Breweries Opening/Closing in Minnesota 2018

Brew d'Etat found a new owner

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=id%3D1709620002466915%3Btype%3Dpost%3Buser%3Dbrewdetat

 

There’s a lot to unpack in that single, social media post.

 

How is the beer compared to Blue Wolf?

 

Blue Wolf was undrinkable. I tried four of their beers in mid-March. One, their IPA, had such off flavors that the server was saying it was intentional. It's only been six weeks, but I've repressed that visit, so I can't even describe it or the other beers I had.

I hope they figure it out -- don't wish for any business to fail, and it's an underserved area.

 

I won't sugarcoat it: Blue Wolf was awful upon opening, with beers that couldn't be placed by taste into any particular style, not because they were intentional style-busters but because they were so poorly executed as to be unrecognizable. Boathouse Brothers was less bad, but not a whole lot less bad. As of right now, I would rank both in the bottom four of the well-over-100 breweries in the state I've sampled, ahead of only Burning Brothers (which is handicapped by being truly gluten-free and brewing with sorghum instead of barley/wheat/rye/oats) and u4ic (worst brewery I've ever encountered by a mile). Again, it's very early, although I've never seen a brewery pull a Jared Goff and go from that bad to good (or even mediocre) without replacing its head brewer. I'd say that Boathouse Brothers is comparable to the likes of 10K, Wayzata Brew Works, Union 32, and Maple Island in terms of quality at opening.

 

@islay I agree with 10K, U4IC and Maple Island and I will throw in Nutmeg had a lot of beers that made it really difficult to finish the flight. Boathouse Brothers has some work to do but I didn't find them drain pours like these others. I would like to add Bald Man is getting way below in rankings as well. I did enjoy them at first, now all the beers have a twang to them plus an unpleasant grassy tone to them (even the tupelo honey brown ale which I consider their flagship beer). I can't tell if it is the water, stressed yeast, sanitation problems or all above? Just curious if others have tasted this as well. Anyways, Magnum Moon to win the Kentucky Derby!

 

Imagine living in my head!

Guess we technically don't belong in this thread since we didn't open or close in 2018... But I wanted to thank @BeerBoy for the heads up - wish I could afford the Brew Farm!

 

You have good taste if you went to the BrewFarm. Dave is the best!!
You guys totally belong here. Sam from Sisyphus chimes in once in a while, as does Dave and some other breweries that set us straight on premature closings

 

You're not talking Southfork level are you?

I hit Alloy this past weekend not expecting much. Overall it's a nice venue with drinkable beers for the most part...nothing beer geeks would hone in on and there were a couple with serious flaws including the solventy Belgian Ale they had....I won't be back just because it is a ways off highway 10 and nothing would compel me back that way but for folks in that neck of the woods it would be an ok option....similar to Gull Dam

 

They have different kinds of problems: South Fork was plagued by infection problems. Boathouse Brothers has more standard new-brewery flaws (under-attenuation, oxidation, diacetyl, etc.). Blue Wolf's issues seem more fundamental in the form of -- I'm guessing -- recipe and perhaps brewhouse design and construction, as if the brewer has no idea what he's doing.

I'm certainly not a Bald Man fan, but I wouldn't put it that low. Bald Man has a superb location at an accessible nexus of several underserved suburbs, and its normcore branding seems to have struck a chord with middle-aged customers, the recently retired, and the young families of Eagan/Burnsville/Bloomington/Mendota Heights (i.e., "regular folks") who collectively constitute a huge chunk of the population and who, fortunately for Bald Man, may not be the most discerning or demanding craft beer consumers. I've heard its product moves pretty well at south metro liquor stores.

I'm hoping the new Brew d'État owners finally will bring some good brewing to the southern suburbs east of Shakopee. I'll give credit to Nutmeg and Union 32 for making great strides after moving on from their respective initial brewers, but I still don't find either particularly impressive.

 

The Star Tribune's weekly bankruptcy listing included this on 5/5/18:

Todd William Slininger, as surety for Northgate Brewing LLC, 1447 Edmund Av., St. Paul; filed May 3, 18-31406; Chap. 7; assets, $331,868; liabilities, $841,054

 

Invictus in Blaine "soft opening" May 18-19

 

$50 and a set of steak knives? Deal me in!

 

Is it me, or does this project seem a little...overly ambitious?

 

Minnesota’s first Latino-owned beer company to open its cervecería and taproom this summer.

La Doña, previously known as Doña Chela, will occupy a 10,000-square-foot warehouse space at 241 Fremont Avenue North, just slightly northwest of downtown Minneapolis.

The space will share a wall with Royal Foundry Craft Distilling, the soon-to-open distillery specializing in English-style spirits. “


LINK- dlvr.it/QS9TZf

 

Their invite isn't centered and it's driving me up a wall

 

Yoerg's Brewing just posted on Facebook that they will NOT being opening their taproom at 427 Wabasha. they had run into a number of issues and had delayed the opening until at least October. They say the landlord pulled out. It appears that the required upgrades were just too expensive for them.

They did, however, state that a different "very exciting" location fell into their laps. They haven't announced that location, but are now stating they expect to be open by the end of August. As we all know, these things often change. Still, it's nice to see that they might end up being open earlier than anticipated.

I see in the comments they state that the new location is "more towards the heart of St. Paul."

 

The heart of St. Paul is Midway. It’s where all the good people live.

 

Some new (or newly discovered) BIPs:

• Outstate Brewing Company, Fergus Falls
  
• Bold I'land Brewing Company, Albert Lea
• Ursidae Brewing, Minneapolis

I don't have much info on any of them.

I have a bridge to sell you.