Breweries Opening/Closing in Minnesota 2018

LocAle Brewing Co. is in the works in downtown Mankato. The owners are a homebrewer / taproom manager at Starkeller and his wife. Both have microbiology backgrounds, and they plan to brew some barrel-fermented sours in addition to more mainstream styles. The taproom will have a kitchen and serve food, but, given that it has distribution plans, it's clearly not a "brew pub" despite the use of that term in the article (and I can tell you right now that it won't be pre-packaging 32-ounce growlers and crowlers either). They're hoping to open by August, which translates to early 2019.

 

On a related note, I thought I'd share the app I've been using to keep track of which breweries I've been to, MN Craft Beer. You can download it from https://mncraft.beer/

It's pretty basic, simply a map of all the craft breweries in the state and you can mark which ones you've been to. You can also link it to an Untappd account and get info on the beers brewed at each place right in the app. It's free and available for iOS or Android.

I've been using it for a while as I was lucky enough to get in on the beta test. It's pretty slick.

 

I'll second that it is a great app. One of things I like is that you can sort the breweries into visited/ not visited on the main map.

 

I didn't see AEGIR's opening date mentioned in recent forum posts, but they'll be opening this Saturday (3/24) with four beers and a limited number of growler fills.

Looks like a pretty unique space:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=id%3D439778399784284%3Btype%3Dpost%3Buser%3DAEGIRBrewCo

 

Live edge tables? Fancy.

 

Interesting as I visited Ægir brewpub a few years ago. Very tasty beers. Of course, that would be the one in Flåm, Norway. I highly recommend it if any of you are ever in the area.

http://flamsbrygga.no/en/aegir-brewpub

 

Yoerg will be selling The Monastery of Christ in the Desert ales at there tap room. Long read:
https://www.facebook.com/Yoergbeer/

 

Yet another new taproom -- how did I ever miss it? - Lost Sanity Brewing in Madelia.

 

It's aiming to open by the end of March, according to a 3-14-18 post. I'm always impressed when a brewery can get that close to opening without anyone in this thread noticing.

I checked out the new Tilion Brewing Company taproom in Cannon Falls over the weekend, and I was impressed. The beer is well above average for a brewery upon opening (and pretty good overall), and the venue has great views of the Cannon River falls. It's across the street from Cannon River Winery, one of the biggest names in Minnesota wine (not that that's saying much). It's just off of US-52, about 45 minutes southeast of downtown Minneapolis on the way to Rochester and Decorah, for you Forager or Toppling Goliath fans looking for a stop along the way.

 

Was this a "closed before they were open" scenario?
"Brew d'État, LLC"
http://discussions.probrewer.com/sh...-MN-1bbl-production-brewery-business-for-sale!
Boy, it sure is getting brutal out there!

 

Their beers have been available on tap at Cherokee Tavern and Union 32. I think they’ve only brewed like 2 batches of beer.

 

Being located in a smaller town probably kept theirs a low profile plan, but I expect similar plans are gathering a head of steam in towns of a similar size. Even when one obsessively scours social, rss, and google, the small town plans are simply easier to miss.

Don't blink or you might miss 'em!

 

Yikes! A 1 bbl production brewery. That is a lot of work. Most pilot systems are larger.

 

Definitely under-the-radar, as a brief search turned up very little scoop. Seems "Living the Dream!" is both rather expensive and a helluva lot of work...
(PS - it is...)

 

Their website is here, Facebook is here.

They had a very unique business model, and one which might've worked out had they been able to juggle three full-time jobs plus the brewery.

 

Interesting. Though I just don’t see the profitability of a 1bbl system.

 

It’s sustainable if you work a full-time job on the side to pay for it.

 

Brass Foundry gave up on the downtown Minneapolis castle and is instead opening in Minnetonka at 5959 Baker Road. They are expecting a July opening. They got their fermenters last weekend.

 

The old Lucid (North Loop) Brewing location? Or do they still have some presence there and are leasing or sharing the space?

 

For what it's worth, Brass Foundry's Facebook page can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/brassfoundrybrewing/

The Brass Foundry announcement in the Minnetonka press can be found here:
https://eminnetonka.com/current-pro...s/1931-brass-foundry-brewing-co-5959-baker-rd

The address they'd originally hoped for was at 247 10th Ave So., in Minneapolis:
http://www.citypages.com/restaurant...house-might-become-a-brewerytaproom/439193163

(If they are somehow connected to North Loop / Inbound, I will be very, very surprised. On the other hand, maybe Tod Fyten will buy them one day?)

On that note, here's an update on Rustech:
http://river967.com/monticello-mns-new-brewery-almost-ready-to-open/