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

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Message islay beers 3622 º places 18 º 19:14 Thu 4/27/2017 More from The Growler, this time on the upcoming new 56 Brewing brewery and taproom, opening May 5: https://growlermag.com/56-brewings-new-taproom-brewery/
Message islay beers 3622 º places 18 º 15:52 Sat 4/29/2017 56 Brewing’s new taproom in Nordeast Minneapolis is (softly) open now. Hat tip to JakeJohnson at the other site.
Message Dangeruss beers 35 º 16:42 Mon 5/1/2017 Broken Clock finally purchased 56 space and will feature beers at Art a whirl https://twitter.com/BrokenClockbrew/status/859094511217246211

Message islay beers 3622 º places 18 º 23:29 Fri 5/5/2017 Six new taprooms have opened in the Twin Cities area in 2017. The following are my early rankings of them (based on one or two visits and flight-sized pours): Beer: 1. Tanzenwald, Northfield (above average for a new brewery) 2. Swinging Bridge, River Falls, Wisconsin (above average for a new brewery) 3. Utepils, Minneapolis (approximately average for a new brewery) 4. HeadFlyer, Minneapolis (approximately average for a new brewery) 5. BlackStack, Minneapolis (approximately average for a new brewery) 6. 56, Minneapolis (below average for a new brewery, which is especially concerning considering that the brewery has been operating for a couple of years at its previous location) This is a pretty strong showing for new breweries. None is a disaster. I’m seeing some bad reviews for HeadFlyer’s early beers, and I agree that at least one was notably flawed, but, otherwise, I don’t share the negative sentiment. BlackStack has generated a lot of early buzz, thanks in no small parts to friends of the brewery hyping it at the other site and its proximity to the phenomenon that is Can Can Wonderland, but I haven’t yet found the beer to be anything special. That said, I’m not a fan of the New England IPA substyle,* yet that’s where BlackStack is attempting to make its mark. * New England IPAs are not nearly dry/bitter enough for this IPA fan, and the characteristically "pillowy" mouthfeel exacerbates the beer’s meekness while the intentionally exaggerated turbidity in appearance is both gimmicky and, often, unsightly. While some craft beer fans whose opinions about beer I respect enjoy them a lot, and there are some very good breweries tackling the substyle with results that occasionally impress even me, I know that New England IPAs are designed first and foremost to appeal to people who otherwise don’t have the palates to appreciate IPAs fully ("too bitter!"). I also think a lot of the hype around them depends on the fact that the other site and most other beer media are concentrated in the Northeast (a region that until recently was known for its lack of sophistication around craft beer), and they homer out for a local specialty. "Moms and Massholes" IPAs, I call them, due to their target demos. </EOR> Venue: 1. HeadFlyer (above average for a taproom) 2. Utepils (above average for a taproom) 3. Swinging Bridge (above average for a taproom) 4. Tanzenwald (above average for a taproom) 5. 56 (approximately average for a taproom) 6. BlackStack (below average for a taproom) Taproom venue quality seems to be on an upward trajectory, with newer openings generally nicer than older counterparts. I wouldn’t argue with any arrangement of the top 4 in venue rankings, and 56 has some impressive elements as well. Only BlackStack failed to make an effort in the taproom environment. Overall, I consider Tanzenwald the most buzzworthy of the 2017 openings. It produced the single best beer I’ve tried from the six breweries (Rye Opener Stout) and has both a pleasant space and good food (like Surly on a much smaller scale, Tanzenwald is a taproom, not a brewpub, with a full kitchen). I didn’t love it, but I did like it across the board.
Message islay beers 3622 º places 18 º 22:31 Thu 5/11/2017 More information on the upcoming Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery in St. Paul. Is anybody else concerned by the fact that all media accounts of this project discuss the historical renovation of the building first and foremost and present the beer as an afterthought? http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/st-pauls-oldest-commercial-building-gets-closer-to-reopening-as-waldmann-brewery-wurstery/421792753 Information on the upcoming Culhane Brewing Company (taproom) in Lowertown St. Paul: http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/lowertowns-station-4-will-reopen-as-culhane-brewing-from-former-sidhe-brewer/421855183 Finnegans, which has been a client brewer at Summit in St. Paul, is ending its relationship with Summit and is becoming an alternating proprietor at Badger Hill’s expanding Shakopee brewery. You may recall that Badger Hill began as an alternating proprietor at Lucid in Minnetonka, which subsequently has morphed into North Loop / Inbound in Minneapolis. Finnegans continues to develop a taproom in downtown Minneapolis. The article inexplicably starts, "Finnegans is putting the finishing touches on its new brewery and taproom," but I doubt it opens in 2017. http://finance-commerce.com/2017/05/finnegans-touts-downtown-minneapolis-brewery-taproom/
Message Atom beers 3314 º places 229 º 06:51 Fri 5/12/2017 Was at Bad Weather last week (I’ll never go back), and discovered Waldmann is on the other side of the block behind them basically. It appears that there is a larger building going up behind the historic taproom that I assume is where they are brewing, from what I’ve read and understood they’ll be doing a lot of lagers.
Message jackl beers 8677 º places 740 º 11:16 Fri 5/12/2017 Originally posted by islay Is anybody else concerned by the fact that all media accounts of this project discuss the historical renovation of the building first and foremost and present the beer as an afterthought? http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/st-pauls-oldest-commercial-building-gets-closer-to-reopening-as-waldmann-brewery-wurstery/421792753 Sort of. I’m mostly concerned / hopeful about the fact that they’ll focus on lagers. There’s nowhere for brewing flaws to hide in a pale lager, so hopefully they bring in someone with a strong professional track record. Originally posted by Atom Was at Bad Weather last week (I’ll never go back), Did you have a bad experience or bad beer?

Message JK beers 7296 º places 442 º 11:20 Fri 5/12/2017 What did you like about Tanzenwald? I was thinking about going down but saw they were doing the every-brewpub styles at above average prices and decided to hold off.
Message islay beers 3622 º places 18 º 20:38 Sat 5/13/2017 Kale Johnson, the owner / brewer at 56 Brewing, told me that Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative, which soon will be opening in the tiny former 56 space, will not have an official taproom after all. Regulators require a few expensive modifications before they would approve a taproom, and Broken Clock as of now is choosing not to make those modifications. Rather, it will allow patrons to purchase glassware, which it then will fill with free pours (as breweries were allowed to do prior to passage of the Surly Bill). Kale told me that 56 used this method as well at its former location (I never went there, so I can’t confirm; if they had publicized this fact better I probably would’ve shown up; I’m not a big growlers guy). Broken Clock opens its non-taproom to the public on Friday, 5-19-17. The exurban BIP rush continues, with Fell Run Brewing Company in Taylors Falls to the northeast and Rustech Brewing in Monticello to the northwest. Expect openings no earlier than 2018. Hat tips to Chaz and MNPikey at the other site, respectively. Speaking of exurban breweries... Re: Tanzenwald: The Rye Opener Stout was packed with flavor, especially for a mere 5.5% ABV beer. It’s one of the better brand-new-brewery-beers I’ve ever had. None of the rest stood out in particular, but all were competently made and better than most breweries’ earliest efforts. The developers did a good job with the space, although it very much feels like a small brewpub more than a taproom (it is, for the record, a taproom). I ate only a pretzel, but it was surprisingly good, and the menu was more extensive and looked more impressive than I had assumed. Given my positive initial experience and the brewer’s Lagunitas background, I continue to have high hopes for this one. The other people I know who’ve visited gave it even higher marks than I did.
Message Atom beers 3314 º places 229 º 22:17 Sat 5/13/2017 Originally posted by Atom Was at Bad Weather last week (I’ll never go back), Did you have a bad experience or bad beer? Both, was berated by a not working employee about having my 8lbs terrier in the taproom while holding her in my arms in the beer line trying to pay my tab. Still not impressed by the beer and certainly not that encounter.