A new larger production area means Brau Brothers Brewing Company will have the ability to brew more beer. “With this brewery comes additional barrel aging capacity which will allow us to dabble a bit more in unique, small batch beers. The additional overall capacity will definitely assist us in getting seasonals out there on a more regular basis. That’s one area we look forward to improving on. And this brewery also has its own laboratory, another important factor in an industry that relies on microbiology. Being able to run lab tests will help improve the shelf life and quality of the beer.” Said Dustin Brau.
For the past thirteen years Brau Brothers based their brewing operations in Lucan, Minnesota (Population 220) for the past thirteen years. They have outpaced the little city’s resources in past years and chose a former farm/sport retail space in Marshall because it is a larger facility with room for long term growth. The new facility allows them to have a more visitor-friendly space along with Marshall’s very first tap room.
The new digs are open daily (yes, even Sunday) from 11:am-11:00pm. The taproom features a vintage 1956 firetruck/barback, a couple of cask engines, and a full kitchen.
At SuretyBonds.com, we’re proud to have served countless professionals in a wide variety of industries. Sometimes, it really seems like there’s a surety bond for everything! The brewing industry is no exception, and — in honor of the Great American Beer Festival — SuretyBonds.com has decided to take an inside look at the rise of craft breweries.
Despite the tough economy, the beer industry is ever-increasing. In fact, the total number of craft breweries in the U.S. has increased by 5 percent in only 6 months (BrewersAssociation.org). California has the most craft breweries, while Vermont has the most capita per craft brewery.
The Great American Beer Festival, which took place this past weekend (October 10-12, 2013) brought together the top craft brewers from across the country. Over the course of three days, five different three-hour judging sessions took place to name the top three beers in 75 different categories. The Pro-Am competition is separate from the GABF Brewery and Brewer of the Year awards. Pro-Am beers are brewed by professional brewers in collaboration with the American Homebrewers Association.
Check out SuretyBonds.com’s latest infographic in conjunction with the Great American Beer Festival. If you need an alcohol bond or a bond for any other industry, contact SuretyBonds.com online or by phone at 1 (800) 308-4358Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. CST.
Last year, Connecticut passed a law repealing the prohibition of off-sale liquor retail on Sundays. The measure to modernize the Connecticut liquor code was endorsed by Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy (DFL) with members of the DFL and GOP in both the House and Senate voted to make the change. The measure was signed into law on May, 17th, 2012, after decades of debate.
“For years, Connecticut residents had to go to neighboring states where merchants selling alcoholic beverages were wide open for business. Connecticut lost business, lost sales and lost taxes.”
–Connecticut Commissioner of Revenue Services Kevin B. Sullivan
A little over one year has passed since the change. How has the legalization of Sunday liquor sales impacted the state and its consumers? Fears that six days of sales would be spread over seven days have been found to be completely unfounded. Liquor sales during the last year have increased, not decreased. According to the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services the state experienced an sizable increase in alcoholic beverage receipts, crediting the change in Sunday liquor sales for the increase. The volume of alcoholic products sold by Connecticut retailers increased by nearly 3%.
Said Commissioner Sullivan, “Not every retailer selling beer and other alcoholic beverages see increased sales. Overall, however, the results are positive and especially for those who stretched to be more competitive.”
Fargo is not that different from Minneapolis: lots of local colleges, passionate sports fans, and food and beer lovers. Similar to Minneapolis, Fargo (and North Dakota as a whole) recently went through the process of changing alcohol licensing laws so that breweries could open taprooms in the state. One main proponent of the cause was Fargo Brewing Company.
The story of Minnesota’s battle for taprooms is a familiar one, and a hard-fought win. In North Dakota, however, the bill’s passage was less of a fight and more of an effort to catch up to surrounding states that have begun to fill up with hometown breweries. The founders of Fargo Brewing Company wanted to be on the leading edge of the taproom phenomenon in North Dakota. Head Brewer Chris Anderson had dabbled in home brewing on his own and learned about running a brewery while working at Ice Harbor Brewery on the west coast before he and his brother, John, decided to come home to Fargo to open up shop.
It took about three months from bill proposal to passage for North Dakota to get taproom licensing—the bill also met nearly no opposition in the North Dakota legislature. From there, the guys at FBC went to the Fargo city council to get local ordinances changed. While they waited for the laws to change and located a brewery space, FBC contract brewed its first batches of delicious beer, including the perfectly named Woodchipper IPA. As they began distributing and gained popularity, the new taproom laws went into effect and FBC found a new location not far from the campus at North Dakota State University.
Chris Anderson, Head Brewer, sweet beard wearer.
Their space is built for expansion. The brewery features a large warehouse floor and a beautiful (but unfinished) windowed area off of a main street that will be home to the permanent taproom. For now, the taproom is at the entrance off the parking lot, charmingly decorated with a large mural and a colorful chalkboard sign. Pieces of a canning line (yes, FBC is going to be in cans only soon!) were waiting to be put together when I visited, and stacks of barrels in the back indicated that Chris has barrel-aging of some kind in mind.
Mural, a work in progress
FBC has a 20 barrel brewhouse as well as a smaller 1 barrel system to brew special test brews for the taproom only. Some of the taproom-only features may end up being brewed in bigger batches if they are especially popular—this gives Chris a lot of flexibility to try new recipes or creative combinations without committing to a huge batch. When I visited the taproom, one such offering was the Snozbeer, a raspberry brown ale that hits hard with tartness, but balances at the end with a chocolatey malt. (Yes, go ahead and say it to yourself—the snozberries taste like snozberries!)
The taproom is a great place for Fargoans to sample beers they might otherwise not try. I grew up in the Fargo-Moorhead area, and it wasn’t so long ago that the most flavorful beer in the area was a Grain Belt Premium (no offense to Grain Belt, obviously, it’s just that Fargo wasn’t much of a beer town). In talking to Chris and FBC’s “Numbers Guy,” Jared, it became clear that like many places, Fargo is evolving. FBC is happy to be at the head of that, and has a delightfully hoppish Pils (called ND Slammer) on the menu for anyone not ready to jump into the IPA or the amazingly smooth Roustabout Stout.
Even while courting those unfamiliar with craft brews, Chris and his crew at FBC aren’t afraid of bolder styles. He will age sour styles in zinfandel barrels, and has plans for rum-aging in the future as well. If you find yourself in Fargo, do yourself a favor and go see what Fargo Brewing Company is all about. If you’re just visiting Fargo, grab a growler to go, because even though Fargo Brewing Company is expanding, it will be a while before they have solid distribution in the Twin Cities.
Minnesota’s Legislature is considering a proposal to add deposit fees to nearly all bottles and cans purchased in Minnesota. The proposal would result in an additional $0.10/container, or $2.40 per case of beer. The amount may be refunded if consumers bring used bottles and cans to newly created redemption centers. The deposit fee is intended to create an incentive to increase the rate of recycling in Minnesota to 80%.
Scope of beverage containers with deposit
All alcoholic or a nonalcoholic drink intended for human consumption and packaged for sale in a redeemable beverage container including beer and other malt beverages, wine, distilled spirits regardless of dairy-derived content, carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, flavored and unflavored bottled water, fruit juice, and tea and coffee drinks regardless of dairy-derived content.
–Draft program design for a recycling refund program for beverage containers in Minnesota – MPCA
The proposed beverage container deposit fee is part of a recommended recycling program being proposed by the MPCA, as charged by the Minnesota Legislature during the 2013 legislative session.
The commissioner shall prepare and submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of representatives committees and divisions with jurisdiction over the environment and natural resources by January 15, 2014, with recommendations for a statewide recycling refund program for beverage containers that achieves an 80 percent recycling rate. In preparing the report, the commissioner shall consult with stakeholders, including retailers, collectors, recyclers, local governments, and consumers on options to increase the current recycling rate. An assessment of the financial impact of any recommended program shall be included in the report. All money deposited in the environmental fund for the metropolitan solid waste landfill fee in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 473.843, and not otherwise appropriated, is appropriated for the purposes of Minnesota Statutes, section 473.844. $315,000 the first year and $315,000 the second year are from the environmental fund for the electronic waste program under Minnesota Statutes, sections 115A.1310 to
115A.1330.
–H.F.No. 976
The new program will undoubtedly mean higher beverage prices, not only from the deposit, but from the additional costs of setting up and operating a new redemption system for bottles and cans. Higher beverage prices would hit low‐income families and seniors on fixed incomes the hardest. Minnesotans with the fewest resources would have to devote a greater percentage of their income to the new program. Additionally, higher beverage prices will mean people buy less, having a negative impact on producers, distributors, retailers. The reduction in beverage sales would ultimately cost Minnesota jobs.
Of course, the proposed price increase from the new Minnesota recycling program would affect each community differently. It is unclear how the program would co-exist with current recycling programs that are already well integrated in Minnesota municipalities. Curbside recycling program costs could change drastically without the revenue from the collection of cans and bottles.
Much like the current ban on Sunday liquor sales, retailers near state borders would see the greatest drop in revenue as shoppers make purchases across state lines. On-sale retailers would ultimately move away from bottles and cans and toward kegs in an effort to cut down on the upfront costs the and hassle of collecting and storing used beverage containers, not to mention getting them to a collection center.
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that is anti-recycling. And, an 80% recycling rate is admirable goal, but is the best course of action to place all the cost on consumers while putting existing recycling programs on a shelf? Many Minnesotan’s recycle already, the introduction programs like “single sort” recycling in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s recycling rate should continue to improve. Maybe Minnesota legislators need to make recycling more convenient, not more expensive.
This summer I went on a road trip to beautiful Victoria, Minnesota. I didn’t realize just how neat this little town was until I visited. I always knew where Victoria was but never made a point to visit. It was a speed bump, not a destination. It was on the way to places like Waconia and other western towns. I’d been to Floyds for bands before but never ventured far off Highway 5. This trip made me wish I had.
The People
I showed up just as Brewers Supply Group was delivering, well, brewing supplies. I thought to myself, perfect timing, Derek. However, co-owner Dan Norton and brewer Jason Davis were more than happy to put the heavy lifting on hold to talk beer with me. I walked in through the brewhouse to the taproom where we sat down. Instantly I noticed the contrasting beauty of the shiny stainless steel with the nearly one hundred year old architecture. As we sat in the taproom, we discussed Jason’s brewing history, how the co-owners partnered up and what direction the brewery is heading.
Owners Dan Norton and John Hayes met while working together thirty years ago. They met while working for shoe giant Nike and although their career paths have taken them in separate directions, they have remained friends with a mutual interest in good beer ever since. I’ve read that although Enki is an anagram for Nike, it has nothing to do with the name of the brewery. You see, Enki is the Sumerian god of running water. Most historians will tell you that beer was invented – or discovered rather – in ancient Sumeria. Also, Enki’s daughter Ninkasi was the goddess of beer.
Jason’s brewing history goes back to the mid 90’s. He was waiting tables at the Sioux Falls Brewing Company, a small brewpub located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Before long he was in the brewhouse learning the craft of brewing. Eventually Jason took over the reigns as head brewer and was making some pretty good beers – he won 4 medals at the GABF during his tenure there. And I can vouch for his beers. Coincidentally, I was going to college in Sioux Falls at the time and remember quite fondly the Buffalo Stout, Ring Neck Red (South Dakota is the pheasant hunting capital of the world) and Phillips Ave Pale Ale. This was definitely one of my earliest memories of craft beer and it made a lasting and positive impression. Thank you, Jason! Sadly due to law changes in South Dakota as well as an obnoxious tenant in the same building the brew pub was forced to close. Shortly thereafter Jason packed up his family and moved to Minneapolis. He spent a few years working for Midwest Supplies in Saint Louis Park which is where he met John.
Originally, Jason started helping Dan and John in the planning stage as a consultant. Dan joked that a consultant is “someone who borrows your watch and then tells you what time it is”. It wasn’t long before Jason was invited to join the team on a full time basis. In early June they brewed their first beer, Citric Journey, and on June 22nd they opened the tap room. The only beer on tap opening day was Citric Journey and it was very well received. Their goal was never to open with a huge variety of beers on tap but rather to brew one beer at a time and brew it well. Then introduce another one… and another…
If you were at Autumn Brew Review last weekend perhaps you met Enki’s Instigator of Camaraderie, Karie McDougall. She rounds out the team as the head of sales, marketing, special events as well as making sure your visit to the taproom is exciting and memorable. Industry folks, you’ll want to get to know Karie as she is your connection to delicious Enki beer! Karie is no newbie to the business. She’s spent the last six years working around craft beer. Initially with JJ Taylor’s craft beer distribution team and then with New Belgium Brewery promoting their brands. Look for her fun and charismatic personality at special events and when you visit the taproom.
The Beer
The first beer I tried was their debut ale Citric Journey. A hoppy balanced Pale Ale booming with flavor. The name comes from the citrus notes the hops impart combined with malted barley coming from both North America and Europe. Even the beer itself takes you on a journey. There’s a subtle welcoming of malt on the nose followed by some pretty intense hop flavors. It finishes nicely with an array of complex malt sweetness. But not too sweet, there is a wave of bitterness tickling the tongue. Definitely worth a try.
The second beer I tried was their sophomore offering, Auburn Kolsch. Auburn – Kolsch, that’s an oxymoron right? As Jason explains, this beer was brewed as a red ale but fermented and hopped like a Kolsch. My eyes definitely played tricks on my mouth. What I was expecting out of that glass was not what hit my tongue. It was delicately hopped with some floral notes and fruity esters. But there was also a soft malt presence. It was very good. As a stylistic thinker and trained beer judge this one confused me. But to hell with styles! Come on down and enjoy this one on the beautiful taproom patio surrounded by a table full of friends.
Speaking of friends, Enki’s mission is to “Make the World a Friendlier Place – Two Beers at a Time”. I really like this phrase. How many times have you heard “doing this” or “doing that” one beer at a time? It’s quite a familiar line. But this statement suggests companionship; having a beer with a friend, whether meeting up with an old friend or making a new friend. This philosophy resonates well with the brewery as it was founded by longtime friends who also made lots of new friends over beers leading up to this moment.
The Brewery
As I mentioned earlier the brewery and taproom were built within a one-hundred year old building, formerly the Victoria Creamery. The generations-old aesthetics were definitely kept intact while constructing the brewery. Located just feet from Steiger Lake and the Lake Minnetonka Regional Bike Trail this place is in an ideal location. Enki brews on a custom built 20-barrel brewhouse built by Metalcraft in Portland, Oregon. There are three fermentation tanks now with room for five more. The cooler, which sits directly behind the taproom, contains three 20-barrel brite tanks for finished beer. These are also used as serving vessels for the tap room. There is room for another three brites when needed. At the brewery you can get growlers to go or pints to stay. The taproom, with its beautiful exposed brick walls is open Thursday and Friday 4-10pm and Saturday noon-10pm.
Patio
Jenga
Tanks
Fermenters
Brewhouse
Off to the side of the taproom there is a game room with oversized Jenga and other games. I imagine this will be the place to hang out when the weather turns cold. But during the summer months, there is a comfortable, well shaded, outdoor patio complete with arbor and greenery. Get there early though, these tables fill up fast. The brewery also owns all the property curb-to-curb around the building and future plans may include some kind of beirgarten or festival grounds. That definitely piques my interest!
Currently beer is available on draft only at local bars mainly in Victoria and Waconia but there will be more to come. I am looking forward to their upcoming release of Chocolate Porter, available only in the tap room and special events. Perhaps we’ll see it at the Tonka Brew Fest next month! Also coming up is a tap-takeover at The Gold Nugget in Minnetonka. The author personally recommends this watering hole. They have been dedicated to craft beer, and specifically Minnesota craft beer, since day one. Coming up later this month all taps will be represented by western suburbs breweries. Twenty taps in all from Enki, Lucid, Badger Hill, Excelsior and Bad Weather. I know I’ll be there.
I was definitely impressed with my visit to Enki. Impressed with the brewery and grounds, impressed with the people and impressed with the beer. No longer will Victoria be a speed bump or just on the way somewhere else. I will definitely be making Victoria, and Enki Brewing, a destination… and you should too!
Enki Brewing
7929 Victoria Drive, Victoria, Minnesota On Facebook On Twitter
[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=7929+Victoria+Drive,+Victoria,+Minnesota&sll=10.015404,-84.219165&sspn=0.006741,0.013078&t=h&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=7929+Victoria+Dr,+Victoria,+Carver,+Minnesota+55386&ll=44.865238,-93.658104&spn=0.021292,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Brewers might be affected a little bit by the current work federal furlough, but we all know it is the workers and contractors that are taking it in the shorts. Minnesota companies are offering furloughed federal employees beer to ease the pain.
Vine Park Brewery, Minnesota’s only brew on premise facility, is also offering a discount to federal employees feeling the crunch. Vine Park will take $25.00 off any Wine or Beer made at Vine Park Brewing Co for any federal employee on furlough while the shutdown lasts. the only caveat is that the Brewing & wine making must take place during the furlough.
“Sending willing workers home to do nothing is foolish. We want them to take their mandatory “free” time and do something fun that saves them some money.”
– Daniel Justesen, Owner, Brew Coach at Vine Park Brewing Co.
In Minnesota, when our neighbors are going through a tough time we say, “Come have a beer with me, I’m with you.” I hope this never changes about us. It is one of the many reasons I’m proud to live in Minnesota.
The government shutdown could have an adverse impact on your beer. The U.S. Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, commonly referred to as the TTB, is the federal agency that regulates brewers. The TTB has given notice that the agency will not be approving new beer labels, or any other regulatory functions during the federal government shutdown.
Don’t worry though, they will still be collecting taxes. It is the only way they can keep us safe… Huh?
TTB would halt its regulatory functions, non-criminal investigative activities and audit functions. However, TTB would ensure that all tax remittances are processed because these functions are deemed necessary for safety and protection of property.
