Brewery Updates in Minnesota (2020)

Elm Creek Brewing Co. opened today in Champlain https://www.elmcreekbrewing.com/home

 

The Herkimer Pub & Brewery announced on Sunday that it will close its doors for good this week after 20 years in Minneapolis's Lyn-Lake area.

The bar's final sendoff will be on Wednesday, according to a post on social media. Herkimer had been closed since April due to COVID-19.

 

Mixed feelings on this one. There were early craft long before it was really a thing. I think the issue was they never really did much to keep up with the times and let many others pass them by. Unfortunately you can't sit still in this industry, pandemic or no pandemic. Still, sorry to see them go.

 

Yeah their quality did not match that of those who came out in their era for the most part. Nowadays they'd fit right in with a lot of these mediocre places hitting the scene though.

 

Stopped and looked in at the Hackensack Brewery yesterday (official name escapes me right now) and it had a sign saying opening soon. Might have said within two weeks but I can't remember. Place looked nice inside and it is looking out at the lake there and bike trail. Hope the beer is good. Sources told me last December they had not yet reached out to Portage down the block for help or guidance yet. Maybe they have since. I would sure hope so. Portage knows what they are doing and are more than willing to help others get rolling.

 

Rendezvous Brewing

 

That, and the effect that Moto-i had on any sort of off sale availability

 

This week The Fillmore County Journal reported that In Spring Grove, MN Pat Longmire, the owner of the grocery store in town asked the city council for, and received a conditional use permit for a Brewpub. The article stated the Brewpub will share space with Jo's Coffee House on Main St. No time frame or name of the Brewpub was reported.

 

Seriously how many times can they rebrand? I will say Im not surprised they are not making money because really the beer is less than spectacular. Every time I go here I leave with disappointment. Its a shame they cant get stuff worked out because the space is great (even though it smells like musty basement) but what do you expect when half the building is still run down from years of neglect.

For the life of me, I dont know why they dont attempt to brew a Hamm's homage beer or something, I mean duh.

 

And that post apocalyptic bombed out beer garden is stellar. Seriously though, how can a brewery be around this long, and make such mediocre product? It’s baffling.

 

Same question can be asked about alot of different breweries in the metro area. Now none have been around as long as Fla...St Paul Brewing, but same question applies.

 

I was speaking more towards their longevity, and I’m not sure what you mean by a lot. I can think of a handful in the metro that are at about SPBs level, which I wouldn’t call a lot.

 

True. "A lot" is overstating it.

 

Their beer was ok, but nothing special.

That being said, I'm really sad to see St Paul/Flat Earth go. That's where my friends had their wedding reception back in 2016. They live fairly close to there, and a lot of times when I was in the cities, we met up there. I always had a good time there.

 

The most inconsistent beer from a brewery that lasted this long. When they first open and sold their beer in stores in bombers, it was playing Russian Roulette. One bottle could be fabulous, the next one flat, and a third, a gusher. Never knew until you cracked the bottle. I was always skeptical of their beer after that experience and it always carried a stigma. About a decade ago they had an IPA that caused a bit of stir in this community. I liked it and their coffee porter/stout.

 

I think most people that went there were from the neighborhood and dont know much about craft beer off flavors and diacetyl. Id like to see some other people come in and make it a brewery again.

 

Looks like two of the three cofounders of
ONE Fermentary & Taproom have left per social media. Head brewer Ramsey Louder is out and Joe Alton relinquished ownership in April and quit today. Covid definitely impacted their business but sounds like this was more about the original vision not living up to its intended goal.

ONE opened in Nov 2019 so this has got to be the quickest decline of ownership that I’m aware of :

https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6iRJRnZ_I/?igshid=13grngea7fpj9

https://www.instagram.com/p/CB61wSvFSFi/?igshid=jwfe8csg1pg2

Difficult to say where this brand & business goes next or if it will continue.

 

Yeah when I first heard about this I was confused because why would you leave a place you worked at known for being (a minority owned brewery).
But then I read an article in the Mpls/St Paul Business Journal about how they were struggling and now Im confused on why they left. Did they leave because they weren't making money due to the shutdown or because they were making money off of minority something or rather which I thought was the reason for its existence?
I guess Alton is going to make a post about what was going on?

 

Fire and damage at $75K on 06/26 at Ursa Minor. https://www.fox21online.com/2020/06/26/fire-impacts-ursa-minor-brewing/

 

56 Brewing owner is in hot water over a noose joke made to a former employee two years ago. And apparently the owner didnt read the resignation letter until this week?

https://growlermag.com/56-brewing-o...-W9lFQSHh8o--3C2PMOtDxb8rho6Ur4tVsLmCx9Ns7RIQ