After being closed for several months Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery grand reopening is this Friday, April 11th, at 6pm.

The space has been reworked to make things a little more open, brighter, and more efficient. There is new art including a impressive neon clock from Matt Thompson at Skyline Neon. Brewery operations have been expanded and capacity has been increased. The menu has been tweaked. More draft lines have been added to bring the total up to 34 with 10 of them dedicated to cider.

When the doors open 6pm be sure to order pint of phoenix pale ale and celebrate the reopening of one of Minnesota’s best breweries.

Four Firkins specialty beer store announced an expansion and crowdfunding campaign.

The Firkins crew is looking to take their unique business model and expand it to the other side of the twin cities. Minnesota’s only Craft Beer only store is planning on opening a new store in Woodbury. But they are looking for help from the community to partially fund the project.

We’ve seen dozens of breweries use crowd sourcing and even local restaurants like Travail and Birchwood used it successfully for expansion projects.
– Jason Alvey, Owner Four Firkins

Beer fans are clearly excited at the prospect of having a Four Firkins store in the east metro. The community is certainly pitching in. There is already over $21,000 pledged toward the $50,000 goal. That means Alvey and gang are on or near the pace they’ll need to reach their goal by the April, 25th deadline.

Along with the rejoicing there have been a few detractors of the Four Firkins fundraising plan. Without a doubt some of the loudest voices are from the competition. Some have even said crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo are for startups, not established businesses. “We were faced with a choice that many businesses our size are faced with: sell off ownership and bring on investors to grow or get the money some other way,” says Jason Alvey. “We’ve seen dozens of breweries use crowd sourcing and even local restaurants like Travail and Birchwood used it successfully for expansion projects. We didn’t know how well we’d do if we tried it, but figured it’s certainly worth a shot. Luckily our customers really do appreciate what we do and are happy to be a part of this very important growth stage. We will never forget them!”

Agree with the plan or not, there are some cool perks, and another quality beer store is a good thing. Checkout the Four Firkins Indiegogo site for all the details.

Opening day at Target Field! Who is playing hooky to watch the Twins? Everyone knows that no trip to the ballpark is complete without a cold beer in the sunshine. While there might be a roof deck named for a large international brewer, the decision makers at Target Field are either listening to Minnesota beer fans, or have great taste. Maybe both. They are adding more local craft beer to the list of refreshments. Beginning this season cans of Indeed Brewing (Day Tripper and Shenanigans) will be available in sections 126 and 320.

To make your Twins game day at Target Field easier we have created a quick and easy refreshment reference chart with beer sizes, locations, and prices. However, according to Pete Spike, general manager for Sportservice at the ballpark, beverage services can literally and figuratively be quite fluid. If you notice any changes or updates be sure to let us know in the comments section.

Go Twins!

Honorable mentions: The new Butcher and the Boar grill inside Gate 34 will have local craft beer, bourbon, and meat. And checkout the “Bigger Better Burger Bloody Mary” at Hrbek’s from noon-1pm on home game days.

Brooklyn Brewery Founder Steve Hindy isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. In a recent TV interview with CNBC Hindy recounts fighting an incompetent distributor and how difficult it can be for craft brewers when franchise laws favor distributors.

The frank interview comes directly after Hindy’s Op-Ed in the NY Times. In his opinion piece Mr. Hindy warns of the dangers of letting outdated laws dictate the success or failure of a craft beer brand of rather than consumer appeal. Hindy essentially warns us that if some of the franchise laws aren’t addressed some beer distributors could be killing craft beer at their whim. Most of the current laws were written at a time when large macro brewers would pit distributors against each other. The franchise statutes make it nearly impossible for a brewer to switch distributors without facing severe financial hardship. The risk of this hardship is very real and remains today.

So where does craft beer figure in to the conversation? The stakes are far higher for small craft brewers than for the large international brewers the laws  were originally written around. The results can be devastating when distributor chooses to focus on the “bread and butter” of their portfolio (yellow fizzy brew), or the next hot craft beer as is often the case. Small local craft brewers are left locked into distribution agreements with virtually no recourse. Craft beer brands suffer and languish while the distributors have virtually no motivation to change anything.

Steve Hindy is a craft beer legend and an industry leader, when he speaks beer lovers across the country should listen. I sincerely hope craft beer fans are paying attention to what he is saying. Minnesota beer lovers have seen what first hand what can happen when there are rocky relationships between distributors and brewers. Have you tried to buy a beer from Jolly Pumpkin or Avery lately?

… in Washington State, small brewers are excluded from the state’s franchise laws completely.

As with most liquor laws, while the rest of the nation is looking forward, it seems Minnesota is moving backward. It was just last year when small Minnesota brewers were forced to give up 5,000 bbls of self distribution to “save the growler.” And let’s not forget that Minnesota Beer Wholesalers have consistently fought against Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota.

Let’s ask Minnesota legislators to listen to Steve Hindy. Our beer distribution franchise laws could use some updating along the rest of the Minnesota liquor code.