Stillwater’s Lift Bridge Brewery and Wisconsin’s Lucette Brewing have some problems to work out. They have girl problems, farm girls or daughters depending on your brand of choice.
Lift Bridge has called shenanigans on Lucette, asking Minnesota Courts to the make Lucette drop the Farmer’s Daughter name.
Customers are mixing up the two brands now that they’re going head-to-head in some Twin Cities bars, Lift Bridge CEO Dan Schwarz said. The two breweries have gone back-and-forth over the problem for about six months, he said.
“We asked several times very nicely, and unfortunately we’ve just seen more efforts from them to confuse and dilute the brand,” Schwarz said.
What beer is this advertising?
The Minnesota beer community and the brewing community at large often view lawsuits as something that doesn’t benefit the micro brewing industry. Some think time would be better spent fighting the large macro brewers than fighting amongst themselves. Avery & russian River even created collaboration beer in an effort to avoid litigation. And, let’s not forget the Northgate vs Northbound issue that seems to has resolved itself.
Brewing beer is most definitely a business, and one that risks that costs time and money. When local, or nearly local (Lucette), companies are competing for tap lines and shelf space with similar beers that have similar names and similar packaging, it is easy to see how confusion arises.
How many times should a brewer have to ask and how long should they wait for changes if they think their beer brand is under attack? It seems Lift bridge is either tired of waiting, or asking, or both. And with images like the one above being posted around town, who can blame them? Promotional posters are usually provided by distributors. So, where does the responsibility lie?
Hopefully some meaningful resolution will come from the litigation, but don’t look for a collaboration anytime soon.
The Craft Brewers Conference is the industry’s largest gathering. The conference and Expo brings together 6,000 brewing professionals from both brewpubs and packaging breweries for seminars, lobbying, networking, and BrewExpo, a massive trade show. Put on by the Brewers Association (BA), CBC is an opportunity for the craft (micro) brewing community to gather for conversation, collaboration and education to further America’s beer culture.
Wednesday, at 6:30pm CDT, Patrick, Niles, and Ben will take a few minutes out of their schedule to talk about their experience at the Craft Brewers Conference.
In Minnesota we have waited patiently, as most Midwesterners do, for Enjoy By IPA from Stone Brewing Co. We don’t want to complain or cause too much of a ruckus here in the Midwest but that might be part of the problem.
See the whole point of the #EnjoyBy campaign is to vote for the beer in your City or State. Stone wants to know who really wants this beer because they need to be certain that we can consume it by the date printed on the bottle. Yes, I know this is Minnesota and we love our IPA’s and for those of us living here we all realize there won’t be a bottle left on the shelves but we still have to convince Stone. So, to get Stone’s attention you simply need to put down your beer and start Tweeting. Be sure that your tweet includes the following two hashtags: #EnjoyBy #MN
I’d also suggest including @StoneBrewingCo at the end of your tweet. Make sure the tweet doesn’t start with @StoneBrewingCo as we want to ensure all of your followers see the tweet even if they are foolish enough not to follow Stone.
Next, go to http://www.stonebrewing.com/enjoyby/ and click on Vote at the top of the page which will take you to the Vote Now button. Click on the Vote Now Button and the vote with your E-mail address and go ahead and enter your Gmail address along with a MN Zip Code. Then vote again with that Hotmail account you haven’t used since college.
Go ahead and get vocal Minnesota! Tweet a few times a day, vote once with every e-mail address you have (yes we know you have a few) and reach out to the following guys on Twitter and let them know you want #EnjoyBy #MN
Stop reading this and get out and Tweet that is unless you really want to drive to Iowa to get your fair share of EnjoyBy!
Please feel free to leave any comments below, I’d love to hear your take on #EnjoyBy and other beers you want to see from Stone. Oh, and a special thanks to @JasonBGP from beergeno.me for the #EnjoyBy photo above. Yes, he’s lucky enough to live in Iowa…
Tucker Pearce writes for TwinCitiesCraftBeer.com, a site devoted to beer sold or produced in and around the Twin Cities. Tucker can be found on twitter at @Pearceweb
Have you heard of Third Street Brewhouse? We hope so! I got the opportunity to sit down with Mike F. from Third Street to chat about their brewery, the story behind the name as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.
Outside of the new Brewhouse
We met at Kabobs in Mankato on a day that Mike was in town running some sales calls. He came in wearing (of course!) his Third Street work shirt, and had an energy to him that was both humble yet proud. I could tell right away he was passionate about this brewery and had great stories to tell. For those of you who don’t know, Third Street Brewhouse is located in Cold Spring, MN opened in July of 2012. They opened on the site where Cold Spring Brewing Company has been since 1874, and their grand entrance included a complete renovation and building of a site that will make beer folks jealous. They built a $12 million dollar brewhouse that is state of the art!
After hearing about the history of the site, we launched in to story sharing. Mike first told me how the
brewery actually got its name which came about because the location is on the intersection of Third Street, which happens to be an alleyway on the premise. I have not had the opportunity to visit (yet!)
but after seeing some pictures of the facility, am very impressed and know it’s worth the visit.
Picture of the tank farm inside the brewery
Look at their beer labels, swag and website and you’ll see they have a very strong brand of visual art. If
you take one second to really look at it, you’ll see there is a story behind each beer. My favorite was the story of how the name Bitter Neighbor came about. Now, I can’t fathom this, but apparently some of the neighbors to the brewery were not so excited about the opening of this new place. They attended various meetings around the city, pushing against the opening of Third Street Brewhouse. In the end the Brewhouse gained approval to move forward, but not without leaving some Bitter Neighbors around. If you look at the art design you’ll see a very angry man with a trucker cap, complete with a number 3 that is crossed out on his hat. From bitter neighbors to lost fish to monks, Third Street has it all.
Bitter Neighbor Label
As we wrapped up our conversation, I left feeling energized and excited to try more Third Street brews. Mike and his colleagues at Third Street Brewhouse have a passion for beer, community and creativity. If
you haven’t yet, stop by their website and check out the plethora of information there. It is extremely educational and visually pleasing, and even talks about their project named Beer School which is a traveling school that can help you “earn a degree in Beerology.”
Cheers to Mike and his team at Third Street Brewhouse. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you, and I personally look forward to visiting your beautiful brewery.
Bad Weather is part of a brewing collective called an alternating proprietorship. This sort of arrangement is new to the Twin Cities craft brewing community. This means Bad Weather brews alongside the folks from Lucid Brewing and Badger Hill Brewing, on the brewhouse that Lucid owns in Minnetonka. This is not contract brewing. This is a cooperative of like-minded brewers bringing new and exciting beers to the Twin Cities market while each controlling the quality of their individual product.
“I believe that Minnesota is one of the most exciting places to be a beer lover right now,” says Bad Weather’s co-founder Zac Carpenter. “Not because we currently have the best beers or the most beers, but because we get to witness the birth of a great beer culture that will someday very soon rival those in Portland and Denver. It is an honor to be part of that growth and Bad Weather Brewing Company is ready to become a pillar in this market.”
Bad Weather Brewing Co-Founders, Joe Giambruno & Zac Carpenter
They are building the brewery on the excitement of seasonal brews, while offering one year-round beer, WINDVANE, to keep them anchored. This gives Bad Weather the opportunity to play with interesting beer concepts that will evolve right alongside the Minnesota seasons. They want to be un-tethered with their beer choices. Like most bad weather, the beers will be unexpected.
“Style guidelines have never been our thing. While styles are important for understanding beer and very helpful in the development of recipes, you won’t find a beer list that reads; Bad Weather Kolsch, Bad Weather Stout, Bad Weather Brown ale.” Says Co-Founder Joe Giambruno “There is nothing wrong with brewing to style, but that’s not who we are. We want our beers to tell the drinker a story, to set the mood. We want our finished beers to be justified by the experience, and not necessarily if it meets the criteria of a particular style. This is a craft we love, we want our drinkers to enjoy it as much as we do.”
The brewery’s year-round flagship, WINDVANE, is a malt-sturdy and highly hopped Minnesota red ale. Their first seasonal, OMINOUS, is a dark storm of a beer: large, intense and one to watch out for. Their description of the their first two beers are as follows…
WINDVANE
Minnesota Red Ale
Our one flagship release WINDVANE stands strong through all types of weather and is a great fit for all seasons. Pouring a deep brilliant red, this beer has everything you want in a flagship. American hops give WINDVANE a swift bitterness with piney, citrus and resinous flavors. Caramel and rye malts, as well as a touch of roasted barley add layers to this brew, giving it a strong malt shoulder to back up the hops.
OMINOUS
Midwest Warmer
Clouds grow darker, the wind kicks up whitecaps on the lake, birds seek shelter — the weather is not looking good. Thankfully OMINOUS is the perfect beer for this situation. Warming from the inside out, it’s a good reason to stay indoors. At 7.5% abv, this Midwest Warmer has the layers to stand up to the most frigid of winter nights or rain-soaked spring days. American, English and Belgian malts come together to satisfy the soul with rich, nutty, roasted flavors. Dark candi sugar brings out hints of dates, raisins, plum and chocolate. OMINOUS is a dark storm of a beer – big, intense and something to keep your eye on.
Keep on the lookout for future releases from Bad Weather. Expect to see something refreshing and unique for their spring/early summer release. A summer beer favorite that will be great for both the hot summer days and the cool nights around the fire. A fall harvest beer will be released before OMINOUS makes a return this fall. They also are hoping for some fun one-offs in 750 mL’s when possible. Look for the beer in the twin cities area initially on draft with plans to bottle sometime in the summer.
Be a part of Bad Weather Brewing Company’s launch events. The Uptown Republic will host their launch party March 21st from 4-7pm. Drinks will be $3 from 4-6 and they will showcase both WINDVANE and OMINOUS as well as special casks of both beers. Also, The Happy Gnome in St. Paul is hosting their annual Firkin Fest on March 30th. Bad Weather Brewing will be there pouring a special firkin of dry hopped WINDVANE.
The 5th annual St. Paul Summer Beer Fest will take place Saturday, June 15th, 2013 from 2-6pm at the MN State Fairgrounds – International Bazaar in beautiful St. Paul. This outdoor festival will feature sampling from 85+ breweries in a commemorative tasting glass, live music, food, educational seminars, a silent auction benefiting the YMCA of St. Paul, and the fun atmosphere of MN State Fairgrounds.
Tickets are $50 for VIP, $40 for General Admission, and $10 for Designated Driver
Saint Paul City council members Russ Stark and Amy Brendmoen have introduced a resolution that will modify zoning to allow smaller breweries to have taprooms in traditional neighborhood and commercial zoning districts, as opposed to only industrial districts.
The council is having a public hearing on this issue and others at 5:30 on Wednesday, March 20, in the Council Chambers on the third floor of St. Paul City Hall. Join members of your community in speaking up about the advantages that taprooms bring to your neighborhood!
CURRENT ORDINANCE
Sec. 65.774. – Malt liquor production.
Standards and conditions in traditional neighborhood and business districts.
(a)
In traditional neighborhood and B2 business districts, a conditional use permit is required for such uses with more than fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet of floor area to ensure size and design compatibility with the particular location.
(b)
Fewer than five thousand (5,000) barrels of malt liquor shall be produced in a year.
(c)
The malt liquor shall not be sold to customers for consumption on the site where manufactured.
The resolution would completely eliminate section (c), allowing St. Paul to enter the taproom scene, joining cities like Stillwater, Rochester, Minneapolis, and more.
It would be great to see Saint Paul catch up to other leading cities, but does the resolution go far enough? The 5,000 barrel limit may be the next hurdle to overcome. Without the ability grow brewers will still put Saint Paul near the bottom of the list for potential brewery locations.
