Breweries opening in Minnesota 2013/2014

That didn't take long (for Rocky Coast). Thanks for the update! I'll pull them both from my lists.

 

Here's another new plan for Uptown Lyn-Lake Minneapolis.

P.S. I know that the last month of the year is a busy one (what with all of the holiday functions and bad sweater parties to attend), but look for a couple of the other Minneapolis plans to open before the New Year.

 

Has anyone heard about the beer that will be poured on the 16th at The Freehouse?

 

Gonna be some surprises, I'm sure (and Micromatic's gotta be steamed about all the kegs harmed in the creation of the ceiling art in the "Volstead Lounge".)

 

We've got another one, Sisyphus Brewing, Loring Park.
http://sisyphusbrewing.com/

 

City Pages article on the Freehouse: http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2013/12/the_freehouse_h.php

Opens December 16.

 

Gluten free an organic? I dunno. I feel for people who have Celiac and need more options, but I see places like this being a flash in the pan.

 

A First Look at Freehouse: http://minneapolis.eater.com/archiv...look-at-the-freehouse-opening-next-monday.php

Looks pretty cool inside. Hoping their offerings are good at least.

 

I spy labels 3 of the tap handles. IPA, Brown, and Stout. First one is unlabeled.

 

I've gotta admit that place looks like they pretty much went all-out on it (and I also kinda wonder how much of their own beer they plan to provide to each of their locations, but that's placing the cart before the horse. )

 

Yeah the keg lights are a nice touch lol

 

Another article on the Freehouse: http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/dining/235619871.html

 

Anyone going to the Freehouse today? I'm thinking of heading over for lunch.

 

Report back if you do!

 

So far I'd say that 'flash in the pan' can only accrue to outfits like Staples Mill or that brewpub in Waverly. But some of the Minneapolis "Foodie-ati" at City Pages are already up in arms about this plan. You'd think that there'd be a real interest in a dirt-worshippin' CSA sorta place, after all, Mud Pie was once a big draw down near there...

 

You mean this place http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16401/?view=beerfly&ba=morimech. Sort of a strange arrangement and the brewery seemed totally out of place. More of a chef driven establishment. The food was very good and obviously the focus. Not sure who the brewer was but the beer was not very good. Seemed to be more of a BMC crowd demonstrated by the lack of anything but BMC besides the couple house beers. Heard it was because of the brewery expense that the restaurant could not keep its doors open. Didn't another local place buy their brewing equipment when they closed? Cannot remember who.

 

Yep, that's the one, and I'd heard that some of the equipment wound up at Dave's BrewFarm*, but not sure how much. A couple of folks (Tod at Mantorville, and some guy who used to brew at "The Watertower") know where it all ended up, but I'm still surprised it couldn't stay open longer than it did -- which was maybe a year?

I know that the western suburbs have been craving a place like that, but Waverly is a long haul for folks who are already accustomed to established and familiar haunts even closer, inside the metro loop.


(* Which is sort of ironic since he'd originally wanted to open west of the Twin Cities. )

 

Pretty cool looking on the inside with all sorts of sleek lines and industrial whatnots. Sort of standard brewpub layout with an island bar and their brew equipment behind glass off to the side. I liked the keg lamps and the bottle cap mural was dear to my heart. I was there after 2 so it wasn't busy and I spied a group of Dangerous Men at one end of the bar. Service was friendly and prompt. The food is on the pricier side and sounds fancy, but if it's anything like what I've had at 3 Squares and the sandwich I had to day, it's really not that special. They had a lot of choices though and they did look appetizing. I would maybe consider coming back for breakfast, but only because they encourage drinking. What really got to me though was the names of everything on the menu. "Breaky?" "Sando?" "Chix" and "Sammie" in the same name? It's quirky in very small doses but this was just too douchey hipster bandwagon for my taste.

But what you probably care about more is the beer. I had the house IPA and Kölsch. They were out of stout or I would have tried that. The IPA was fairly standard; not terribly hoppy despite its description and more on the bitter side (west coast fans would be left wanting). I felt like it needed more malt and came across as thin. It looked nice and smelled okay though. The Kölsch was nothing special, honestly. It was crisp but tasted like most other lagers out there and that's probably what I'd have thought it was unless told otherwise. However, I'm not as well-versed in lagers so it might just be me. I wish I had gotten the brown instead, but oh well. They had a modest set of other drafts with the likes of LB Harvestor, Midnight Ryder, 3 Phils, and Cutthroat on nitro. I did like that they had three pour sizes.

Bear in mind this is all the opinion of one person who had one meal on one day. Either way, this place will need to prove itself because just in the surrounding couple blocks, it will be competing with the Loop, Black Sheep, Smack Shack, Borough/Parlour, Bewiched, BLG, Clubhouse Jager, Cuzzy's, and Bunkers. It also isn't the only brewery with Fulton just a few blocks away. And hell you could just go to northeast or downtown for a million other choices. The place is part of a large and successful restaurant group, so I'm sure they won't struggle but I just hope they are more than a drop in the bucket.

 

No, no equipment from that brewery and I don't know where it landed.
But yes, the first iteration of the BrewFarm was to be in Plymouth, MN - and we know how that worked out...
In the end of that, I learned a ton along the way and landing out here in Wilson, WI became the truer vision of what the BrewFarm was conceived to be.
Now, who wants to open a brewery?!?

 

Nice review, sounds like a gimmicky joint getting by on the novelty of brewing their own beer. I'll try it at least once because I work on Washington and there aren't many other beer-centric places right on that strip. And I automatically subtract one full point from any food place that uses the word "sammich" or any variation of.