Breweries opening in Minnesota 2015/2016

I don't agree with the analysis that these nine are "the most anticipated" new taprooms to the exclusion of others, but this is a nice, though brief, writeup on some of the breweries theoretically "opening soon."

It's also the first I'd heard of 56 Brewing's "Community Supported Brewery" plan. An interesting idea.

http://minneapolis.eater.com/maps/t...-new-twin-cities-craft-breweries-and-taprooms

 

Birch's on the Lake in Long Lake, with the former head brewer at Schlafly's pilot brewery and his plan to focus on innovative and experimental brewing, is by far my most anticipated, personally. It's not on Eater's list.

Also, Pondscum in St. Michael, purely for the name.

 

It's not a new brewery, and it's not in Minnesota, but Rush River in River Falls, Wisconsin is opening its taproom on Friday, May 1 at 4 p.m. River Falls is about 25 miles east-southeast of St. Paul.

http://growlermag.com/rush-river-taproom-to-open-may-1/

 

Took 'em long enough.

 

Maybe it's a statement of their priorities?

 

It is a shell of a shell of a page, really, but 1858 Brewing has put their FB page in place (and on Instagram, too). Nothing on Twitter and no website. But the FB page announces Fall 2015. (insert grain of salt to be taken with this news here)

 

As with a number of local homebrewers goin' mersh in recent years, I found them on Untappd.

A bit of an update on Bryn Mawr.
And one from the (open) Beaver Island.

 

Sidhe Brewing officially opens at 6 PM tonight (Grand Opening at the end of May.)

Bryn Mawr open house this Saturday from 2 to 4 PM:

 

Not a new brewery but Steel Toe is expanding its taproom, barrel aging and possibly adding new packaging...

 

Big Axe Brewing in Nisswa just announced on their Facebook page that they are opening May 15. They will have food and beer.

 

Plan on hitting up 56 tomorrow. Hoping for good beer!

 

@morimech

I can confirm Leech Lake Brew Co's closure. The tap room has been open the last couple Saturday's in order to sell the last of their kegged beer. All of there bottles have been distributed. The brewing equipment has been removed too. They sold it to another MN brewery I believe.

 

I've wondered the same thing. Walker has a lot of tourists in the downtown area, especially in the summer. I enjoyed my one visit to the brewery, but I was never a regular there due in part to their location.

It's unfortunate, but I foresee some more closures around the state. I think there is room for more breweries, but they need to really plan it out and hit it on the head. There's a lot of competition, so just 'ok' might not be good enough.

 

Leech Lake debuted in summer 2010, about a year before the Surly Bill passed. I'm sure that a lot of owners of breweries that opened prior to the Surly Bill would have chosen different locations and different business models if only they knew it was coming. I may have the timeline wrong, but I believe that Fulton picked its Warehouse District brewery location prior to Surly's push for the taproom bill. If that's the case, Fulton benefited from quite the windfall when the Surly Bill passed. That's probably the best taproom location in the state for customer traffic.

 

I doubt it. Every bottle of beer I bought from them was contaminated. It's hard to be a successful brewery when you can't even brew beer properly.

 

Greg Smith replied to a comment on an April 18 post on the Facebook page, in which he wonders whether his brewery plan would've lasted longer had he opened not just in the center of town in Walker, but closer to the Twin Cities.

It's worth wondering about in hindsight and also interesting to note that he has another business plan that he's been working on for longer than the brewery; now that his brewery has run its course, he'll pursue that fully.

Judging by the reactions to his closing on his Facebook page, he made a great impression on a lot of folks and helped them to cut their Craft Beer teeth, so to speak -- even despite his beer being average at best.