Breweries Opening/Closing in Minnesota 2018

I'll bet it was an absolute MILF fest in there.........

 

Invictus Brewing- Blaine, hired a head brewer. Do not know much about him but I do know it is not the former head brewer of Enki Brewing.

 

Invictus Blog Posting about hiring a head brewer:
http://invictusbrewingco.com/announcing-our-head-brewer/

 

How’s their plant game?

 

I'm hearing that a different potential buyer has emerged for NorthGate after the announcement of its closure. I don't know if the prospective purchaser would retain the name and/or specific beers or how likely it is that this sale happens, but the would-be buyer apparently is interested in the brewery and taproom and not just the equipment.

 

Nobody wants to see a brewery close. When Harriet closed there was a strong outcry of support, but it was too late. So when NorthGate sold (or rather -- when they let it be known that they were intending to sell) the reaction seemed to be favorable, as the buyer was a known quantity* and the news of the sale had plenty of coverage in The Growler and other beer news sources by which to 'soften the blow', in a sense, of the sale.

It's interesting to see the swift reaction in the wake of the lack-of-sale to Tod Fyten, but its similar to the reaction following the Harriet closure ("They're my favorite brewery -- what went wrong?"). One look at any of the three different threads at Beer People (Facebook group) and Reddit is instructive in understanding the different reactions to this particular non-sale.

Minnesota in general and Minneapolis in particular has a strong base of support for Craft Beer, Taprooms, Distilleries, and so forth, and I'm not surprised that another group of investors would step forward to keep NorthGate alive in some capacity -- at least insofar as it's taproom space and other aspects of the culture which surrounded the brewery.

*He has a verifiable track record with results that are available if you know where to look for them (some people do not), and over such a long career it's safe to say tat they were mixed. My feeling is that NorthGate's owners might've been enthusiastic about the sale initially, but the story emerging on the flipside is that there wasn't as much enthusiasm for the sale among the very community which NorthGate had managed to create over the past five years.

 

Chaz what a great location this is. Close to HWY's 280 and 35W, close to St Paul. For a new brewer this venue can create a great community that could be had.

 

Yep, and it's also near enough to HeadFlyer, Insight, a couple of buzzworthy distillery taprooms, and near enough to a couple of beer bars that happen to have decent food. It's the sort of location that's sought-after by many startups in this category, so we'll see what happens.

 

Loads of working people nearby, Honeywell,UPS,Fed Ex,Blue Cross,Wells Fargo,JJ Taylor to name a few,

 

I finally went through the Beer People NorthGate threads. There's an awful lot of misinformation, and not much real information, over there for a group that has many industry members. I think those who are deeply in-the-know are biting their tongues (as, to a lesser extent, am I as someone at best shallowly in-the-know).

I agree that it's a central and easy-to-access location. However, an English-style pub with subtle, off-trend beers like NorthGate probably works better as a neighborhood joint (think bars like Merlin's Rest or George and the Dragon), and there just isn't a neighborhood there. Very few people live in the immediate vicinity, and the many who live a couple of miles away have plenty of closer taproom options. Also, it's just far enough from the core Nordeast brewing district and the Midway breweries that I don't think it makes many informal taproom crawls, even though I agree with @Chaz that NorthGate, Wander North, Norseman, Insight, and HeadFlyer made a nice little grouping in the artificial and awkwardly named "Mid-City Industrial Area." I suspect that spot would work better from a commercial standpoint as a brewery doing something unique or committed to chasing trends (NEIPAs, pastry stouts, fruited kettle sours; you know the drill) for which people will go out of their way.

 

@islay there is a great deal of population, just south of Hennepin & Stinson East & West.

 

Yeah, but to be a neighborhood joint, you need to be in a neighborhood, which North Gate was not.

 

Or Headflyer, Insight. What is your definition of neighborhood? Northgate was/is 1/4 mile from a huge residential hood. Along with thousands of people who have daily jobs blocks away. Wild Mind is about 1/4 of a mile from any residential neighborhood except for the apartments just south of the brewery.. It is surrounded by Bachmans, Cub,cemetery and a light industrial area.It has a heavy residential area a 1/4 mile away both in Richfield and Minneapolis.

 

I personally enjoyed Northgates beer, and their taproom. Maggie’s Leap was fantastic.

 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2073123912971747

According to their Facebook page Boathouse Brothers responded to a question about being open hope to be open in about a month from now

 

2017: 30+ New Breweries

MNBeer.com

 

Yep, it's by far the best new brewery in the Twin Cities. Not even close here for this old guy.

 

Not to quibble, but it's more like a half a mile away from the nearest residential area. Compare that to Merlins with houses as close as 20 yards away. Or Insight with neighborhoods just across Hennepin Ave.

 

Nah, let's quibble. That's why these forums exist.

Two co-workers live in The CW Lofts, which is less than half a mile from good 'ol NorthGate. While they are both beer drinkers, neither are "advocates" of any stripe, nor felt compelled to visit Northgate after one or two short walks over and back for a pint and a growler.

YMMV and all that jazz, but I think it's still a space with some potential.

 

Okay, I will concede, it is .3 miles. But, I still say that a place like Northgate, with it's offerings, would stand a better chance being in a neighborhood situation like Merlins, than having its closest regulars .3 and .6 miles away.