Brewery Updates in Minnesota (2019)

Falling Knife doing a Indiegogo thing to sell merch etc. ahead of opening this summer.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/falling-knife-brewing-company-dropping-soon#/

 

Has anybody else stopped in at Schram Haus? Thoughts on their beer offerings?

 

I thought the beer was very good, on par with what's being sold at Schram Vineyards. For all I know, the beer might've been brewed at the Waconia site; I'm not sure the equipment at the Chaska location has been up and running long enough to have produced all of the 10 or so beers currently on tap. All four of the beers in my flight were tasty and well-executed examples of their respective styles; my favorite was the Black IPA. I think Schram quietly and recently has blossomed into one of the best breweries in the state based on flavors, versatility, and quality. It doesn't serve trendy fare, is located in the exurbs, and has very limited distribution (without engaging in artificial scarcity marketing tactics), however, so it inevitably isn't going to generate much buzz.

 

Is this the former Wild Mind brewer opening a farm type brewery? Or who was?

 

Yeah thats the head brewer from WM.

BTW I stopped in at WM over the weekend, knocking it out of the park with their IPAs

 

My understanding is that Waddell's association with BlackStack is in lieu of the farmhouse brewery plan (i.e., that plan is dead or at least pushed way out into the future). I've also heard that BlackStack is on something of a hiring spree in addition to Waddell, including a couple of former Fair State brewers, as it looks to infuse itself with talent and shore up its credibility among beer geeks ahead of an aggressive expansion (at the existing site, as far as I know) and distribution push. Word is BlackStack is doing well financially so far.

I still question the commercial viability in this market of the farmhouse ales and slow sours in which Waddell excels. The complex and challenging flavors present in such beers stand in stark contrast to the one-note, accessible sorts of beers that are dominating conversation and flying off the shelves right now. I see literally years-old Olvalde, Schell's Noble Star, Fair State, Indeed Wooden Soul, and Fulton Culture Project slow sours (to cite some of the most highly respected breweries in that category) languishing on liquor store shelves at price points in line with pastry stouts and NEIPAs that move very fast, and the saison category has shrunk markedly in the last half decade. Notice that Wild Mind was drifting away from farmhouse fare or covering up the flavors with loads of fruit even before Waddell left, and some of the other would-be prominent local players in that space (such as Fair State) have largely backed off.

 

I share your skepticism. Much of its current success is based on pricy, high-margin 4-packs of NEIPAs, and I strongly suspect it's only a matter of time before consumers get over the habit of paying a huge premium for the latest lightly tweaked recipe. BlackStack, perhaps recognizing its vulnerability in that area, is trying to diversify its product offerings, which is wise, and to cultivate a reputation as a broadly excellent brewery, not just another NEIPA specialist in a time in which that style is beginning to lose its cachet. The problem is that it likely soon will have to swim against the tide as sales fall in its inordinately profitable bread and butter product.

The BlackStack business plan always was heavily distribution-focused. That might not have seemed crazy when it was in planning in the mid-'10s (although even then it seemed late to the party), but the road ahead looks a lot rougher now even as BlackStack is doubling down on its original, arguably outdated, vision. Like a gambler who wins big his first time at a casino, BlackStack may be dangerously emboldened by its early success.

 

Totally get what your saying about expensive 4-packs ! (Out today)


One offs are fine but they need more variety in their core retail lineup and some of those beers need to be beers in the accessible (Surly/Bent Paddle )$9.99 range . If they canned that Coffee Lager they made with Truestone Coffee I would buy it all year long !

I am glad to hear they are expanding at the taproom and hope they add a little flare to the aesthetic on the inside as they have a blank canvas as that place is huge.

 

Yep. Brewer ad: https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk...wer&l=Minneapolis%2C+MN&ts=1557364327303&rq=1

 

I don't disagree with your suggestion that it would be a good business practice for Blackstack to diversity some of their offerings, but what evidence do you see that the NE IPA craze is at all subsiding?

 

• Massive drop in hype for the style on BeerAdvocate (likely a leading indicator for the interests of beer consumers more broadly)
• Witnessing lack of enthusiasm at recent bottle shares for the likes of Tree House and Trillium
• A lot of talk among formerly enthusiastic friends as well as BeerAdvocate participants about how they're over the style
• Being told by local brewery owners that they believe interest in the style has passed an inflection point and that they're strategically preparing for a market in which they can't lean on NEIPAs for guaranteed buzz and profits

I'm not saying that the style is going away* or even that it has peaked in sales, but I do think it has peaked as a cultural phenomenon and that revenue declines will follow at some point in the not-too-distant future.

* I've long predicted that NEIPAs eventually will settle into their natural role as gateway beers that can quietly be taproom and core lineup staples without having much buzz (along the lines of blonde ales, wheat ales, etc. of yesteryear) because their sweet and juicy flavors are so familiar, accessible, and attractive to newer drinkers. I think the unusually high prices and utter domination of taplines and liquor store shelves, however, require the fuel of hype and positive social reinforcement that's in the process of subsiding.

 

Pig ate my Pizza and microbrewery opening next week

 

According to Instagram posts, 22 Northmen in Alexandria has kegged its first beer and plans to open in June.

Oldenburg in Belle Plaine has started brewing and still claims to be "Coming spring of 2019" in a pinned Facebook post.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=354166608779180

House-brewed beer is still a ways out; it'll just be a restaurant and bar to start. If Pig Ate My Pizza in Robbinsdale is on the Yoerg / Bus Stop schedule, it could be quite a ways (and if it's on the Opinion Brewing Company schedule...). "While we get our equipment up and running, you can expect exclusive collaboration brews on tap to start. We’ve been working with Surly Brewing Company, Barrel Theory Beer Company, Lakes & Legends Brewing Company, HeadFlyer Brewing, Fair State Brewing Cooperative, Dangerous Man Brewing Company, Fulton Brewing, and other local craft breweries to develop a hop-a-licious lineup for our grand opening."

 

Sorry Wicked Wort. You served us well as our de facto overflow seating space but now we're on our way to the top and only want to play with the big boys!

 

Pig Eat My Pizza


On Draft:
PIG DREAMS
Fairstate Brewing Coop. Collab | Hazy IPA | 7.0% ABV | 12oz. pour

Brewed with wheat and oats, hopped only in the whirlpool and fermenter with Cryo Citra, Denali, El Dorado, and Idaho Gem complementing the loads of pineapple, tropical fruit and citrus.

PIGMOSA
Headflyer Brewing Collab | Champagne Ale | 6.0% ABV | 16oz. pour

Brewed with pilsner malt, rice and extra enzymes resulting in a refreshingly dry finish, hopped late in the whirlpool with Nelson Sauvin hops and conditioned on delicious black currants.

HOG DAY AFTERNOON
Lakes and Legends Brewing Collab | Pale Ale | 5.6% ABV | 16oz. pour

Brewed with Triticale (wheat and rye hybrid) lending to a smooth mouth feel with “spicy” rye background notes, hopped with MN grown Zeus and Crystal hops.

THE HEAT OF PASSION
Surly Brewing Co. Collab | Berlinerweisse | 3.5% ABV | 16oz. pour

Crushably light, conditioned on passionfruit and guajillo chilis.

SIMPLER TIMES
Barrel Theory Beer Company Collab | Berlinerweisse | 4.5% ABV | 12oz. pour

Sour ale conditioned on fresh Meyer lemon and strawberry.

CACAO WAR & PEACE
Fulton Beer Collab | Russian Imperial Stout | 9.5%ABV | 12oz. pour

Conditioned with whole bean PEACE COFFEE and cacao nibs

TARTY PARTY
Dangerous Man Brewing Co. Collab | Raspberry Sour | 5.6% ABV

Filled out with oats and lactose, generously hopped with Strata and Denali hops, conditioned on raspberries, lemon peel, and Madagascar vanilla beans.

 

Why is it that so many grizzled veterans of the craft beer realm dig NEIPA so much? When it’s no long the “it” trend, are we just going to go back too drinking trillion ibu pine bombs? I don’t see folks like Trillium, or Barrel Theory putting Plinyesque WCDIPAs on draft anytime soon, or ever.

 

I suspect the "grizzled veterans" who enthuse over NEIPAs do so for the same reasons that the greenhorns do: They enjoy the sweet, juicy, familiar flavors and soft mouthfeel, and they enjoy feeling like they're on the vanguard of a scene. That said, it certainly seems to me that a larger proportion of grizzled veterans than newer consumers of craft beer dislike NEIPAs.

I think you'll see a big shift in the critical and commercial popularity of breweries as NEIPAs lose their luster, even as the old NEIPA specialists attempt to pivot to other styles. I don't see WCIPAs making a massive comeback (although I could see them making a minor one), as craft beer now is dominated by bitterness-averse consumers, unless perhaps the inevitable upcoming loss of craft beer's cool factor causes the industry to lose a big chunk of its newer customers (to potentially financially devastating effect).

 

I think we all have friends that don't like craft beer because it's "too bitter". They assume all craft beer tastes like a bitter IPA.

NEIPA's have much less bitterness so those people can potentially become new craft beer customers if they try it. I think it is a smart business decision to have a NEIPA on tap to attempt to convert those "craft beer is too bitter" beer drinkers since IPA is the likely beer type they will sample.

 

If craft beer is now dominated by bitterness averse consumers, how is it that NEIPA will decline?