Brewery Updates in Minnesota (2019)

Can someone ( maybe Islay!)Pull together a list of planned 2019 Breweries and post it here on Page 1 of this thread so it can be checked throughout the coming year . I’m sure everyone can chime in with info, I know of about ten planned breweries off hand but there have to be more , Growlermag said we got 29 new breweries in 2018.

 

I think there is another hole in Seward and Longfellow in S. Minneapolis that Arbeiter will go a long way towards filling. Northbound and Venn aren't that far in absolute terms, but they're not walkable for me, and crossing Hiawatha is a pain whether you're on foot, bike, or car. I loved having Harriet within walking distance, and I'll be very happy to have Arbeiter taking its place.

 

The NE cluster and Insight (and future tenant in the Northgate space) are fairly close but I imagine a decent tap room in the heart of Dinkytown or Stadium Village could do very well with U students and visitors.

 

Yes to Stadium Village , although Surly is only one light rail stop from that location.

I think there’s an opportunity for a taproom off Snelling Ave, there’s a lots of residents/houses and students off the stretch from St. Clair & Snelling all the way past Selby/University and the upcoming Major League stadium Allianz Field up towards Hamline U , this entire stretch had a tons of potential and a lot of redevelopments happening ( a few below) but no taproom.

 

My lists of breweries-in-planning and the like to kick off 2019:

All of the following are breweries with taprooms (in-planning) unless otherwise noted:

1. 22 Northmen Brewing Company, Alexandria: Associated with the already open Carlos Creek Winery.
   
2. Accidental Brewing Company, Rochester
   
3. Arbeiter Brewing, Minneapolis: Targeting a spring 2019 opening last I heard. Recently posted that it's reviewing plans with an architect. In the old Harriet Brewing space.
   
4. Big Heist Beer Co., South St. Paul
   
5. Bold I’land Brewing Company, Albert Lea
   
6. Bus Stop Burgers & Brewhouse, Minneapolis: Brewpub. Targeting a 12-30-18 opening (pre-2019).
   
7. Drastic Measures Brewing, Wadena: From the former Disgruntled Brewing brewer.
   
8. Elk River Stadtbräu, Elk River: Possibly stalled. No updates since 2017. I considered adding it to my “defunct plans” list.
   
9. Falling Knife Brewing Company, Minneapolis: In the old NorthGate Brewing space.
   
10. Fat Pants Brewing Co., Eden Prairie
    
11. Fell Run Brewing Company, Taylors Falls
    
12. Forbidden Barrel Brewing Co., Okabena or Worthington: I’ve seen it listed for both of these cities, which are near each other.
    
13. Foremost Brewing Cooperative, Owatonna: Sounds like this one may be a long way out.
    
14. Kulturwerks Brewing, Columbia Heights?: Fell through as a Roseville plan. Seems to be keying on Columbia Heights now.
    
15. The Lincoln Brewery, Taylors Falls
    
16. Mineral Springs Brewery, Owatonna: Brewpub.
17. Minn'Ohana Brewing, Mankato: Brewpub.
18. Oldenburg Brewing Company, Belle Plaine
    
19. Outstate Brewing, Fergus Falls: The latest is linked.
20. Prime Stein, Rochester
21. Rapids Brewing Company, Grand Rapids
    
22. Thesis Beer Project, Rochester
    
23. Twelve Down Brewing, St. Louis Park: Long in planning but recently paid for Brewers Association membership.
    
24. Under Pressure Brewing Company, Golden Valley
25. Ursidae Brewing, Minneapolis
    
26. Wooden Ship Brewing Co., ?: Currently a homebrew operation helmed by brewers at 12welve Eyes and Dangerous Man, but supposedly considering going pro. Its website says “Minneapolis,” but I’m hearing the location is unsettled.
27. Unnamed Red Cow / Red Rabbit event center plan, Minneapolis: Unclear whether brewery and taproom or brewpub.

Special cases:

1. Bad Habit Brewing Company, St. Joseph: Open now but will be moving to a larger brewery and taproom elsewhere in St. Joseph.
2. Boom Island, Minneapolis / western suburbs: Ownership seeks to close the Minneapolis location and move to the western suburbs (likely Plymouth or Minnetonka).
   
3. Brass Foundry Brewing Co., ?: Open now as a client brewing company, which reports have it is utilizing Fair State’s St. Paul plant. Hinting at opening its own brewery, presumably at least eventually with taproom. In the past was in planning for Minneapolis, later Minnetonka. A very indirect evolution of the closed South Fork Brewing Company, formerly in Delano.
   
4. Brew d'État, Burnsville: Open now as a brewery (and already has changed ownership) but considering opening to the public as a taproom / tasting room.
   
5. Cosmos Brewing, Hugo / Oakdale: The Hugo brewery, which never had a taproom, closed in 2018, but hopes to open a new brewery with taproom in Oakdale.
6. El Loro Mexican Restaurant and Brewery, Sauk Rapids: Yes, that El Loro. Brewpub. F.k.a., Urban Lodge Brewery & Restaurant. Currently shuttered but expected to reopen in the coming months.
   
7. Hunyuck Brew Co., Oakdale: Open now as a client brewing company. Possible long-term plans for a brewery and taproom.
   
8. Inver Grove Brewing, Inver Grove Heights: Brewpub. Second location for the existing Lakeville Brewing Company.
9. Lake of the Woods Brewing Company, Warroad: This will be a second location of the existing Kenora, Ontario brewery. The ownership group is also planning a Manitoba location.
   
10. Lazy Loon Brewing Company, Victoria / Norwood Young America / Glencoe: Has been open for years as a brewery without a taproom in Victoria. Has an associated bowling alley called Lazy Loon Lanes in Norwood Young America that serves its beer on tap (presumably under technically separate ownership). Planning a brewery and taproom in Glencoe.
11. Lift Bridge Brewery, Stillwater: Building a larger brewery and taproom also in Stillwater.
12. Pig Ate My Pizza, Robbinsdale: This is an existing restaurant and bar from the Travail folks. Moving into the current Travail space after Travail moves to its own spot. Will be adding a brewing component. Presumably a brewpub.
    
13. Schram Brewery, Waconia / Chaska: Schram Vineyards Winery & Brewery has been open for years as a joint winery / brewery with a joint wine and beer tasting room in Waconia, operating on a winery license. Planning a brewery-only with taproom in Chaska. My understanding is that the Waconia venue would continue to serve Schram beer as well even after the Chaska brewery opens.
    
14. Vine Park Brewing, St. Paul: Has operated as a brew-your-own-beer spot without a taproom for years. New ownership group (the 651 Tyga Bite folks) is looking to open a larger brewery with a taproom elsewhere (not sure if that would be in St. Paul).
    
15. Yoerg Saloon & Brewery, St. Paul: I’m not sure if I have the exact name of the St. Paul brewpub correct. An associated company under technically separate ownership has operated as a client brewer for years. The St. Paul pub recently opened but without house-brewed beer on tap. The house-brewed beer should first be available in January.
    
16. Unnamed Travis Temke / M.O.E. Craft Co. plan, St. Paul: An evolution of F-Town Brewing Co. in Faribault, which is shuttering at the end of 2018 (possibly very early 2019).

One of the breweries mentioned in the lists above (in addition to Bus Stop) is aiming to open this weekend (pre-2019), but my source has asked me not to name it until it officially announces or actually opens.

I’m leaving out a bunch of plans that seem to be on ice or canceled, but plans have been known to revive. I'm sure I'm missing at least several legitimate plans.

 

That’s some list ! Thank you Sir! you covered the ten breweries I heard about so I’ve nothing new to add. If we even get half these I’d be absolutely shocked .

What stands out to me as there are NO brand new breweries planned for St. Paul .

 

Excited to see this thread start up!

 

Surprised Plymouth doesn't have anything yet.

Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove/Osseo/Champlin could handle a couple more I would think......

 

Bus Stop Burgers & Brewhouse in Minneapolis (downtown about a block from U.S. Bank Stadium) did open today (12-30-18) as intended. That's a 2018 opening, for the record. I'm not certain whether its house-brewed beer is yet available (no phone number listed), but I believe its intention was to have house-brewed beer on tap from day 1.

The other brewery that I mentioned was aiming to open this weekend appears not to have done so after all.

 

I just got word from a customer that there is not yet house-brewed beer on tap at Bus Stop, but it definitely is open as a bar (much like Yoerg in St. Paul). From a brewery standpoint, I personally will consider both to be 2019 openings.

 

Wow thats a great list. Also to Islay, how do you know all this info, are you part of the brewers association?

 

Under pressure Brewing has been open the last couple of days for a soft opening.

 

That's the one. It squeezed in an intentionally quiet opening on New Year's Eve and met its internal, possibly tax-related, deadline. A grand opening is coming at some point in January, according to its Facebook page. Under Pressure fills in a hole in the brewery map with its Golden Valley location. This is the long-in-planning effort from respected local homebrewer Lori Ertl, making it one of the few female-helmed breweries in the state. I believe it has a 3-barrel system, making it nearly a nanobrewery, so don't hold your breath for distribution. It opened with an amber ale, a California common, and a brown ale.

 

Stopped by Invictus, Clutch, Lake Monster, Bad Weather and Waldmann over the Holidays...short stops at each with more time at Invictus and Clutch since I had not been there before. Lupulin we stayed a little at too.

I'd rank them like this. This is only based on this visit.

1. Waldmann
-Love a place that can produce quality German beers (Dunkeel Weizen was the standout but Alt and Vienna also impressed). Love the setting there too. Not sure if I like them more than Utepils for German style beer but they are close.

2. Lupulin
-I think I was one of the first to tout this place as great and also one of the first to tout Brett and what he was doing at Disgruntled as great back in the day so I obviously expected Brett's collaboration with Lupulin on a hazy IPA to be great. It wasn't. Not good really. You could call it unique but a harsh jagged overriding bitterness. A lot of other beers at Lupulin were excellent though. The Como Park IPA they were closing off for buy one get one growlers and it was a big hit at a party I took it to. I found it a nice flavorful, approachable IPA one could drink a few of.

3. Clutch
-I actually thought their beer was pretty solid. Not elite but pretty good. The single malt double hop stuff was good...three version when we were there...a real interesting hefe with Nelson Sauvin which leaned more traditional hefe with the perfect touch of Nelson Sauvin hops to add a unique twist...Blame it on Brexit was a bit muddled but decent enough. Prices were reasonable and that was surprising.

4. Lake Monster
-I would normally put Bad Weather ahead of Lake Monster but both had beers with Comet hops in them and that is all I tried from both. Lake Monster's version was very solid.

5. Bad Weather
-Like I said overall I like their beers but this time I only had the Comet Hop version and am rating this trip on beers consumed and this was very bland and flavorless. A Bud drinker might like it.

6. Invictus
-I tried all their beers. One IPA (Called "Most of our Favorites" was decent. A couple other beers(Kolsch) were ok and the vast majority were below average or poor particularly their high gravity beers and their other IPA's (one unbalanced harsh bitterness, the other lacking IPA characteristics from start to finish). I glanced at their growler prices and they are absurd for the quality of beer they produce.

 

A good friend of mine has been there twice, and he isn't a beer expert, though I'm working on him, and said pretty much the same things about them.

I'll be waiting a while before I try them out.

 

Anyone heard anything about Portage Brewing in the past 24 hours? Hearing some rumblings but haven't seen anything confirmed or official yet..

 

It burned down last night. There are some videos and pictures posted on Facebook. Luckily, no one was injured.

 

There it is, same thing I was hearing. Thanks for confirming yet sorry to hear the news.

 

That's the important thing that no one was hurt. Hope they can recover.