Twin Cities Area Brewpubs and Taprooms plus Minnesota Breweries-in-Planning 2017

To me, catering would imply that Ansari’s is paying Forager. A pop-up is a temporary restaurant. To me, pop-up would imply that Forager is paying Ansari’s (to rent space) or no money is changing hands between the parties. I don’t know how pop-ups work legally; for all I know they operate on catering licenses. It’s a little weird to think that a restaurant of all things would need catering (unless they were out of stock and didn’t want to close), but obviously the catering is just an excuse for the tap takeover that otherwise wouldn’t be allowed from a brewpub. I suppose a caterer essentially is a little mobile restaurant, and restaurants that share ownership with Forager are allowed to serve beer brewed at the brewpub (think Town Hall Tap or Town Hall Lanes, or the fact that all of the Blue Plate restaurant group restaurants serve Freehouse beers). Clever stuff, assuming it is indeed legal.

The Growler has more information on Tanzenwald, the promising Northfield BIP that has its grand opening on April 20: http://growlermag.com/now-open-or-damn-close-tanzenwald-brewing/

An excellent, wide-ranging set of updates from Chaz at the other site: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/breweries-opening-in-the-minnesota-2017-2018.479445/page-14#post-5391401

Some highlights from Chaz:

Back Channel in Spring Park plans a soft opening in June.

The natives are getting restless about Hamel (see Chaz’s Hamel Brewing Company link). This is as good a place as any to restate my "Double It" heuristic: However long the brewery claims until it opens, double it.

Yet more coverage on Tanzenwald: http://minnesotabusiness.com/brewing-news-northfield

Also...

Broken Clock has its first "Pint Night" at its brewery on April 29. I’m not sure what that means. Broken Clock will have a taproom, but 56 Brewing, the former occupant of the space, did not, and I’d be surprised if Broken Clock was able to create and get approved a formal taproom that quickly. Perhaps this is free beer for coop members or something of that sort. Hat tip to colson at the other site.

The taproom of HeadFlyer Brewing in Nordeast Minneapolis is (softly) open now. The grand opening is on April 22. Hat tip to JakeJohnson at the other site.

An update on St. Croix Brewing, a long-running brand name that is getting its own brewery (and, eventually, taproom) in Stillwater: "The process will take place in three stages: first, the basement will be converted into an active brewery. Once it’s up and running, it will open as an off-sale business. Lastly, the main floor will be open as an on-site taproom, featuring a refurbished seating area and eventually an outdoor patio. The basement is still in the final stages of preparation, and Fyten estimates the brewery will be fully operational by summer 2017. Once it’s up and going, the brewery will be that much closer to offering off-sale beverages and eventually, the taproom." Hat tip to Chaz. http://www.presspubs.com/st_croix/news/article_cd3c0e92-1caa-11e7-b0bb-9b10b23ae328.html

Loony’s Brew, a brewpub in Ranier (outside of the Twin Cities area, on the Canadian border), has started serving its own beer after opening as a pub about a year ago. I had no idea this was in the works. https://growlermag.com/now-open-damn-close-loonys-brew/

Reminder: Tanzenwald in Northfield is open now.

Outside of the Twin Cities area, It turns out that 2 Rivers Brewery, the obscure brewery at Riverside on the Root restaurant in Lanesboro in southern Minnesota, has not been brewing for some time. The proprietor seeks to reopen elsewhere in Lanesboro (i.e., at a site not affiliated with Riverside on the Root). Thus, it has gone from brewpub to brewery-in-planning.

The grand opening for 56 Brewing’s taproom at its new location in Nordeast Minneapolis is Friday, May 5 at noon. Hat tip to JakeJohnson at the other site.

Union 32 Craft House, the brewpub-in-planning in Eagan, will be located in the space of the former Timeout Restaurant and Sports Bar at Hwy 55 and Dodd Rd in northern Eagan.

The Growler has more info on Union 32 in Eagan, which plans to open as a restaurant in June with Excelsior-contract-brewed house beer and in-house brewing to commence later: https://growlermag.com/union-32-craft-house-coming-soon/

The Growler also has info on Portage Brewing Company in Walker (outside of the Twin Cities area), which opened last weekend: https://growlermag.com/now-open-damn-close-portage-brewing-company/