Breweries Opening in the Minnesota 2016/2017

BlackStack Brewing Company - Preview #2

I stopped in for a quick tour of BlackStack on Friday, April 30th.

What needs to be emphasized straightaway is that the plan as I knew it a year ago is unchanged.

There have been delays* to hoped-for opening / Grand Opening dates, and we have already discussed these.

But a great deal of progress has been made since my first visit last June -- see this post -- and a soft opening in the early summer of 2016 is very much in the offing.

I hope that you'll forgive me if I repeat (or "re-hash") earlier observations, but earlier descriptions (whether my own or made by other contributors to this thread) tell us much about what we have to look forward to.

I will also apologize in advance for the "segmented" aspect of this post. It's just how I organized my thoughts, but it has the benefit of giving me an excuse to use of some of the photos from my visits to the brewery and pilot brewery. ^_^

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1. Brewery Type
BlackStack is a production brewery. In other words, fairly large-scale in terms of total output / annual barrelage.

- It will have large, multi-faceted taproom. Much thought has gone into creating a unique space. I'm impressed.
- It will have an outdoor patio -- on the roof (eventually). The view is worth the wait.
- It will have a kitchen (eventually), making it similar to "Urban Growler", also located in St. Paul's "Craft Brewery District."

In terms of arrangements with Client Breweries, we have already ascertained that Yoerg's Beer will not use BlackStack in a client brewer / contract brewery capacity -- at least not for the initial roll-out of Yoerg's. This is the single change from the situation as it existed last year, and it is in the best interests for both parties at this point in time.

That being said, other local breweries (existing and up-and-coming) have approached BlackStack as a potential partner to the effect of adding packaging capabilities to their own, extant retail mix. More details as they develop.

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Website / Social Media Timetable.

Website and social media -ARE- fully developed, and will come on line immediately prior to opening.

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--Notes on BlackStack's Amenities and Functions--

Kitchen.

The plan is to have an on-site kitchen, and this is more challenging than some might imagine it to be.

For the initial soft/Grand Opening period until the time in which a full kitchen is implemented, food trucks are planned to service the needs of guests and visitors to the taproom / growler service area. A good deal of thought has been given to the transition between each phase of food service --from Food Truck to Full Kitchen-- and the guest will not be left in the lurch. Pleasant surprises ahead.

Entertainment.

An Entertainment license allows for live music and special events. The taproom features an allocated live / music stage area and a breakout / function space which will enable the local community and the brewery itself to schedule events for the the available space.

Guest Considerations.

Family-friendly?
Bicyclist-friendly?
Dog-friendly?

Yes, wherever and whenever possible.

Growlers! (@ZAP)

A growler station is located adjacent to the bar, very near the main entrance. The plan going forward is a flexible one, so branded stainless steel "Brawlers" and even Crowlers are being considered.

Other Considerations.

- Adequate Automobile Parking.
There are 70+ surface grade spots on the east side of the building, with a nearby lot bringing the total to over 100.
NOTE: 100 sub-level parking spots have been added (by the property owner) since I last toured the site. This is huge!

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Packaged Beer

As has been previously mentioned, BlackStack's plan involves control / distribution of their core portfolio and seasonal brands within the state of Minnesota. Meaning that BlackStack essentially functions as a wholesaler of their product line, once packaged beer begins to roll-out.

In terms of the core, year-round and seasonal brands, the package design is ready, label ready for approval. The introduction of the packaged brands (and draught) will commence within a few months of the taproom's opening, so I would imagine we'll see those brands on the shelves in the fall, at the earliest.

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Delays

"All of these endless delays are killing the Craft Beer industry~!" (famous last words from nervous punters)

*As has been mentioned previously, the plan was fully funded from the start, which meant that unforeseen changes to the desired timetable of the build-out (yes folks, it's been delayed -- virtually every such plan experiences such delays) didn't affect operational budget (or cause a potential mad-dash for crowdsourced funding) further down the line.

Aspects of the build-out phase which have taken longer than anticipated include items which needed the approval of the outside licensing bodies and agencies of the city, state, and local community. For instance, there are utilities issues on the perimeter of the property (e.g. specifically a streetlight which needs to be relocated) and which will be addressed in the future, but which are not critical to the opening of the taproom, this summer. These needed to be addressed irrespective, and took time.

Other matters included placement of industrial equipment which are critical to the functioning of the large scale brewery model, and which hadn't been budgeted, time-wise, in earlier estimates of the total build-out and timespan.

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From "Notes" -- see also initial walk-through notes.

1e. Replacement of thousands of individual panes of window banks is near completion.

This was an area in which the local community was consulted, as it was determined by the historical preservation commission that the exterior should largely not be changed, but instead resemble the historic façade.

From a historic preservation standpoint, BlackStack has done an excellent job of blending in with the existing aesthetic of the neighborhood in which they are situated.

 

Nice job Chaz! It's great to hear about the progress and definitely happy to hear they will be integrating a kitchen and rooftop patio.

Looking forward to going there on weekend to watch soccer matches.

A couple questions - How was the beer , what style are they going to offer and does it sound like they will open with a good selection of finished beers? THX

 

What is the address of the facility?

 

It (BlackStack) is located at:

755 North Prior Avenue, Saint Paul (St. Paul) Minnesota (MN) 55104:



http://tinyurl.com/jzqamem

 

ahh...missed that...there are reasons I am not a detective.

 

With Urban Growler, Bang and Lake Monster close by, that should be a nice little beer area.

 

I was just thinking this too once I realized the location. You could even throw Surly into the mix if you're walking or going by bike. Looks to be about 3.5 miles end-to-end, maybe a very slow 5K brewery run in the mix down the line?

 

If gluten free is your thing you could also include Burning Brothers, so that is 6 when BlackStack open so, got to expect a few more. There are a few vacant building in this zone that could also be converted into functioning breweries quiet easily so I would expect we'll see at least 1-2 more breweries in the Hamline Midway area.

 

And Burning Brothers. Just a few blocks east of Black Stack.

 

(early pilot batch bottles -- British-style Imperial I.P.A., American-style brown ale)

Naturally, I'm old enough that I cut my teeth on flavorless (you ought read that as: "subtle") pale lagers as a young person, so Pils is my go-to. But of the batches I've sampled there have been only ales -- Belgian, British, and British/U.S. crossover ale styles -- no lager* styles.

I sampled over a half-dozen of the early batches brewed on their pilot system -- mostly last June. Since that time they've brewed dozens more batches, and have spent the past year refining and developing both year round, seasonal, and taproom-only recipes.

Altogether I'd say that Bob maxed-out the potential of the pilot system, worked it to within an inch of its operational parameters -- in other words, he was brewing some very good batches indeed. All were tweaked to showcase a particular malt or hop character, accentuate the desired aspect of the recipe and style, and get a good idea of what the brands will taste like.

I know that there will be four year-round brands, but can't say for certain whether all four will be available in time for their soft opening (although I know that that's the intention.)

From the longer post (above) the darker amber/brown beer in the "Westmalle" glass was a pretty classic Abbey Dubbel, albeit with more going on in the specialty malt department. I sampled that on a particularly cool, humid June day, so in that temperature the sweeter profile really reminded me of the bock beers I love so much and which I salt-away for the long summer months. It was almost but not-quite boozy, and reminiscent of a Rochefort 8.

A few months back the pilot system (which was re-located to the back of the new brewery space, last fall) was fired up, and so the pale orange-white beer in the second-to-last photo above is of course a Belgian-style Witbier. There was a nice Noble hop character on the nose, and lighter spicing than the version I'd tried last July. The earlier version was sweeter, rounder, maybe a bit stronger, while this newest version had a sharper and more astringent hop bite -- a bit more bracing. Either interpretation would make a great summer beer, but the first version was (I'm thinking) closer to what the average Witbier lover is looking for as a go-to.

For what it's worth, I'm not entirely sure which styles have been selected as year-rounds vs. seasonal offerings and so forth, but I did catch a quick glimpse of the package designs, and reckon that a desired version of at least one of the Belgian-style ales that I sampled will make their way into that mix. I'm looking forward to seeing which one it is.

*Bob has since last summer brewed a couple of batches of lager on the pilot system, either for a taproom-only or year-round / specialty brand. I don't know what the recipe or style is so much as I know that there's a unique malt profile they're looking for with that beer.

 

Hi Chaz -Good info on the beers. Sounds like a nice mix of different beers are coming from them . Hopefully they get all 4 out there for the soft opening whenever that may be. I love Bock Beers too .

I forgot to ask you one final question. Any idea what the taproom design/ aesthetic will be ? This place is basically the size of two Able Brewing or Bauhaus Brew Labs , and they both have amazing spaces in my humble opinion and I know BlackStack hired a firm from Minneapolis to design it ...Any info to share on the look that they are going for or any taprooms in MN/US that might be similar ?

THX

 

Here's a heaping handful of updates rendered in order as the BIP appear in the OP of this thread.

Minneapolis: Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative.
Has a tasting event on Saturday, May 28 -- 2015 Central Ave NE, MPLS -- 2 to 5 PM:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1557536964540532/

Minneapolis: Clockwerks Brewery and Taproom.
Brewing equipment is on site and taproom buildout is coming along. Early summer opening looks likely.

Minneapolis: Finnegans (downtown brewery and business incubator plan) http://finnegans.org/
Update from "The Growler": http://growlermag.com/mill-finnegans-and-kraus-anderson-break-ground-on-new-brewtel/

St. Paul / 'lowertown': Steven Marshall plan. No Further information -- maybe this is the 12welve Eyes plan?

St. Paul: Yoerg Beer. http://www.yoergbeer.com/
Test batches will be available early summer. Taproom search continues.

Blaine: Invictus Brewing.
Has a design for their building and expect to break ground later this month.
Link to Business Journals story.

Cannon Falls: Tilion Brewing.
Has closed on a property. Is having an investors meeting on Saturday, May 21st, from 2 to 4 PM.

Eagan: Bald Man.
Plan is moving right along.

Fisher: Vertical Malt.
Have sold their first batch of malt to Bemidji Brewing -- this is from a recent Twitter update)


Granite Falls: Bluenose Gopher Brewery Coop.
Buildout and plan appears to be moving right along.

Hastings: Spiral Brewery LLC.
Still no social media or web presence that I can find. Status is presently unknown.

Hugo: Cosmos Brewing.
Here is a March 28 update (from a Facebook post):

Lakeville: Angry Inch Brewing.
Here's an excerpt from an Facebook wall post (05/1402016):

 

Grillen had an investor's meeting two weeks ago at Stout's Pub. The plan is to brew German influenced beer styles and serve them in a sizeable, German bierhall setting, ideally in St. Paul's up and coming West Seventh neighborhood.

Maybe the West 7th Street/Fort Road Federation will lease him the historic Schmidt's Rathskeller?

Grillen Brewing Company, LLC.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/grillenbrewing Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grillenbrewing

I wish I were more qualified* or more well-read on the topic of Industrial / Adaptive reuse, but I won't pretend that I am. That said, I know a lot of work went into maintaining the outward appearance of the facility in keeping with an appeal to neighborhood preservation, and this seems to apply to the interior as well -- at least so far.

There were more improvements to the interior that were (and are) still in the process of being implemented (painting, sound abatement in the production area), and those tall ceilings added to a BIG echo on my first walk-through. The difference that the sound abatement has made in the seating/dining/bar area is very pronounced.

I haven't traveled much in recent years so I haven't visited a Craft Beer Era brewery of a similar scale, let alone being built-out in a semi-historic manufacturing facility. Clyde Iron Works in Duluth is similar in its concept, but looks very different in its execution.

* My father was an architectural engineer, so I have some understanding of terminology. But my own college years were filled with lysergic bong resin and crushed fine artist's dreams, so I typically shy away from offering anything other than a pedestrian's understanding.

Silgan is not on the National Register of historic places or anything quite like that, but has retained enough local reputation in the West Midway neighborhood.

 

Man, Angry Inch sounds a little crabby in their post. So is Lakeville open now?

 

No, but they have their first batches of beer brewing in time for their soft/Grand openings -- sometime in June.

Also, both Lakeville Brewing and Angry Inch will have beer to sample at "Taste of Lakeville", from 5 to 9 PM this Thursday,
at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. https://www.tasteoflakeville.org/

P.S. Below is a link to the article which most likely influenced that particular Facebook post:
http://sunthisweek.com/2016/05/12/first-brew-in-lakeville/

 

A little update on Cosmos Brewing in Hugo. I had the opportunity to go visit their property on Monday evening and taste some of their beers. First of all, Jared (Head Brewer) and Darrell (Business Partner/Property Owner) are both very down to earth, cool guys. Their passion for making great beer and really dialing in their recipes before beginning production is quite admirable. We all know of the lackluster brews many of the new breweries have put out when opening, this will not be the case with Cosmos. I got to try several beers, but didn't take notes, so these are just my general impressions from memory.

Pale Ale-Nice golden amber color, good clarity. Very wonderful, fruity nose. A bouquet of hops. The flavor is slightly muted compared to the nose, but quite tasty and drinkable.

Nut Brown-Amber in color, good clarity. Smells like you would expect, sweet, nutty malt. Very tasty with a nice creamy mouthfeel.

Cherry Saison-Beautiful dark red color. Smell is a bit underwhelming, as it lacks that funky, spicy characteristic I enjoy in my Saisons. Flavor is also missing that characteristic, so although it's a nice beer, it lacks that important component. Jared agreed with me wholeheartedly on this and plans to take this beer where it needs to go before production.

Porter-Really liked this one. At 7.2& ABV, it really is surprisingly drinkable. Dark brown color. Creamy body with a nice chocolaty, malt forward flavor.

Golden Coffee Stout-Very interesting take on a stout, as it looks more like a blonde beer than a stout. A bit hazy. This beer was definitely a little young at this point, as the lactose is still slightly too sweet. The coffee is nice, but not overpowering. Flaked oats provide a nice mouthfeel.

Jasmine Rice and Ginger Lager-Straw golden color. Big white head. Smell has that faint euro lager skunk with a bit of ginger. Taste is quite nice. The slight skunk goes well with the ginger. This would pair well with sushi for sure.

Key Lime Gose-This was my favorite of the bunch. Bright yellow color, almost neon. Smell is wonderful, tart, sour Key Limes. Taste is fantastic, fresh key limes, tart with the perfect hint of salt and coriander. Very drinkable at, I believe, 4.2% ABV. Mouthfeel and body were great for this style. I would crush this beer all year long.

They also have a small sour program started with 4 barrels aging various beers. Kettle souring is not something they ever plan on doing, which I love to hear. I did not taste these, but the smells coming from the barrels were AMAZING! I look forward to enjoying them at some point. Overall I am very impressed with what these guys have going on in Hugo. Definitely going to be a bright spot in the beer scene once production gets ramped up.

Cheers!

 

Is there a timetable on when it's going to open? That Key Lime Gose sounds amazing.

 

No official time table yet. I will update in this thread as I get more info.

 

If they aren't kettle souring, how are they souring their gose? It is definitely the best way of getting the tartness desired in a short period of time with minimal off flavors.