Category: grand opening

Starkeller Now Open in New Ulm

By on March 5, 2017in August Schell Brewing Co., general beer, grand opening, new beer, tap rooms

It’s finally here. The all sour taproom headed up by Jace Marti (of Schell’s) was given the go ahead from the TTB recently and they’ve opened the doors and are ready to serve (check their social media for hours) their popular Berliner Weiss beers. “This story began in 1919. Prohibition happened, so for 13 years we were making soda” according to Jace. He is of course referring to those beautiful cypress tanks they purchased (and repurposed for the Starkeller) back in 1936 which were much cheaper than their steel counterparts. “We couldn’t afford new equipment after prohibition so we installed wooden tanks instead of steel ones.” The vessels were used at Schell’s from 1936 until 1991, mostly for Deer Brand Lager.

One might ask why they decided to use these cypress tanks from 1936 at the new space. Well there are a couple of reasons. For one, they’re gorgeous, rare, and they add a ton of character to the space. “These are the last 10 tanks like this in the world” says Marti.  Another reason is that the bacteria and brettanomyces being used at the brewery like a tiny bit of oxygen which steel tanks can’t provide on their own. The cypress tanks breathe a little which allows a very small amount of oxygen in without ruining the beer.

Why Berliner Weiss? Schell’s has always made traditional German style lagers but Jace wanted to do something a little bit different. So he went to Berlin to learn about a style of beer they were brewing over there that had roots in other parts of Europe. “The French brought the sour technique that they learned in Belgium over to Berlin” he says.

The second oldest family run brewery in the country is once again changing the way we think about beer. From Belgium to Berlin, and now to New Ulm. Welcome to Sour Country.

 

Cheers!

Utepils Brewering Co. Grand Opening Saturday

By on February 17, 2017in grand opening, Utepils

If you haven’t had a chance to drop into a soft opening of Minneapolis’ newest brewery, you might just want to pay Utepils a visit on Saturday for their grand opening.  In case you’ve been living under a rock or are just overwhelmed with the sheer number of breweries in our state, Utepils Brewing Co. is the baby of Dan Justesen, former co-owner of Vine Park Brewing in St. Paul. The brewery is a massive jump in scale compared to Justesen’s previous project, boasting the sixth-largest brewhouse in the state. Justesen explains “Our plan was to build our brewhouse at a size that meets what we’ll need in the future. We didn’t want to be in a constant state of upgrading our brewhouse or our equipment. So we built the upgrade.” That theme continues throughout the brewery and taproom with meticulous attention to detail. While some new breweries open in a mild (or not-so-mild) state of disarray, it’s clear that Justesen and his crew aim to impress right out of the gates.

But what about the beer? Brewer Eric Harper has a solid line-up of European-style beers ready for Saturday including a Czech-style Pilsner, Albier, IPA, Hefeweizen and a Kölsch.  There are also non-alcoholic offerings. If you’re hungry, the Gastrotruck food truck will be on site and Utepils also has an open-door policy for food delivery to the taproom.

The brewery will be open Saturday from noon to 11:00 pm. They’ll also have live music throughout the entire day from a variety of artists including The Eddies, Dad Man Trio and more.

Following the grand opening, regular operating hours will be noon until 10:00pm Wednesday and Thursday, noon until 11:00pm Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6:00pm Sundays.

Utepils is located at 225 Thomas Avenue North in Minneapolis.

Inbound Brewco Opens in North Loop

By on April 24, 2016in breweries, grand opening, hops, Lucid Brewing, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer

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The North Loop is quickly becoming the new Northeast when it comes to craft breweries. Fulton has been there for years and Modist just opened in the past couple weeks. Now the folks behind Lucid are entering the market with Inbound Brewco.

Upon first glance the space is very cool. Wooden beams suspended from the ceiling make for a fun space to gather. The first beer I tried was a tasty Apricot Ale that was ridiculously refreshing on a 70 degree day in Minnesota. The Kolsch was nice but not my favorite example of the style, and the Special Bitter was my favorite—most likely because of the toasty notes from the Maris Otter malt.

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The feeling of the taproom is that of a skate park. Plywood can be seen throughout the space and the colors were kept to a very simple black and white. The building was previously used to house garbage so it took them a lot of time to get it into shape which had to be frustrating. They will have an outdoor seating area and they also have a private space upstairs. One thing that will set them apart is that they will have live music on the keg stage inside the taproom. It’s definitely worth making the trip, but if your’e looking for the best beer down there, you’ll still find that a block away over at Fulton.

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Inbound Brewco
701 N 5th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55401

Cheers!

Modist Brewing Looks to Push Boundaries in the North Loop

By on April 13, 2016in beer education, breweries, cooking & food, education, general beer, grand opening, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer

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It took a while, but Modist is looking to change the way we think about beer. First of all, founders Eric Paredes, Kale Anderson, Dan Wellendorf, John Donnelly, and Keigan Knee are all in on some state-of-the-art equipment that gives them efficiencies that other breweries just can’t achieve. “We’ve been able to reach 90 – 98% efficiency with our beers” says Paredes.

This is in reference to the fact that they “pulverize” their grain into a powder and filter it out afterwards rather than having to clean out the mash with a shovel. Essentially they run it through an expensive piece of filtering equipment which produces a cake of the unusable material.

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With the beer (reasonably priced at $3 for a tulip, and $5 for a 20 oz. pour) they hope to change the way we view beer. Paredes went on and on about how he wants people to see beer pair with food the same way that wine does. They aren’t big on making beers to fit into specific styles. Out of the gate they are pouring three beers, pHresh, TOATS, and Calibration Ale which are all very clean.

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PHresh is your sessionable patio beer. It’s described as “a refreshing tart beer” which it certainly will be. The initial batch didn’t quite reach the pH balance they were looking for so it’s not very tart out of the gate, but I’m told the next batch will be. “It’s super drinkable. A gateway sour beer” according to head brewer Keigan Knee.

Toats is my favorite of their initial offerings. People tend to think of robust and roasty Stouts, and a velvety mouthfeel with oat based beers. This one is clean, sessionable, and damn tasty with a citrus kick in the nose. A perfect example that the color your beer does not determine the bitterness, nor the alcohol content of your beverage.

Calibration is the first beer that they brewed on their new equipment. Years of homebrew experimentation inspired this one. This tasty sipper clocks in as their highest ABV offering yet at 5.9%. Once again, this is very drinkable and the Pilsner malt comes through nicely lending it a touch of sweetness.

The wait is over and Modist definitely lives up to the hype. With those prices, Twins fans are going to be very happy.

Grand Opening

Friday, April 15th 3:00 PM

Modist Brewing

505 N 3rd Street

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Cheers!

A First Look at Star Keller

By on February 8, 2016in August Schell Brewing Co., beer travels, cooking & food, general beer, grand opening, history, misc. mn beer, MN, mnbeer.com, new beer, tap rooms

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New Ulm is a charming city, one that seems almost lost in simpler times. The city is home to one of the most respected breweries in the country, one that has survived the Dakota War of 1862, the Civil War, Prohibition, and The Great Depression. In fact, Schell’s is the second oldest family owned brewery (D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest) in the country.

But if you think that Schell’s is stuck in that time period, think again. Jace Marti (who is next in line to run the brewery) has his eyes set on opening an all sour brewery and taproom on the north side of town that he will call Star Keller. This will be the first all sour brewery and taproom in the state of Minnesota and let me tell you, it’s beautiful. It’s every bit steampunk and like nothing you’ve seen even up here in the cities. “Everything in this brewery is from the original brewery” says Jace.

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This includes a boiler from 1885, the original copper kettle for the base of the bar, ten cypress tanks, picnic boxes that make up the bar top, some old wooden ladders, a wall of weathered tin, some old taxidermy, and much, much more. Those cypress tanks along with all the fittings cost the brewery $3,437 eighty years ago this coming May. Which by the way is the target opening date. “We’re aiming for a May 1st opening which marks the 80th anniversary of those tanks” he says. Oh and that tin that adds a ton of character to the space, that was given to the Marti’s as a gift from the family of one of their barrel coopers from back in the day. Literally everything in this new space has a story.

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This brewery and taproom will serve sours exclusively made at the brewery. This lineup will be diverse and there will be 8 beers on at any given time. “We want to have a core lineup eventually” says Marti. “We’ll put tanks on a two year cycle for blending.”

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Yes, you read that right. Expect to see some Lambic and Flanders styles to go along with all of those excellent Berliner Weiss brews they’ve been putting out in the Noble Star Series. The taproom itself will have a capacity of 40-50 people. There is also a kitchen in the taproom where Jace hopes that local chefs will be able to play with the flavors in his funky brews and help to create a “local” experience. One thing is certain, this place is going to be a hit and will be well worth the trip for those of us up here in the city.

May can’t get here soon enough….

Cheers!