnesota Valley Brewing (Chaska)
5. Pour Decisions Brewery (Roseville)  Pubsitute was good.
6. Smokehouse Brewpub (South MPLS)

New and Operational Breweries*:
1. Big Wood Brewery (Vadnais Heights) Samples have been good at fests.
2. Boom Island Brewing (N/NE Minneapolis)  Meh
3. Brainerd Lakes Beer (Brainerd)
4. Carmody Irish Pub and Brewing (Duluth)
5. Castle Danger Brewery (Two Harbors)
6. Dubh Linn Irish Pub (Duluth)
7. Dubure (Duluth)
8. Harriet Brewing (South Minneapolis)  Hit and miss.  Mostly good, but nothing great.
9. Leech Lake Brewing (Walker)  Another mixed bag.  Tough to tell how fresh it is though.
10. Lucid Brewing (Minnetonka) Nothing off putting really, but really lacking flavor on most everything.
11. Mankato Brewing (North Mankato)
12. Olvalde Farm & Brewing Co. (Rollingstone)  Love what this guy is doing.  Unusual stuff that has all been tasty.
13. Staples Mills (Stillwater)  Awful.  They need to go away.
14. Steel Toe Brewing (St. Louis Park)  Rock star of the new breweries.

Notable Additions circa 2006 - 2011:

1. Surly (2006)
2. Flat Earth (2006)
3. Lift Bridge (2008)
4. Brau Brothers (2006)
5. Fulton Brewing (2009)
6. Bank Brewing -Hendricks- (2009)
7. Bard's Beer -Edina- (2008)
8. Founding Fathers -Orono- (2011)
9. Boathouse Brewpub & Restaurant -Ely- (2008)

Recent Additions -- related to notable brewpubs:

1. Town Hall Tap (2010)
2. Tycoons/Rathskellar -Duluth- (2011)

[tavernjef]

Yikes, hard to keep up with all of em at this point...

I missed a couple good tappings this week by only minutes...Happy Gnome had Darkness 09', and Burger Moe's had Surly Syx. Missed em both by about 15 - 20 minutes, they kicked before I got there   

[tavernjef]

Had the Indeed Midnight Ryder and really liked it, very impressed with that one. Great balance and piney dark hoppyness.   
Third St Bitter Neighbor Black IPA was pretty good, a bit heavy on the malt and body, otherwise forgettable after having the Indeed.
Harriet's West Side Belgian-Style IPA wasn't very good on-tap, came across weak, soapy/waxy, and messy, not sure if it was the tap line or what, but it was not good. 

[Tip Top]

http://growlermag.com/now-open-or-damn-close/

[Tip Top]

http://heavytable.com/bryon-tonnis-and-colin-mullen-of-bent-paddle-brewing-co/

At a time when “micro” is becoming the expected modifier for “brew,” the Duluth-based brewers of Bent Paddle Brewing Company are ready to buck the trend — in terms of scale and ambition, at least.

When their 30-barrel brewhouse, taproom, and canning line get rolling in early- to mid-2013, this insurgent operation will immediately become a force to be reckoned with on the North Shore, and the brewery’s product should soon arrive in the Twin Cities as well.

Asked why his new brewery will be launching at a scale equivalent to the stalwart operation at Surly, co-owner Bryon Tonnis (above, right) has a single-word reply: “Math.” He says, “It’s the economics of beer. It’s an economy of scale. We’ve seen so many small brewers come in, they hit it out of the park, they’re doing really well, but within a year their system is maxed out and they can’t really go anywhere from there. And they struggle and struggle for years to build a system this size. We decided to do a lot of the work on the front end and spend a year and half fundraising.”

That fundraising — a mix of private investment, bank loans, and SBA loans – -makes Bent Paddle an enterprise with more than $1 million behind it (Tonnis and Mullen declined to be more specific about the company’s fiscal footprint). The brewery will operate in a 10,600 square foot warehouse-like space on West Michigan Street in Duluth, including a 1,200 square foot taproom and a 1,000 square foot canning and kegging area.

Tonnis and his co-brewer, Colin Mullen (above, left), have their local brewing credentials in order — Tonnis as head brewer of Rock Bottom in Minneapolis and a brewer at Twin Ports / Thirsty Pagan in Superior, WI, Mullen as a brewer at the locally iconic Barley John’s brewpub in New Brighton, MN. And their commitment to the enterprise is a family affair: their wives, Karen Tonnis and Laura Mullen (the outgoing coordinator of the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild) are co-owners and will also be full-time employees of the company.

And the beer? Despite the brewery’s Surly-like size and canned product, Tonnis says that the mainstays of Bent Paddle’s output will be balanced and drinkable, not extreme. “We want to bend some traditional styles a little bit — we don’t want to go into specifics of what we’re going to do just yet,” he says. “We want to do an incredible Pilsner — we want to bend the tradition, and tweak it…”


Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
“We’re not trying to break tradition or rewrite tradition,” adds Mullen. “We’re big fans of subtlety. The extreme stuff is fascinating, but it kind of hits you over the head. I still really like hoppy IPAs, but I like milds, I like Pilsners. The water in Duluth is perfect for Pilsners.”

Water is close to the brewery in more ways than one — Duluth’s proximity to the Boundary Waters is a key selling point for the Tonnis familly. “My wife and I are avid canoers, and we go to the Boundary Waters at least once or twice a year,” says Tonnis. “We have bent paddles. For the last nine or ten years, I’ve been using a bent paddle for mashing in in the morning, in the brewery. My two greatest passions, brewing and canoeing, just kinda came together.”

Despite the recent explosion in new breweries in the Upper Midwest, Mullen says that Bent Paddle should have plenty of room to maneuver in the marketplace: “Minnesota’s brewery saturation is still pretty low compared to other states out there,” he says. “Even compared to Wisconsin or Michigan. Certainly Oregon, Colorado, and Washington. It’s an exciting time to be in the beer industry in Minnesota.”

“There’s also a fantastic new media structure around craft beer right now, reporting on craft beer and making it more available to the general public — we’re doing this interview right here. There’s lots of support going on beside the brewers, and that didn’t exist 10 years ago… even five years ago.”

Tonnis adds that there’s a lot of room on taps and liquor store shelves for local beermakers to compete with national brewers. “You go to a liquor store, and you see 30, 40, 50 brands of craft beer on the shelves, but the Minnesota side is pretty small,” he says. “And people really like drinking local beer and supporting local businesses. So we should be able to work our way into the scene.”

As for the future, Mullen says: “We’ll go as far as our sales and beer will take us.”

(Bent Paddle Brewing Company, 1912 West Michigan St., Duluth, MN 55806, 218.279.2722)

[bakes]

anyone tried any of the Indeed stuff yet?

 

It's excellent.

[Surly Duff]

Cool to see the recent explosion.  Indeed is just a couple blocks walk from my place.  612Brew will be open in early 2013 and also just a couple block walk.  Dangerous Man opening at the start of the year will be close by too.

Not another brewery but the Town Hall bowling alley location should be interesting.9 lanes, kids birthday parties (no pizza though which will be weird for a b-day party).

[Tip Top]

 

http://www.twbrewing.com/

http://www.pryesbrewing.com/

http://www.burnbrosbrew.com/

http://hammerheartbrewing.com/pages/welcome.htm

[Surly Duff]

http://www.twbrewing.com/

http://www.pryesbrewing.com/

http://www.burnbrosbrew.com/

http://hammerheartbrewing.com/pages/welcome.htm

Had heard of Hammer Heart (friend of a bartender at Grumpy's NE) but the others are news to me.  Pretty crazy to see the explosion here.

Not sure we can support the more than 60 in planning but it'll be interesting.

[urbanhack]

WHAT'S UP DUFFFFFFFFFF??????????????????????

[Surly Duff]

WHAT'S UP DUFFFFFFFFFF??????????????????????

Notta.  About to wander over to Town Hall for their annual Festivus Party.  Free mulled ale and camp fire outside.  Tapping and intro price ($1.75 pint) on Grinch's Grog (5.8% Simcoe heavy Oatmeal Pale ale), Festivus 2012 (5.8% Dark Wheat beer made with Belgian chocolate and bananas), and Elves' Elixir 2012 (9.6% Baltic Porter lager).

[tavernjef]

Olvalde has been very impressive thusfar   

[Tip Top]

http://www.badweatherbrewery.com/   http://mnbeeractivists.com/newsfeed/batten-down-the-hatches-for-bad-weather

They just keep coming.   

[tavernjef]

http://www.twbrewing.com/

http://www.pryesbrewing.com/

http://www.burnbrosbrew.com/

http://hammerheartbrewing.com/pages/welcome.htm

Had heard of Hammer Heart (friend of a bartender at Grumpy's NE) but the others are news to me.  Pretty crazy to see the explosion here.

Not sure we can support the more than 60 in planning but it'll be interesting.

Yes, It will be very interesting     I think it depends on how many will try to market in the more broader Twin Cities area. If most stay more localized for the first couple years or more, they may be able to stay afloat and hopefully grow.   
And of course, if they make anything thats good enough to grab the attention and repeat sales of what is now a fairly knowedgable and expected taste genre of craft beer enthusiasts.

Currently, I'm at about 50% of liking and have enjoyed new brews from new brewiers the last couple years.

Here's what I have been buying and drinking very often:

Everything from Surly and the Summt Unchained series. (Really not that new)

Then there is big gap to these which I've only had a couple times and will try again and really liked, but probably not very often depending on what else is available.

Steel Toe, Indeed, Olvalde, Lift Bridge

Slim to no chance I will be buying anything from and have had but not been impressed with:

Fulton, Harriett, Flat Earth, Third Street

I've had a smattering of others that I have tried, can't recall which off the top of my head, there was some Badger Hill I tried just last week(stout and a bitter) that was OK, nothing I would get when offered others I can get and definately prefer over.

Lots of people want to get on the trend train of craft brewing that has started here in MN; it will either stall out or keep a steady track. If most of them try to get too big too fast it won't last long and they will fall off the train. And if they make subpar to average craft beers, that too, may hamper how long they can ride the train for.
I want stay positive about the surge of craft breweries and pubs opening up, but they need to make very impressive and tasty brews to win me over. I'm just one guy who has very high standards when it comes to putting my beer money where my taste buds are.    

[Surly Duff]

It's interesting that even with so many in the craft beer world that don't care for Fulton, they still have a huge following.  That following does seem to be less craft beer nerds and more people that drink whatever and also enjoy some craft beer.  Their tap room is packed all the time.

[tavernjef]

It's interesting that even with so many in the craft beer world that don't care for Fulton, they still have a huge following.  That following does seem to be less craft beer nerds and more people that drink whatever and also enjoy some craft beer.  Their tap room is packed all the time.

That's good for them, they have their following and it's working for them, to each their own.
I haven't really enjoyed a single thing from them. Very average to below average for me. And I'm not trying to be beer snobby. I know what I like and enjoy out of my beers; and their stuff ain't it.
They're a great bunch of guys, I've met most of them more then once and was at their first official release party at Happy Gnome. I wish them all the good graces of success, and perhaps one day they will brew a beer I like and I can change my mind.

[Surly Duff]

Bad Weather is going to share the space with Lucid and Badger Hill.  If their beer is anything like that of those they're sharing the brewery with, I'll pass.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2012/12/another-beer-startup-to-share.html

[Tip Top]

Northgate Brewing
We are excited to announce that on January 28th at Grumpy's NE we will be releasing our Wall's End Brown Ale. It is Minnesota Monday's at Grumpy's so look forward to specials and giveaways. See you there!

[Tip Top]

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/01/16/appetites/tom-horgen-northeast-brew-district

[Surly Duff]

Checked out Dangerous Man last Friday for their soft opening.  Nice place.  Beers were good.  Very cool design for the taproom.  Not quite as warm and inviting as Indeed but more artsy and modern.  Might swing over there to grab a growler for up north this weekend later today.

Really looking forward to 612Brew opening.  Friend Robert is one of the founders.  Will be nice to have 2 breweries within a couple block walking distance of my place.

[Tip Top]

Another one coming...

http://jackofallbrews.blogspot.com/2013/01/enki-brewing.html

[Surly Duff]

Going to wander down to Grumpy's NE for the Northgate release.  I've talked with the guys from the brewery on a number of occasions at Grumpy's.  Nice guys.

Side note: Something happened with Surly's Chicago distributor so Grumpy's NE got 2x 1/4 barrels of Darkness last week then a 1/2 barrel of Darkness and 1/2 barrel of Damien this week.  Score.  Drop in for Minnesota Mondays with 1/2 price MN beers from 5-9pm.  Makes a glass of Darkness $3.  $2.50 pints of Furious are hard to argue with.  They've still got Brett Liquor on (think they still have another 1/2 barrel too unless this is their 2nd 1/2 barrel on now).

[Tip Top]

Leech Lake for sale

[Surly Duff]

HammerHeart Brewing Company in Lino Lakes just got their taproom and growler licenses approved.

[Surly Duff]

Add another one.  Junkyard Brewery just got federal approval last week.

https://www.facebook.com/JunkyardBrewery

[Surly Duff]

Kinney Creek Brewery is another one I wasn't aware of. They're already open and down in Rochester.

http://www.kinneycreekbrewery.com

[tavernjef]

Went to Dangerous Man for a couple hours. Definately the hot new thing for that area and a great idea and space. They don't have food, its a brewery that serves their beer only and allows you to bring in food if you'd like and even have a set up with the Irish fare and pizza place right around the corner.
The beers were average to good in my book. Had all 4 that were currently tapped, a typical Belgian that was quite average yet good enough to drink with ease, a English Rye that was OK and not as drinkable, a Bitter that was not quite to style or taste, very loose and soapy tasting with some over astringencies that I would not classify as something found in a classic Bitter. That one needs some balancing or extra fermentation?
But the Chocolate Milk Stout was quite tasty and very drinkable and smooth. By far the best beer from them that I was able to enjoy and would come back for.

[Surly Duff]

I was in there again on Saturday night.  The Rye was OK.  Chocolate Milk Stout is the only one they'll have on most of the time.  Everything else changes every batch.  Everything on the menu was different than when I'd been in a week before.  It's cool to have constantly changing taps but at the same time if you like something, they may never make it again which sucks. 

While I like the place, it's not the most warm and inviting.  Decor is kinda cold.  Not all the warm wood of places like Indeed, Town Hall, Barley John's, etc.  Nice to have it right down the street where I can drop in almost any day.

They need to work on the staff training.  Right now the bartenders mostly take a single beer order at a time.  Look at any decent bar and you see bar staff that take several orders at once.  Means much less time wasted running back and forth to the taps and to the register.  They also need to train the door guys.  When I was there on Saturday they were "at capacity" so they were making people wait in the entryway for others to leave.  At the time they had around 200 people inside.  Their fire capacity is 90.  They'd be looking at quite a fine.  Also talking to the door guy, he was unaware that people can have alcohol restrictions on their license so he wasn't checking the backside.  Nor have any of the other door guys in the several times I've been there.  They don't realize that it's a $200 fine to the guy checking IDs, $200 to the bartender that would then serve them and a point on the establishment's liquor license (3 points in a year and you lose your license for a year).


612 Brew opening on Wednesday.  I'll be there when they open the taproom at 4pm.  Should be a good time.

[tavernjef]

Enjoyed Lift Bridge Silouhette the other night.  Yummy solid stout. They have won me over with their bigger beers.

[Tip Top]

Another one I hadn't heard of before today.  Blue Wolf Brewing Company

[Tip Top]

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/City-officials-help-brew-up-craft-beer-growth-4415990.php#photo-4436739

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — When Ryan Petz signed his lease in 2010 for a new brewery in the shadow of Minneapolis' Target Field, he never dreamed they'd outgrow the 6,000-square-foot building in just a few years.
Fulton Beer expects to pump out 7,000 barrels — that's about 1.7 million pints — of beer this year, more than double their production in 2012. They'll have to cram in two more brewing tanks to meet demand for their brews, like the Guns N' Roses-inspired India Pale Ale called Sweet Child of Vine. There is barely enough room for one.
The craft brewing scene is exploding in Minnesota as it is across the country: Two-thirds of the breweries in the state have opened just since 2010, according to licensing records. Twenty of those started in the last year alone.
Much of that growth has been driven on the local level by city officials, who see a new craft brewery in their town as a cultural and tourism magnet, a job creator and a growing economic engine.
Nowhere is that more clear than in Minneapolis. Mayor R.T. Rybak crashes brewery openings, and the City Council has shown its willingness to tweak zoning and other city ordinances to help out individual breweries.
"That has been one of the biggest difference makers," said Petz, the president of Fulton. "If the city of Minneapolis hadn't been willing to ... actually be proactive in helping us, the industry would be in a different place."
Minneapolis is home to eight of the 35 craft breweries and brewpubs that have opened since 2010. Duluth, another hot spot for growth, has four.
"We have done everything we could to make it clear that we're strongly behind the new beer culture," Rybak said.
In November 2011, the City Council changed a longstanding ordinance that separated churches and establishments that serve alcohol so that Dangerous Man Brewing could open a taproom in northeast Minneapolis. Dangerous Man finally opened its doors earlier this year.
And last spring, food trucks parked in Fulton's lot to feed hungry customers until Petz got a notice that he had to send the trucks away — the city's zoning ended three blocks east of their building. The city fixed the issue in less than a week, which Petz called "light speed."
"It could have been a protracted thing. We could not even have food trucks now, a year later," he said.
On the banks of the St. Croix River — outside the cities where the industry has flourished most — Stillwater has been nothing but supportive of Lift Bridge Brewing, said CEO Dan Schwarz.
"They understand that it's a part of the culture, it's a part of the community," Schwarz said.
For the industry to keep growing in Minnesota, craft brewers may need more help from the state.
The so-called Surly bill (named for a Brooklyn Center brewery), which allowed brewers to open taprooms and sell pints onsite, was a huge win for the industry when it passed in 2011. But other victories have been harder to score at the Capitol, where lawmakers and a powerful liquor lobby are wary of easing alcohol restrictions too fast.
Rep. Joe Atkins, an Inver Grove Heights Democrat who has gained a reputation for handling alcohol issues at the Legislature, said it makes sense for cities to approach craft breweries as an opportunity for economic development. But the state's role is a regulatory one, he said, which means changes often come slow.
In just the past five years, Atkins said he and others at the Legislature "have gone from perceiving the craft brewer as something of a novelty to something that makes a great deal of sense to embrace."
This year, a group of small breweries is pushing to revise state law so that growing brewers can keep selling 64-ounce growlers of beer. Those take-home bottles are a significant revenue source for many brewers, but current law bans breweries that churn out more than 3,500 barrels annually from selling them. A bill in the works would bump that threshold up to 20,000 barrels. Both Rybak and Duluth Mayor Don Ness have wholeheartedly backed that effort.
"There's a tremendous amount of support at a local level to encourage these entrepreneurs to succeed," Ness said. "Then we run up against these state restrictions that really hamper the ability of Minnesota brewers to be as successful as they could be."
For Petz, it's just a matter of time before the Legislature embraces the industry the way Minneapolis has. Minnesota brewers want to catch up to other states like California, Colorado and Oregon, where craft beer is ingrained in the culture.
"People are just getting that idea now," he said.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/City-officials-help-brew-up-craft-beer-growth-4415990.php#ixzz2PsojLz00

[Surly Duff]

HammerHeart got license approval and brewed their first batch last week.  Bent Paddle brewed their first batch the week before.

Surly signed with a distributor too.

[Surly Duff]

Bent Brewstillery.  Microbrewery and distillery.

http://www.bentbrewstillery.com

[Tip Top]

It's getting out of control...

Urban Growler

Pryes

Enki

Fair State

[t0rin0]

Hoping to check out a number of these during RBSG in August. Do any of these have tasting rooms and weekday business hours? I know when I was there in late 2011 I was mostly limited to the bars since I was only in town during the week. Obviously places like Rock Bottom and Town Hall were open but it would have been nice to visit Surly and any number of other commercial/industrial type places on the weekend.