Breweries opening in Minnesota 2013/2014

If you're into a li'l road-trip east, the BrewFarm is open this weekend (7/12-13 from 2-8 each day) and I'll have eight tasty beers a-flowin'. Come on out and play in the beautiful WI countryside!

 

I’ve been to all but a few of the taprooms and brewpubs in the Twin Cities area, and Dave’s BrewFarm, between the excellent beer and atmosphere (which ZAP says he doesn’t care about), is my overall favorite. I highly recommend that any beer fan in the area check it out. Others that have been around for awhile that ZAP hasn’t visited but brew particularly good beer include Surly in Brooklyn Center (taproom), Barley John’s in New Brighton (brewpub), Das Bierhaus in Menomonie, WI (brewpub), and Summit in St. Paul (taproom).

Among “new openings in the last year,” I will give a strong recommendation for Enki in Victoria, MN (taproom). It opened 12.5 months ago, but who’s counting? Not only does it brew good beer across the board, but in particular it produces what I think is one of the best Hefeweizens in the Midwest, Hootenanny Hefe Weiss. It also makes I Anno ENKI Chocolate Hefe, a cross between Hootenanny and its Cacao Porter, which I haven’t tried but sounds promising. Enki’s best beer in my opinion is Tail Feather IPA, really more of a Double IPA that I think would garner a lot of buzz if more people actually knew it existed.

By the way, the other brewpub on Washington Ave. in Minneapolis is The Freehouse.

 

Thanks. Some great thoughts...I forgot to mention I have been to Barley John's, and Das Bierhaus as well. I was not very impressed with Das Bierhause a few years ago.

 

How far of a drive past Hudson are you? 10-15 minutes? I've been wanting to make it out there and never seemed to be down on a weekend you were open so maybe this weekend. What beers will you have this weekend?

 

Saint Paul-wise, you could wait a week or two before Urban Growler opens and hit them and Bang! and Burning Brothers and Tin Whiskers all in the same day.

Over in Minneapolis, Sisyphus opens this Friday, and while you are over that way you already know the score with the "Nordeast Taproom District." Fair State up on Central Ave still has a little ways to go (probably late summer), and Bauhaus is still just a little ways out -- their Growler magazine and "Brew Pub Pizza" dinner on the 29th is sold out

Out-state:

Oswald Brewing in Blue Earth is still a little ways out, as well.
Montgomery Brewing has an tentative target opening date (early fall).

LTS Brewing in Rochester is taking shape, and way up in Nisswa, Gull Dam is shaping up, too.

 

I'm excited for Gull Dam. I've seen the facility. Looks pretty impressive. I think they will be a pretty big player. Brought in some brewer from out east or something...

 

Yep, Luke Steadman from Sprague Farms in the great, beer state of Pennsylvania. Especially for the sake of folks Up Nort', I'm happy to know that they won't be a 'beer company' with another I.P.A. in a can, straight off the truck from Monroe.

Also up that way (sort-of) in Grand Marais:
http://www.voyageurbrewing.com/

I forget whether that link was posted yet, but it will be larger than a taproom and plans to have distribution of packaged beer in the northern part of the state. It will definitely be bigger than the Gunflint Tavern setup which is still chuggin' right along and looking ready to go any day now.

 

It's good to see the town of my youth getting another brewery. It's sad to see that said brewery is taking up the recent trend of new breweries being named something that is either cliché (Live The Dream, Life's Too Short), difficult to pronounce/remember (Enki, Sisyphus), or down right juvenile (Big Wood). It's as if the current round of brewing entrepreneurs is oblivious to the fact that their brewery will be judged on its name, marketing and packaging by potential drinkers before it is judged on the quality of its beer. With the plethora of new breweries to choose from the lack of attention to detail put in to the marketing aspect of a brewery makes me question whether or not a similar lack of attention will be put into the quality control aspects of consistently making good beer. That's not to say I have no faith in these breweries producing good beer, or that I will never try them. However, it's a big enough red flag for me that I will not be going out of my way to try them until I hear some consistently good feedback about their beers.

 

Nailed it on the head with this post. The cliche names come off as very amateurish, almost what a homebrewer would call it. I still don't know how to pronounce Sisyphus. While Bauhaus is an upgrade the logo is hard to read and a mouthfull.
Please no more breweries with Dream, Beards, Patriotism, etc in the name.

 

I don't care what a brewery is called as long as they put out a high quality product.

 

Did you guys not have to read Greek Mythology in high school? Sisyphus is not difficult. http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=sisyphus

 

I was including them more as a brewery with a more easily forgettable name than one that is difficult to pronounce. I mean, it's hard to argue that Sisyphus is as easily memorable as Surly, Summit, Indeed, Town Hall or any other brewery with a one or two syllable English language name.

 

Plus much much harder to pronounce after a hand full of beers.

 

It is, however, much easier to get surly after a couple beers than it is to get Sisyphus.

 

Check this place out, Karl, in SD (South Dakota, not San Diego) https://untappd.com/brewery/45781/beer

How bout a "Creamy Wet Spot" Yes, that is a name of one of their beers.

 

I can only imagine with horror what the name of the beer would be if the collaborated with Big Wood.

 

Nothing about them is sick and twisted. Just childish and dumb.

 

Thank god they didn't go with Kuhnhenn, Deschutes, Lagunitas, or Unibroue. They'd be doomed!

 

I really dislike most brewery names at first. Surly and Indeed spring to mind. The quality of their beer has softened my opinion on the subject.

 

I think we've gone past the tipping point on market saturation. I don't know how they'll all survive. Especially when there are widely available fantastic beers from Oskar, Deschutes, Bell's, etc. I'm pretty much just down to SW burbs beers and Indeed unless I'm feeling adventurous.