What is the story told in Crafted to Last – MN Beer Blossoms?

It is the story of Minnesota beer brewing. Ted Marti (Schells) gives the long historical perspective, the Hoops Brothers, along with Tim Nelson and Pete Rifakes, fill us in on the early days (1980s) of craft brewing in MN, then Omar and Todd tell us about the 1990s and everyone talks about the current boom. The current events are a major focus and the film tells us about the laws, ordinances and statutes that had to be reformed in order for these breweries to open and operate. Along the way, we learn about the passions and opinions of the 36 people in the film on beer, brewing, and what this expansion means to them, their fans, and their communities.

The subtitle of the documentary is MN Beer Blossoms. Does that mean that the Minnesota beer industry as bloomed?

Yes. It has bloomed, but that does not mean there is not more room for further growth. You probably know the numbers better than I, but I don’t think we have reached the percentages of craft beer consumption of the more mature craft markets. There is a lot more room to grow. I Chose “blossoms” because “bloom” sounds like “boom” and “boom” is so tightly coupled with “bust” in our cultural jargon. I do not think the current expansion will “bust”. One brewery or another may not make it for one reason or another, but this sector of the economy is here to stay – it is Crafted to Last.

What breweries are featured in the film?

Brau Bros, Badger Hill, Carmody Irish Pub, Dangerous Man, Fitger’s, Harriet, Indeed, Leech Lake, Lift Bridge, Lucid, Northbound, Olvalde Farm, Reads Landing, Schells, Surly, and Town Hall. That’s 16 – 5 brew pubs and 11 packaging breweries.

What will people learn from watching the documentary?

They will learn that there are almost as many ways to build a brewery as there are styles of beer available from MN breweries. They will learn the differences between brew pubs and packaging breweries and how these impacted the modern day history of brewing in MN. They will learn about the range of passions approaches to brewing that exist in this group of MN brewers. Plus some personal details about this brewer and that.

Crafted to Last was shot in the style of cinéma vérité. Is that different than most documentaries?

Yes, although it is not unique. The most notable aspect of the cinema verite style is that there are no narrator or interviewer. I staged the audio portions as conversations between people from the featured brewery so that I had a chance to capture the chemistry between people engaged in pursuing their passions at a time when everything was working very well. In only 3 cases were we unable to feature 2 people from the breweries. Joe Pond asked me to sit down with him. My co-producer, Juan Nazario sat down with Dustin Brau and Ted Marti. The conversational format made it possible to eliminate a voice-over narrator to guide the viewer through the film. That is cinema verite because it lets the people in the film tell their stories in their own words and makes the audio track something of a long conversation between all the brewers. The style impacted the way it was shot, too. The conversations segments were shot in the breweries and tap rooms – not a studio. The video footage was shot as the businesses were in operation. We did not stage scenes. This is how real breweries operate every day. The only concession to slick video tricks is the use of time lapse and time progression because the distortion of time reveals aspects of reality that are often unnoticed. And they are cool to watch.

Zack Lozier has provided the sound track, and you have a crowdfunding campaign to help defray the costs. Music is clearly important to film. What kind of musical influences did you find at Minnesota breweries?

The music is very important to the film. Zach composed all new original music for the film. He hired a number of local musicians to record the score in his home studio and he added his own music and voice to the project. The result is unlike any other documentary film score I have ever heard. It is not background music – it is an integral part of the film. I met Zack though Jesse Brodd at Harriet, so you could say that was an influence. The music I heard in the breweries was either Classic Rock radio stations, speed metal, or rap and none of those are reflected in the score.

What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

The most challenging part was getting people to participate in the film and getting all the necessary shots in the can. We covered a lot of ground to make this film happen. The most time consuming – but also the most enjoyable – part was editing the conversations into a coherent story that could be told without a narrator.

Do any Minnesota brewers have futures as movie stars?

Hard to say because they were not acting in this film. Dustin Brau could host a talk show either on TV or radio – and I bet he’d be a hit. Dave Hoops was pretty smooth, too. Liz Gleeson (Carmody) had a contagious bubbliness.

You spent a lot of time capturing time progressions – why are these important to the film?

There are 3 major time progressions in the film – the build-out of the tap room at Harriet, the installation of the brewery at Dangerous Man, and growth to harvest of a barley field at Olvalde. The first two represent the growth in MN beer during this time. The tap room build-out is also important because it reflects one of the main themes in the film – implementation of the “Surly Law” – that made tap rooms financially viable. The barely field ties the story back to the land – back to the farm – and grounds. Literally.

Where can people see your film?

World premiere on July 19 at Parkway Theater in South MPLS. Doors open at 6 PM, film at 6:30 PM, After Party 8:30 – midnight. $30 includes 1 free beer and snacks. Then the Duluth debut on July 25 at Zeitgeist Theater at 9PM. $10 and theater sells beer. After that, I’d like to cover to geographic range of the featured breweries – north to south – east (Stillwater) and west (Marshall or New Ulm).

Thanks!

Kevin of Boom Island brewing talks with us about Boom Island Boom Days and their new limited release beer, Cuvée De Boom.

Barley John’s is now accepting brewery memberships. The award winning New Brighton, MN Brewpub has been working on opening a production brewery in New Richmond, WI for some time now and it looks like things are progressing nicely.

John and wife Laura have hired architect Brandon Sigrist to design the building. The 13,000 square-foot production brewery will be located at corner of Madison Ave & Wisonsin Drive in New Richmond.

The brewery will have in initial capacity of 10,000 barrels with the ability to expand to 30,000.

If everything goes smoothly the brewery could be open by early 2015. Of course, don’t expect to see any of that beer on shelves in Minnesota, current law forbids it. The best way to get some of the that sweet brew is to sign up for a brewery membership.

Barley John’s Brewery Memberships have varying levels of commitment, but all the levels give a 2-to-1 return on investment. For every dollar you put in, you get two dollars worth of beer in return. Brewery Membership details and apllication below.

Brewery MembershipTo be a member, you must be of legal drinking age.

The brewery will supply to the member twice the amount of beer than the cost paid. If you purchase a $1000 membership you will receive $2000 worth of beer.

This will be based on average retail prices. For example: If an average case of our beer costs $30 dollars in a liquor store, you would receive sixty seven cases of beer at the $1000 membership level.

Membership Levels

Basic                $100 = $200 = 7 cases @$30

Bronze            $500 = $1000 = 34 cases @ $30

Elite Membership Levels

Silver               $1000 = $2000 = 67 cases @ $30

Gold                $2000 = $4000 = 134 cases @$30

Platinum         $3000 = $6000 = 200 cases @$30

Each elite level will have extra benefits to thank you for your extra support. Additional savings will be announced for all members on other products produced at the brewery (e.g., discounts on growlers, clothing, food, private events, etc.)

There is no expiration date on the membership.

The product must be picked up at the brewery in New Richmond, WI.

Valid ID will be required for pick up.

The amount to be picked up cannot exceed more than four cases per month or one 15.5gal keg, per month without prior arrangement. Restrictions will apply to the length of time kegs can be held. Deposits on kegs are not included in the membership.

Availability of seasonal beers may have restrictions to the amount offered. Memberships are non-transferable without brewery approval. Drink responsibly and behave appropriately. Memberships can be revoked.

Initially, the brewery will begin production of our four signature styles of beer: Little Barley, IPA, Wild Brunette and Old 8 Porter. We will add seasonal beers which will be available in cans, kegs, growlers, or on tap.

The Brewery is projected to open in the fall of 2014 / early 2015. If for some reason it does not, your money will be returned in full without interest. This membership opportunity will be available until September 30 2014.

Mail or deliver completed form and payment to Barley John’s Brewpub 781 Old Hwy 8 SW, New Brighton, MN. 55112. Payments need to be made to the order of: Barley John’s Brewing Co.
All membership funds will be deposited at First National Community Bank, 109 East Second St., P.O. Box 89, New Richmond, WI 54017 Contact Information: Joe Green, Vice President 715-246-6901.

Member’s contact information

Name:                 ______________________________________________________________

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Third Street Brewhouse celebrates their 2-year anniversary today with music, food, games, and tours of the facility.

Music performances from Shadow Driver, Justin + Jason Ploof of The Throwbacks, and The Honey Badgers.

Beers will include Bitter Neighbor, Rise to the Top, Lost Trout, Hunny Do, Three Way, and the new Spotlight IPA.

The bags tournament starts at 4pm, and there will be tours from 12-4pm.

The good people at Third Street have a lot to celebrate. In two years they have built an incredibly large and sophisticated facility, launched successful brand, and expanded at an impressive rate. In 2013 Third Street Brewhouse produced 86,000 barrels of craft beer. That puts them at #3 in the state (coincidence?) behind big guys Summit and Schells. This year Third Street began packaging in cans, and debuted their Spotlight IPA.

“This weekend is our second anniversary. We have been elated to be able to be a relevant participant in the vibrant craft brewing scene in Minnesota,” said Doug DeGeest VP and General Manager. “Though we have been in business for 140 years, the last 2 years have been special. Building a new state-of-art brewhouse and assembling a dream team of brewers has allowed us to brew satisfying and creative products for people who appreciate great beers.”

Surly Brewing is partnering with Chipotle Mexican Grill to create ‘Surly Cultivate Farmhouse Ale,’ a Saison-style beer that will be initially exclusive to Chipotle’s Cultivate Minneapolis Festival later this summer.

Every Minnesota craft beer fan knows that Surly brewmaster Todd Haug likes to do things a bit differently than most. Hell, Surly has built their brand around it. The Cultivate Farmhouse Ale Todd is brewing for this forward thinking festival will definitely be different.

Different how? For starters the beer will be a gruit. Gruit is a historical style of beer that was prevalent for many centuries before the use of hops was popularized. Gruits don’t use hops, instead botanicals like spices, roots and herbs flavor and preserve the beer. Rosemary, Spruce, and Juniper can be found in many modern gruit recipes.

Some flavor and all of the bittering for Surly’s newest beer will come from the late addition of 400 pounds of fresh dandelion greens, bitter orange peels and lemon peels. The greens and citrus peels will steep in the wort (after flameout) for about 10-15 minutes. Once flavors and essential oils are imparted the greens and peels will be removed via centrifuge. “You don’t want them in there for longer than that,” said Haug. “Too long and they will leave a vegetal flavor”

“We didn’t pick the dandelions in the backyard,” said Haug. “We called some some restaurant contacts and ordered them. They are used in salads all the time.”

The malt bill will be comprised of Franco-Belges Pilsen and a small amount of Wayermann Rye. The small amount of rye won’t won’t be competing with hops for a spot on flavor palate. Even a minimal amount rye should impart some dry, spicy, or peppery flavors.

The wort will ferment on a combination of Surly’s house Belgian yeast and Brettanomyces. This is similar to the way Misanthrope is fermented. “Lots of gruits can have a “worty” or unfinished taste. We hope to avoid that with this fermentation, said Haug. The beer should finish fermenting at 1°P or a specific gravity of about 1.004, giving it a light body.

Surly Cultivate Farmhouse Ale will come in around 5% ABV with a bitterness of around 33 IBU. Lower abv, slight bitternes, and effervescent carbonation will make this beer ideal for a warm summer day, just as a Saison was intended.

To find out more about Chipotle Cultivate Minneapolis follow the link.