The old thread is frozen, so I’m starting a new thread for 2015. See the previous thread for criteria, background, historical information, etc.:
http://www.ratebeer.com/forums/twin-cities-area-brewpubs-and-taprooms_260861.htm
Brewpubs open now (17 total, 3 of them in WI):
Barley John’s Brew Pub, New Brighton
Brady’s Brewhouse, New Richmond WI
Das Bierhaus, Menomonie WI
Day Block Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Granite City Food & Brewery, Eagan
Granite City Food & Brewery, Maple Grove
Granite City Food & Brewery, Roseville
Granite City Food & Brewery, St. Louis Park
Great Waters Brewing, St. Paul
Herkimer Pub & Brewery, Minneapolis
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis
moto-i, Minneapolis
Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub, Minneapolis
Real Deal Brewing Company, Menomonie WI
Red Wing Brewery, Red Wing
Rock Bottom, Minneapolis
The Freehouse, Minneapolis |
Taprooms open now (38 total, 4 of them in WI):
612 Brew, Minneapolis
Badger Hill Brewing Company, Shakopee
Bang Brewing Company, St. Paul
Bauhaus Brew Labs, Minneapolis
Bent Brewstillery, Roseville
Big Wood Brewery, White Bear Lake
Boom Island Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Burning Brothers Brewing, St. Paul
Dangerous Man Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Dave’s Brewfarm, Wilson WI
Eastlake Craft Brewery, Minneapolis
Enki Brewing Company, Victoria
Excelsior Brewing Company, Excelsior
Fair State Brewing Cooperative, Minneapolis
Fulton Beer Company, Minneapolis
HammerHeart Brewing Company, Lino Lakes
Harriet Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Hayes’ Public House, Buffalo
Hudson Brewing Company (American Sky), Hudson WI
Indeed Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Insight Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Lift Bridge Brewing Company, Stillwater
LTD Brewing Company, Hopkins
LynLake Brewery, Minneapolis
Maple Island Brewing Company, Stillwater
Minnesota Harvest Orchard, Jordan
NorthGate Brewing, Minneapolis
Oliphant Brewing Company, Somerset WI
Pitchfork Brewing Company, Hudson WI
Schram Vineyards Winery & Brewery, Waconia
Sisyphus Brewing, Minneapolis
Sociable Cider Werks, Minneapolis
Steel Toe Brewing Company, St. Louis Park
Summit Brewing Company, St. Paul
Surly Brewing Company, Minneapolis
Tin Whiskers Brewing Company, St. Paul
Urban Growler Brewing Company, St. Paul
Waconia Brewing Company, Waconia |
In the works (17 total, 2 of them in WI): These are firm plans that have a realistic chance of opening in the first half of 2015. Some to many of them likely won’t open in that timeframe due to the various delays that occur with starting a new business, but most or all of them should open at some point. All are taprooms except Opinion, which will be a brewpub.:
- 56 Brewing Company, Minneapolis -- Taproom unconfirmed and space is small, but it’s rare for a brewery to open without a taproom these days.
- Angry Inch Brewing Company, Lakeville
- Bad Weather Brewing Company, St. Paul -- Currently in alternating proprietorship arrangement with Lucid in Minnetonka. This is its own brewery.
- Barley John’s Brewery, New Richmond WI -- Brewpub in New Brighton, MN is and will remain open. This is the production and canning facility, and it will have a taproom.
- Flat Earth Brewing Company, St. Paul -- The brewery is open and sells growlers and samples. They claim they eventually will open an official taproom.
- F-Town Brewing Company, Faribault
- Lake Monster Brewing, St. Paul -- Currently a client brewer at Sand Creek in Black River Falls, WI. This is its own brewery.
- Lucette Brewing Company, Menomonie WI -- The brewery is open. This is the expansion that seems to include a taproom.
- Lucid Brewing Company, Minnetonka -- The brewery is open and sells growlers and gives free samples. They claim they are attempting to open an official taproom.
- Lupulin Brewing Company, Big Lake
- Montgomery Brewing Company, Montgomery
- Opinion Brewing Company, Newport -- Currently operates as a bar only that does not yet sell its own beer, but brewing equipment is in place to turn it into a brewpub.
- Roets Jordan Brewery Co., Jordan
- Sidhe Brewing Company, St. Paul
- South Fork Brewing Company, Delano
- u4ic Brewing Company, Blakeley
- Wabasha Brewing Company, St. Paul |
Breweries possibly in the works that may or may not have taprooms (29 total): I don’t expect any of these to open in the first half of 2015, and a few to a lot of them may be shelved plans. If you have any updates on any of these plans or others to add to the list (I’m looking at you, Skyview), please share.:
- Amity, St. Paul
- Black Stack, Minneapolis
- Blue Wolf, Champlin
- Cedar Grove, Eagan -- Old plan, likely dormant. Supposedly would be in the new Twin Cities Premium Outlets mall.
- Character, St. Paul
- Fishbone, Hanover
- Flynntown, Eden Prairie -- This seems to be a homebrewing group that might have flirted with opening a commercial brewery at some point. Then again, that’s what I would have said about Angry Inch until a couple months ago, and Angry Inch seems actually to be happening.
- Gray Fox, Minneapolis
- Joseph Wolf, Stillwater -- Currently a client brewer at Blacklist in Duluth. This would be its own brewery.
- Last City, St. Paul -- Old plan, likely dormant.
- Lazy Loon, Chaska -- Cans available in stores now in the western part of the metro area. May move to a facility with a taproom in the long term.
- Mr. McGeasil, St. Paul -- I’m not optimistic that this will ever come to fruition.
- Origin, Twin Cities
- Pondscum, St. Michael
- PUBLIQ, Minneapolis
- Reckless Twins, Otsego
- Schwietz Saloon, St. Paul -- Currently operates as a bar. Supposedly the owner wants to install brewing equipment and turn it into a brewpub.
- Shakopee, Shakopee -- Old plan, likely dormant.
- Soggyswamp, Waconia
- Steiner, St. Paul -- Old plan, likely dormant.
- The Brew Loft, Cannon Falls
- The Stone Saloon, St. Paul -- Has been making slow but steady progress for several years.
- The Wicked Wort, Robbinsdale
- Three Witches, Minnetonka -- Old plan, likely dormant.
- Twelve Down, St. Louis Park
- Urban Forage Winery and Cider House, Minneapolis -- Wine, cider, and mead, but no beer. However, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a graff or braggot sneak into the mix.
- Wayzata Brew Works, Wayzata -- Seems to have fallen apart due to opposition from local officials.
- Zambaldi Bros., Minneapolis
- Zurbey, Minneapolis |
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Thanks for the heads up, Dave; that’s a good one. I’m glad Rush River is finally opening a taproom.
This is as good an opportunity as any for me again to encourage people to check out Dave’s BrewFarm, which brews some of the best and most interesting beer and has one of the coolest taproom environments in Minnesota and Wisconsin, before it’s sold. Dave’s was the first taproom in the greater Twin Cities area, predating the legality of the concept in Minnesota, and, in my opinion, it remains one of the very best taprooms around. The fact that Dave fled Minnesota’s archaic laws for the greener pastures (literally) of western Wisconsin to start the BrewFarm and the danger that Surly would do the same likely contributed to the passage of the Surly Bill that legalized taprooms in Minnesota in 2011.
Also, a clarification on Urban Forage Winery & Cider House in Longfellow, Minneapolis: It’s targeting a spring 2015 opening, which, if it were a brewery, would put it on my imminently in the works list. I have no reason to believe that it will brew beer or a beer-hybrid product like graff or braggot; it’s on my long-term watch list in case it does. |
(blushing...) Thanks for the very kind words! |
It’s not beer, but I figure some of you will be interested... Here come the cocktail rooms! Du Nord Craft Spirits opens the Twin Cities area’s first cocktail room (serving hard liquor distilled on site and cocktails using that product, in this case gin and vodka) on Friday, January 9. The location is 2610 E 32nd St, Minneapolis. It’s very close to Harriet Brewing, in case you’re in the mood for a classic shot and beer and willing to walk two blocks in between them.
http://growlermag.com/du-nord-opens-twin-cities-first-cocktail-room-january-9/
http://dunordcraftspirits.com/home/ |
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In addition to Du Nord’s Cocktail room opening today I hear that Wander North Distillery should be opening there’s within the next several weeks. They’re in the same complex of buildings as Northgate Brewing. |
In addition to Du Nord’s Cocktail room opening today I hear that Wander North Distillery should be opening theirs within the next several weeks. They’re in the same complex of buildings as Northgate Brewing. |
Islay I was @ Dave’s Brewfarm Sunday and all the beers where absolutely wonderful. I really liked the lager w/ just Crystal hops additions |
