Breweries Opening in the Minnesota 2016/2017

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by KarlHungus, Jan 12, 2016.

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  1. morimech

    morimech Grand Pooh-Bah (3,779) Nov 6, 2006 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I have only eaten in the brewpub and not the supper club. The food is very good but expensive.
     
    sudo likes this.
  2. kraticus41

    kraticus41 Initiate (0) May 30, 2013 Minnesota

    I'll second the Coffee Porter recommendation. Best porter I've had.

    Their Cranberry-Oatmeal Stout "won" the Beer Dabbler a year ago.
     
    Victory_Sabre1973 likes this.
  3. JMN44

    JMN44 Pundit (775) Sep 19, 2013 Minnesota

    I also very highly recommend Birch's. I ate at the supper club a couple of months ago and the food was very good. The supper club and downstairs brew pub are both very cool spaces.

    I had the Pumpkin Ale which reminded me of Point's Whole Hog, the White Pepper Wit (very good) and the India Brown Ale which I really enjoyed as a hoppy brown. The brewer obviously really knows what he is doing. Birch's was recently approved to sell growlers too. Great option for those of us in the western metro area.
     
  4. Chaz

    Chaz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,544) Feb 3, 2002 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

  5. deadbody

    deadbody Initiate (0) May 10, 2010 Minnesota
    Trader

    That looks like the building brainerd lakes was gonna use. Till they just started contracting everything
     
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  6. Chaz

    Chaz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,544) Feb 3, 2002 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Opening next Friday -- from their Facebook page:
     
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  7. kabagepatchkale

    kabagepatchkale Initiate (159) Jan 8, 2016 Minnesota

    The Brewhouse is from Aegir Brewing systems but they are out of Menominee Falls , Wisconsin not Oregon. http://aegirbrewingsystems.com/

    It is a 25 HL brewhouse with a mash filter in place of the lauter tun. It was delivered last week and we are getting it all hooked up and ready to make beer. The opening is fluid and has been moved back and may move back again. The reason for this is that we will not send out a beer that is under attenuated. That is not why we got in this industry.

    P.S. I am not into self inflicted pain and suffering so we did not go with a Chinese brewhouse or a poorly designed brewhouse from anywhere else.
     
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  8. coco79

    coco79 Initiate (145) Oct 25, 2013 Minnesota

    What ever happened to Brainerd Lakes Brewery? Are they still even around?
     
  9. Windvaner

    Windvaner Devotee (373) Nov 7, 2014 Minnesota

    #49 Windvaner, Jan 22, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2016
  10. SlightlyGrey

    SlightlyGrey Maven (1,394) Apr 4, 2011 Minnesota
    Trader

  11. Chaz

    Chaz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,544) Feb 3, 2002 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    That is from here.
     
  12. Windvaner

    Windvaner Devotee (373) Nov 7, 2014 Minnesota

    Yes...What Chaz said.
     
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  13. KiddVideo

    KiddVideo Initiate (0) Jun 19, 2015 Minnesota

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  14. morimech

    morimech Grand Pooh-Bah (3,779) Nov 6, 2006 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society

  15. sudo

    sudo Initiate (181) Jan 6, 2016 Minnesota

    Made it over to Wicked Wort Brewing on Friday. Grand opening, I know, I know, don't judge a brewery on their "first days". I somewhat disagree with that, as there are certain nuances that can be forgiven, but whatever.. Wicked Wort was a bad one. Beer mediocre at best, maybe mediocre is being generous.. (yes I tried them all, even bought two flights) The pilsner had a weird aroma, my wife said, "butt", I said "wet socks". Either way it wasn't pleasant. The taste, however, didn't indicate any kind of infection so that was weird (maybe they got heavy handed on the sanitizer?). The stout, a thin watery coffee mess, 3.4%? Don't brew a stout at 3.4% IMO, stouts by nature are session-able at 4.5-5% alone... Wife said her favorite was the blonde ale because it tasted like a crappier bud light. (This is coming from someone who drank IPAs and IIPAs before I did.) Everything else was bland and not memorable. They also played it safe with the lineup (blonde ale, kolsch, pilsner, irish red, stout, and a english bitter). The lines were long (duh it's opening night) but they did a really really poor job of anticipating a large crowd. Service was slow and incompetent (I know, I know opening day..) but they decided it was a good idea to put a bunch tables where the bar area was where EVERYONE and their grandma had to go to get beer which ultimately made for a supremely awkward and crowded mess. (like nut to butt kinda crowded mess). My wife, friends, and I tried to find standing room to taste our acquired brews, maybe a standing table or a ledge to set our brews down nope!, so we awkwardly found an open corner by the bathroom entrance and stood there to drink them, I put the extra beer on the floor.. The taproom interior itself was underwhelming and not very well put together, no merch setup, the bar area was boring, bare walls, awkward seating, ect...

    With all that said, there was nothing about this brewery that made we want to drive outside the cities and check them out again. I'm sure the locals will imbibe to their hearts content on their newly acquired brewery and think the beer is "great", but there's plenty of other breweries in the metro which is much closer to me making much better beer.

    Maybe I'll try them again, maybe I won't. That's my review and I'm not apologizing for it. (ok maybe I was a bit harsh... damn you minnesota nice in me!)

    Either way, check it out, report back. Drink local. Cheers!
     
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  16. surfninja

    surfninja Aspirant (281) Oct 21, 2015 Minnesota

    I was at Wicked Wort on Saturday around 2. A few empty tables and no nut to butt mess.

    I only had one beer and didn't spend a lot of time evaluating it like sudo. I'll probably go back in a few weeks with some friends and spend more quality time.
     
    sudo likes this.
  17. sudo

    sudo Initiate (181) Jan 6, 2016 Minnesota

    Good to hear your experience was better than mine. I was there around 730. It was even busier around 8.
     
  18. Aaron8587

    Aaron8587 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2016 Minnesota

    This could either mean good or bad things for Venn brewing since it is their head brewer that is currently working at Wicked Wort. Either this is a learning experience for the brewer and by the time Venn opens he will have a better process knowledge or this is a window into the type of beer that will be at Venn.
     
    sudo likes this.
  19. MNHazmat

    MNHazmat Initiate (0) Oct 23, 2008 Minnesota

    I agree on the pilsner aroma - something was really off there. The irish red was "ok".
     
    sudo likes this.
  20. Bravak

    Bravak Zealot (563) Sep 9, 2014 Minnesota

    So, being one of the most awarded home brewers in MN doesn't mean that it will be the same at the commercial level? Well, I'll be.....
     
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