Breweries Opening/Closing in Minnesota 2018

You missed Loony's Brew near International Falls

 

Oldenburg Brewing Company is in planning for Belle Plaine, targeting a spring 2019 opening (sure), according to its Facebook page. This article specifically describes it as a brewpub, but given that the article botches the definition of a brewpub (serving food, as most of us know by now, is irrelevant to the distinction between breweries and brewpubs in this state), I don't trust it.

 

I don't remember anyone mentioning this before, and my apologies if it has been mentioned, but Bad Heist Brew(ery/ing) is planning to open on Concord Blvd. in South St. Paul next fall.

 

I hope it's a Dumb Starbucks-like parody of Charlotte's Heist Brewery.

 

Oops, my bad--it's actually Big Heist.

 

Indeed is opening a 2nd Brewery & Taproom , in Wisconsin. http://www.citypages.com/restaurant...-second-brewerytaproom-in-wisconsin/500151321

 

OK I'll bite, anyone want to explain how this will work? Technically/legally they'll have to be two separate breweries, right? Is this anything close to Barley John's setup?

 

Indeed is a distributing commercial brewery, and there's no brewpub in Minnesota to worry about, so I don't think separated ownership would be necessary under Minnesota (or Wisconsin) law. The separated ownership model is used to get around Minnesota's prohibition on distribution by brewpubs.

As consumer demand for craft beer grows increasingly localized, it's becoming very difficult for out-of-state breweries to compete in distribution, and taprooms can be a solid source of revenue in their own right. This move allows Indeed a second taproom that would be prohibited by state law if it stayed within Minnesota and turns it into a brewery local to two substantial markets instead of one. I like it, at least in concept.

 

As for Indeed doing this, I think it's a good idea, i thought Lift bridge should have done this. Expanding your name/footprint the right way in today's market.

 

Ok I'll play devil's advocate. If owning a second taproom in another state was such a great idea there would be a ton of other breweries already doing this. Maybe Indeed is onto a good idea but this investment isn't cheap. According to the Journal Sentinel article the new taproom will brew some for production but the small 10 barrel brewing system "will concentrate on filling kegs, crowlers and growlers." I would guess Indeed is hoping to pick up some taproom revenue and by planting a flag in Wisconsin that locals will buy more of their beer feeling Indeed is local.

I think Milwaukee/WI is a tough market for craft beer as most of my cheesehead friends don't stray much from buying their case of Miller Lite along with some New Glarus.

 

I don't know if Milwaukee is the place to do it with out marketing research. but other cities like Madison, Lacrosse, or Green Bay/Appleton/fox valley or else where would be worth looking into. Maybe even Eau Claire, Wausau or The Dells. Eau Claire might be too close. 5 years ago Eau Claire was prime real estate for a new brewery, somebody missed out on that one.

 

Anyone remember the last time they had an Indeed beer or even seen any on draft anywhere in the cities ? Probably 3 years since I had a beer from them - this seems like an illogical move on their part.

 

Black Husky moved to Milwaukee for a reason. There beer sold there. Great Dane has (is ?) considered opening a another location in Milwaukee or close by.
Indeed is on tap at the 4 closest bars to my house. True i don't drink much Indeed myself anymore, but when i do it's usually at a bar.

 

probably rum king at the taptoom. I took to boys out and as the DD I only had one beer.

 

I had some Flavorwave not long ago. Just because they are not the flavor of the month is no need to totally ignore them.

 

Indeed sold almost 18,000 barrels of beer last year and is the seventh largest brewery in the state. I was last at the Minneapolis taproom a couple of months ago and last recommended that someone visit there a couple of days ago.

I'm not sure why this would be thought to be a worse investment than any other modest-sized, taproom-oriented brewery-in-planning, and Indeed is an experienced and successful operation with a solid brand that seems to me a lower risk than the vast majority of other BIPs out there. For the price of a couple million dollars (I'm estimating), Indeed gets to more than double the number of people who consider it a home-state brewery and gets a second, high-margin brick-and-mortar storefront that won't cannibalize from its original location. I suspect at least several of the larger Twin Cities metro area breweries already would have multiple taprooms in the area if permitted by law, and a second-state taproom strikes me as having much higher upside than one just a few miles away.

Indeed may want to be careful about alienating its original market (implying that Milwaukee-area sports fans are more committed to their teams than are Twin Cities-area sports fans is an unforced error), and it'll be interesting to see if southeastern Wisconsinites truly embrace Indeed as local (although I know I would if the markets were reversed). Nonetheless, this strikes me as a creative, contemporary approach in a rapidly changing market in which significant traditional expansion looks remarkably ill-advised in the vast majority of cases <cough Lift Bridge>.

 

Your experiences do not reflect those of others.

 

This just dropped in my inbox. One of the elder’s in the state’s Brewing scene has fallen. As a member of their beer club, I can’t say I’m too surprised, given how things have been scaling back there in recent years, but this is a loss many of my friends will feel personally. RIP Great Waters.

 

Sorry, I had hoped to post the screenshot of the actual announcement, but I can’t figure out how to do that, but the other pertinent fact from the announcement is that GWB will close their doors permanently on Nov. 18th.

Makes me sad. Many good friends were made there over the years.

 

According to someone on Facebook, Great Waters’ last day will be November 18th.