All posts by Andrew Schmitt

Andrew is just a guy that likes beer. You can usually find him on the twitters or spending time with his family.
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Lost Falls Distillery Begins Kickstarter Funding Drive

Nils Collins & Brian Nackerud are starting a craft distillery in Minneapolis, and they need your help to fund it. The new Lost Falls Distillery is planned to go into CityFoodStudio, a shared space on Chicago Ave, in south Minneapolis.

The duo has bunch of recipes planned, including a dark cherry rum, but they can’t get started without the necessary equipment. In return for funding the project the guys are offering a bunch of handmade, union, and USA-made incentives based on the level of giving. The giving incentives range from stickers and tumblers, and go all the way up to a handmade liquor cabinets, and more. Sadly, you can’t get any of their forthcoming spirits. Giving alcohol as a funding reward is against kickstarter’s rules.

Watch the video below and consider funding the project. It is time Minnesota had some craft distillers to go along with our craft brewers.

Lost Falls Distillery Kickstarter

Lost Falls Distillery website
Lost Falls Distillery on facebook
Lost Falls Distillery on twitter


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A Day for Jeff – Northbound Brewpub

Northbound Sous Chef, Jeff Robinson, was recently diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain tumor, after he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke at work.

On Monday, November 18th, Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub is donating 100% of their profits to Jeff and his wife, Marti, to help cover expenses.

Come have a plate & a few beers.

2716 East 38th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55406

A Day for Jeff

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Help us Name our Beer

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On December 14, MN Beer Activists and Dangerous Man Brewing are teaming up for one humdinger of a fundraiser. Part of the fun will be tapping a beer brewed specifically for the event. But, we were having trouble coming up with a name and a style. So, help us name our beer!

What should we call this one-off brew? And more importantly, what style would you like to see? Weigh in on the poll below, share it with your friends, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for Dec 14th. You won’t want to miss it.
[polldaddy poll=”7505349″]

Newsfeed

Surly Brewing Company Re-Enters Chicago Market

Surly DarknessOnce upon a time Surly Brewing had a much bigger distribution footprint than it currently does. Way back then (3 years ago) the brewery was considerably smaller than it is now, and had to pull back to meet local demand. With expanded production, increased staff, and giant brewery on the way, Surly is beginning what is likely to be a long steady increase in growth and availability.

Beginning Monday, November 12th, Surly beer will begin to be available at Hopleaf, Map Room, and several other well known Chicago beer bars. The beer will be moved via Windy City Distributing, purveyors of many fine beers such as Port/Lost Abbey Brewing Company, Oskar Blues Brewery, and The Bruery.

The additional distribution makes a lot of sense, the Minnesota brewery is clearly focused on growth. My only question is how much of their specialty/seasonal beers will find their way out of the local market. Surly Brewing Co. has already cut back on volume of the special stuff. If there are bottles of Darkness sitting on the shelf at Binny’s and none to be found locally, the consumers that helped put Surly on the map won’t be happy.

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Northbound Brewpub & Indeed Brewing Make National Television Debut

beer geeks tvMinnesota breweries Northbound Brewpub and Indeed Brewing Company make their national television debut on beer Geeks TV late Saturday night.

If the name Beer Geeks TV sounds familiar, it should. The syndicated television show has its roots right here in Minnesota. In fact, in its first incarnation the show focused almost entirely on Minnesota breweries and restaurants. The newest version of the show travels the country instead of the state, and replaces local talent with master brewer Michael Ferguson as the jovial host. The format remains mostly the same, but the shows is now produced by David Page, of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives fame.

The only Minnesota-centric episode centers on Hot Box, an Imperial Smoked Porter that Northbound brewed in collaboration with Indeed Brewing Company.

“We’re thrilled to be one of the first Minnesota breweries featured on Beer Geeks TV,” said Northbound Smokehouse Co-Owner and General Manager Amy Johnson. “Having recently celebrated our first birthday, it’s quite an honor to receive national attention. We’re also thrilled to share the spotlight with our good friends at Indeed Brewing.

The episode will be broadcast live at 12:30 am on Nov. 10 on WFTC/MyFox 29. Northbound Smokehouse is inviting the public to watch the episode at the restaurant. They are extending their late night Saturday happy hour with $3 house beers from 10 pm to 2 am. To honor the collaboration with Indeed Brewing, Northbound Smokehouse will also offer a partial “tap takeover” with several special Indeed Brewing beers along with Northbound’s house offerings.

For those unable to attend the late-night screening, Northbound Smokehouse will host two additional screenings on Nov. 10 at 11:00 am and again at 7:00 pm.

http://beergeeks.tv/episode-guide/season-1/episode-10/

Legislative Events, Newsfeed

Minneapolis Election Day: November 5, 2013

Minneapolis election day is November 5, 2013. Minneapolis residents will have some tough choices to make. We don’t pretend that the stance a candidate takes on modernizing Minnesota liquor law should a decide if they get your vote, but it can give you some insight to their political philosophy and how they might handle future issues.

The City of Lakes will be saying goodbye to Mayor R.T. Rybak and looking for a new mayor. During his time in office Mayor Rybak, ushered in several changes that have made many Minneapolis beer drinkers grateful.

One key change came when Rybak approved an initiative by Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff to lift the prohibition on breweries within 300 feet of churches. This ordinance change alone made it possible for Dangerous Man Brewing Co. to open in NE Minneapolis, while opening up the city for more commerce.

Rybak also pushed for a change to state level beer law. He successfully pushed for breweries to have the ability to sell their own pints of beer on site in taprooms. The success of modernized liquor code has led to taprooms and breweries being built all over Minneapolis, and the rest of the state, including a massive forthcoming “destination brewery” from Surly Brewing Co.

So, as Minneapolis looks to a elect its next leader, keep in mind that while being pro beer isn’t everything, Mayor Rybak’s pro-beer stance has lead to a lot of entrepreneurship and brewing industry growth in Minneapolis. As the beer culture continues to grow in Minnesota, it is important to remember that modernizing liquor regulations play a big part in fostering that expansion.

The leading Minneapolis mayoral candidates don’t often get asked about beer and liquor laws, but it comes up from time to time in public forums. Here is a list of what we have been able to track down. If you have updated information, or find something we didn’t, please comment below and will we update this piece.

Minnesota Mayoral Candidates on Liquor / Beer
Allowing Sunday Sales Allowing Brewpub Distribution Allowing Distillery Taprooms Eliminating 60/40 Food/Alcohol Sales
Betsy Hodges Undecided Undecided Supports Supports
Mark Andrew Against Undecided Supports Supports
Don Samuels Supports Undecided Supports Supports
Cam Winton Supports Supports Supports Supports
Stephanie Woodruff Supports Supports Supports Supports
Jackie Cherryhomes Against Undecided Supports Supports

It is worth noting that according to Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Mark Andrew tried to get a $1,000 donation from the Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association PAC, but walked away with $500, the legal limit on contributions. Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association has opposed recent beer reforms, including retail sales at brewpubs and Sunday sales.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/92858129″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

In addition to mayoral candidates, there is also a proposal to amend the Minneapolis city charter liquor-licensing provisions on the ballot. The proposed amendment would essentially “clean up” the language in the Minneapolis City Charter (i.e., the city constitution). The charter was written long ago, it uses language like “doth” instead of “do” and even references parts of the city government that no longer exist. The new language wouldn’t change any rules or regulations, it would make the existing regulations easier to for residents to understand.

2) “Shall the Minneapolis City Charter provisions relating to the sale of liquor and wine be amended by reorganizing and rewriting in plain modern language?”
Yes __________
No ___________

Existing Charter
Plain Language Charter and cover correspondence to City Council
Side-by-Side Comparisons
FAQs

As with any election, make sure you are registered, you know your polling location, and you’ve educated yourself on issues and candidates.

Special thanks to Jeremy Zoss and The Growler for doing a lot of leg work on this issue.

Newsfeed

Surly Brewing Company Breaks Ground on New “Destination Brewery”

Surly Brewing Co. broke ground today on its new $20-plus million “Destination Brewery.”

The development will allow Surly Brewing to expand beer production to 100,000 barrels of Minnesota craft beer every year. The brewery will also have a 300-person beer hall and beer garden, and feature a full-service restaurant and events center.

To kick things off, Omar Ansari, founder and president of Surly Brewing and his team invited local politicians, including Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and project stakeholders to speak about what the project means to the community.

“Today is an opportunity to thank our fans, the Twin Cities, the state, and all of our partners for their support,” said Ansari. “We’ve worked hard for the last two-and-a-half years to ensure that this brewery truly is a destination for all craft beer fans, and it’s placed perfectly in the center of the Metro right between Minneapolis and St. Paul. We’re looking forward to creating something really special that everyone will be able to enjoy by the end of next year.”


The new facility has been made possible by the support of craft beer lovers across the state, with the support of local politicians on every level.

“I’ve said it before and I’m happy to say it again, Minnesota Nice is about to get Surly. The City of Minneapolis and Surly Brewing have been great partners over the years,” said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. “We rallied the voices of activists across the state together to pass the bill that allowed this project to move forward, then worked together to transform this formerly blighted site into a Destination Brewery and the next Minneapolis beer hot spot. Our partnership is a great example of small business and government working together to create good jobs in manufacturing, hospitality and tourism — and, let’s not forget, a really delicious local product.”

Once the speaking, thanking, and hand shaking was done and out of the way, local dignitaries joined Omar for the first of many pints in the new location.

Look for the the 8.3 acres of land at 520 Malcolm Avenue SE in Minneapolis to be finished around late 2014. It is close to major roads, bicycle routes and two stations on the Central Corridor light rail line. As a St. Paul resident, I’m glad to have their facility a little more centrally located, and near public transit. I’ll be crossing my fingers, hoping for Darkness Day at the new brewery.


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