Thanksgiving week 2018 was a historic one for the town of Woodbury, Minnesota. This eastern suburb of St. Paul that nearly 70,000 people call home is finally home to its first brewery. 3rd Act Craft Brewery, the brainchild of Woodbury resident and longtime homebrewer Steve Long and his wife Deb Long, quietly opened its doors … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Stacked Deck Brewing Company in St. Paul
November 28, 2018 by
For the founders of Stacked Deck Brewing Company, opening the taproom doors in downtown St. Paul has been a long time coming. Andy Erickson, Brad Randall, Scott Wege, and Ryan Keihn secured the space three years ago, began brewing 12 years ago, and have been in love with St. Paul their whole lives. All of … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Uncommon Loon Brewing Company in Chisago City
November 28, 2018 by
When he retired from his engineering career two years ago, Uncommon Loon Brewing Company co-founder Brad Klatt wore a shirt to his party that read, “Of course I have a retirement plan—I’ll be brewing beer.” The homebrewer of 23 years admits he had the shirt there as a joke, but his lifelong friend Mark “Corky” … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Half Pint Brewing Company in Waseca
November 27, 2018 by
It doesn’t take long when leaving downtown Waseca to find yourself among farm fields and woodland. But drive just far enough on the dirt road that turns from County Road 10 into 150th Street and you’ll come across a farm unlike any others in the area. A small hopyard stands adjacent to a house atop … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Yoerg Brewing Co. Saloon in St. Paul
November 15, 2018 by
Anthony Yoerg started Minnesota’s first commercial brewery in 1849 at a spot near what is now the parking ramp for the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul. (A few later accounts place the founding in 1848.) While he was soon surpassed in volume by other brewers, demand was still strong enough to encourage Yoerg Brewing Co. to … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Duluth Cider
November 14, 2018 by
For enthusiasts of everything craft, Duluth is living up to its name as the Zenith City. Breweries and distilleries are flourishing and have quickly become fixtures of the city’s cultural and nightlife scenes. With all of these great beers and spirits available, it seems only natural to ask: Where’s the cider? Duluth will soon be able to point to the … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): The Nordic Brewing Company in Monticello
November 9, 2018 by
A new adventure with every beer and every visit: such is the quest of Monticello, Minnesota’s newest brewery, The Nordic Brewing Company. Nordic opened less than a year after fellow Monticello brewery Rustech Brewing and is guided by its owners’ passion for beer, community, and fantasy—something owners/founders Zach Barthel, Matt Belz, and Laura Belz hopes resonates with … [ Read more]
Now Open (or Damn Close): LocAle Brewing Company in Mankato
October 24, 2018 by
Jim and Lauren Parejko want LocAle Brewing Company to be infused with all-things Minnesota—Blue Earth County in particular. The logo for their Mankato brewery features a hop-shaped bison (a nod to nearby Minneopa State Park, where herds of the giant mammals are free to roam 331 acres), and they try to use at least one … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): La Doña Cervecería
October 12, 2018 by
Minnesota craft beer with a Latin influence.” This is the main point that Sergio Manancero arrives at as we discuss the genesis of La Doña Cervecería, the latest taproom to open its doors in Minneapolis’ Harrison neighborhood. The fusion of Manancero’s heritage and Minnesota’s craft beer scene extends beyond the beer filling the glasses at … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Copper Crow Distillery in Bayfield, Wisc.
October 9, 2018 by
Lake Superior’s South Shore is one of the world’s most legitimately spellbinding places. Add the character of a mighty, ever-changing body of fresh water to a series of tightly knit, remarkably welcoming little communities, and you’ve got a spot that invites visitors to return again and again. For Copper Crow Distillery owners Curt and Linda … [ Read more]
Now Open: Gravity Storm Brewery Cooperative in Austin, Minnesota
September 26, 2018 by
Jimmy Buffett fans know that his music has a certain vibe, one that evokes escaping to an island to relax. With Gravity Storm Brewery Cooperative, former teacher Brian Davis has created an escape of his own, leaving behind a career in education to open a brewery in downtown Austin, Minnesota, just across the street from … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Ursa Minor Brewing in Duluth
September 25, 2018 by
Mark and Ben Hugus brewed their first batch of Big Bad John Double IPA five years ago, the day after their father’s funeral. “The first batch was brewed with the whole family,” Ben says. “Mark, myself, uncles, aunts, our sister—everyone was there and had a hand in it.” What they knew then held true as … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Clutch Brewing Company
September 12, 2018 by
Jordan Standish and Max Boeke have been friends since the sixth grade. They spent their middle school years together, and when high school came, Jordan moved up north. About a year after graduating, he got a job with a local beer distributor and spent his weekends visiting Max with plenty of craft beer in tow. … [ Read more]
Now Open (or Damn Close): BeerClub Brewing in Mora
September 7, 2018 by
Riding motorcycles across the peaks and valleys of the Alps provides an incredible thrill each year for Jon Gorham, Pat Gorham, and Fred Holm. But one of the most exciting moments of their journey waits at the end: savoring stein after stein of German beer at Oktoberfest in Munich. The friends’ love of beer extends … [ Read more]
Now Open (Or Damn Close): Little Thistle Brewing Co. in Rochester
August 20, 2018 by
Dawn and Steve Finnie aren’t like most people currently opening a brewery. That’s because Little Thistle Brewing Co., soon to open in Rochester, Minnesota, isn’t their first. Following the elation of opening Grand Rounds Brewpub in 2015, Steve, co-owner, managing partner, and head brewer, and his wife Dawn, who lent a hand with the brewpub’s … [ Read more]
