Able Seedhouse and Brewery, the newest brewery in the Logan Park neighborhood, is opening November 6th. We stopped by their soft opening the night before in order to get a sneak peak at what you can expect from Able. Located just walking distance from Indeed, 612Brew, Bauhaus Brew Labs, and Sociable Cider Werks, Able is definitely in good company.
The Taproom is clean and spacious, making use of natural wood and ample lighting to give a warm atmosphere. There are attractive views of both the brewhouse and fermentation areas from the Taproom for those looking for a peak behind the scenes. Tables are lined with small plants, and an intriguing magazine Able had created just for their taproom. Featuring photos, information about Able, and fun facts, these handouts were a nice twist on the typical bar literature. Inside you can even find a flowchart showing the musical connection between Bob Dylan and Insane Clown Posse.
Twin Sparrows WPA
On opening night Able Seedhouse + Brewery will have four flagship beers on tap: First Light IPA, Blk Wlf Stout, Twin Sparrows Wheat Pale Ale, and House Red Ale. We tried all but the IPA, as it wasn’t on tap at the soft opening, but we were assured it would be on tap at the grand opening the next evening. Among the three beers we tried, Blk Wlf Stout was the clear standout. The nose had a mild hint of hops and a light caramel sweetness. On first taste we noted an excellent malt character that was strong in roast, with a mild chocolate finish. Served on nitro, the body was smooth and creamy.
Able Seedhouse + Brewery
One standout thing about Able’s beer was the ABV. Their Stout, Wheat Pale Ale, and Red Ale all stand below 5% ABV. This means that one can have more than just one or two beers without feeling a serious buzz, and with session beers becoming even more popular, this is a wise move on Able’s part.
Flights at Able
Perhaps the most intriguing fact about Able Seedhouse + Brewery is their plan to start malting their own grain. Malting, the process of kilning and drying grains for use in brewing, is typically done by dedicated malt houses, not by breweries themselves. Able intends to malt locally grown grains, and use a percentage of that in their own brews. Will this in-house malting capability bring a unique twist to their beers? We are interested to find out.
Minneapolis Craft Brewery Offers Equity Shares To Investors
Bryn Mawr Brewing Co. is a craft brewery located in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of west Minneapolis. Heading up the project is Minnesota craft beer veteran Dan Justesen. The new craft brewery is surely a welcome addition to that part of town. The brewery and taproom is set to open in late 2015/early 2016 and will specialize in classic European beer styles. The upstart brewery is currently seeking investments from accredited investors and conducting a separate crowdfunding campaign through the brewery’s VIPer Program.
A Tradition of Innovation and Success
Dan Justesen and the crew at Vine Park Brewing combined community and craft beer, turning them into a groundbreaking and successful brew-on-premise business. Dan is again breaking ground by truly opening up investment opportunities at Bryn Mawr Brewing Company. Bryn Mawr Brewing Company is seeking local residents and beer lovers anywhere in the country to invest in and become owners of its startup venture through equity crowdfunding rules. This unique opportunity gives accredited investors the potential for lucrative future income while supporting a local business and its community.
https://youtu.be/I4erHmRBFzk
A Return on Community Investment
The financing of equity will be conducted through Bryn Mawr Brewing’s holding company, Utepils Investments LLC. Investors will receive accelerated cash distributions based on profitability of the brewery, which is expected to occur within three years of opening. Along with returns on their investments, Bryn Mawr Brewing Co.’s investors will also benefit from exclusive perks in the tap room and priority access to the annual Bryn Mawr Brewing Co. Beer Trip program.
“This publicly announced private placement is truly a unique way to fund the start up of a brewery,” said Dan Justesen, Co-Owner of Bryn Mawr Brewing Co. “We plan to brew finely crafted beer for our neighbors while also putting money back in their pockets.
Accredited investors interested in learning more about investing in Bryn Mawr Brewing Co. should visit the brewery’s website at brynmawrbrewing.com and click on the “Invest” tab to be directed to the investment portal. The Bryn Mawr Brewing Co. investment portal contains investing guidelines, relevant brewery information, and the payment form where the investment transaction can be completed.
Artist rendering – courtesy of Bryn Mawr Brewing
MemBEERship
Bryn Mawr Brewing Co is also hosting a separate crowdfunding campaign through the brewery’s VIPer Program. Through this program, supporters that may not be accredited investors may purchase MemBEERships that come with a Host Of Privileges (HOPs) including free beer, special event programming, and a VIPer custom stein. One of the great things about the VIPer status is that it is transferable. Your VIPer status may be transferred via gift, inheritance, or sale. MemBEERships are good for 99 years, that kind of longevity will have your kids squabbling over their place in your will for decades to come.
Dan from Bryn Mawr Brewing on The Minnesota BeerCast
I have known the guys of Modist for several years and was excited to sit down with them in the space that will soon become Modist Brewing Company. We met and talked about their origins in the beer world and the future of the brewery.
Modist Brewing Company consists of: Eric Paredes, Chief Manager; Keigan Knee, Head Brewer; Kale Anderson, Head of Operations: and John Donnelly, Head of Sales
Eric Paredes, Keigan Knee, Kale Anderson, and John Donnelly. Photo by Danica Donnelly / http://danicadonnelly.com
Origins
Keigan, Kale, and John met in Middle School in Delano, Minnesota and have been friends ever since. Keigan and John started their journey in the local beer scene working at Harriet Brewing filling growlers and pouring samples in the tasting room. After two weeks of working there, Keigan approached the owner Jason Sowards and said, “I want to own my own brewery someday. How do I do it?” He was told to start homebrewing and bring in samples. He did just that and soon was learning to brew under the instruction of Paul Johnston, who had attended Siebel Institute. All the while, Keigan, John, and Kale spent the next two years brewing up weekly batches of their own beer at their home in South Minneapolis. Keigan moved on to become Head Brewer at Dangerous Man, and Kale and John went to work at Lucid Brewing.
“I want to own my own brewery someday. How do I do it?”
Keigan and John met Eric while working at Harriet and reconnected to start up Modist. Eric received his MBA 10 years ago and had spent that time working in corporate marketing “punching a time clock”. Keigan explains, “I’ve always kept tabs on Eric as a friend, but also what he’s into. One day Eric tells me that he quit his job in the corporate world…and things just lined up”. Kale says Eric was the missing piece of their brewery puzzle. Now, with a partner who has an eye for branding and marketing, the puzzle is complete.
The Brewery
The brew house will consist of a 20 barrel system with 8 tanks. That includes 6 – 40 barrel tanks and brite tanks. Also, they will have a 10 barrel pilot system for experimental and one-off beers.They will use their taproom as research and development. Experimental beers will be on tap and, if they become popular, they could become specialties, seasonals, or even regular offerings. John says 10 barrels make a lot of sense for their plan. If a taproom beer isn’t a hit the small batch size ensures will be gone quickly enough. Plus it means frequent turnover, aka “fresh beer.”
Modist Brewing has a unique philosophy on growlers. There are no plans to sell their own glass growlers, but they will fill any clean growlers that are brought in. With that in mind, they do want to sell “crowlers”. Crowlers are 750 ml (to meet state standard) empty, aluminum cans that are filled and sealed at the brewery. This means less storage and cleaning of glass and more time spent focusing on the beer. Plus, crowlers are portable, staying fresher for a longer period, and can be recycled.
Part of Modist Brewing Company vision includes education. It is a piece of the puzzle that you don’t often see, but is a welcome addition. They guys seek to involve guests on a basic level and educate them on Modist and beer as whole. Keigan says, “It’s getting to a time where there’s so much beer out there… the quality isn’t always there and you wouldn’t know, but you’d know if you got a shitty pizza. It comes with time, but we want to help move that along.”
“It’s getting to a time where there’s so much beer out there… the quality isn’t always there and you wouldn’t know, but you’d know if you got a shitty pizza.”
Educating the Minnesota beer consumer is very important to the leadership at Modist Brewing Company. Head Brewer Keigan Knee, “You already have them there. It doesn’t have to be a crazy curriculum where you have to be there every Wednesday. But, they could learn about alcohol content, or attenuation, or IBUs. We have the opportunity to give them something to take with them. We want people to be inspired when they come to Modist Brewing.”
Modifying Beer
We discussed styles and style guidelines and they told me that they don’t want to get boxed into specific styles. It reminded me of Surly and how they have remained successful while resisting the urge to put every beer into a specific category. This is also where the name “Mod”ist comes in. These guys all like to create, manipulate, and modify things. Kale builds and modifies motorcycles, Keigan and John like playing around with their Volkswagens, and Eric enjoys cooking and creating new dishes.
Thoughts
The space is huge and there is some definite room to grow into. I was shocked when they told me that is was completely cleaned out and they had to do zero renovation. I look forward to stopping back in the coming months and keeping everyone posted on their progress. They told me, with a few chuckles, that they are hoping to be ready before the end of the year.
Tickets for the 15th annual Autumn Brew Review — Minnesota’s oldest and one of its largest craft beer festivals — go on sale at noon, Tuesday, July 28. The $45 tickets can be purchased online at http://www.tempotickets.com/abr.
The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild encourages craft beer fans to be prepared to purchase tickets as the event has historically sold out quickly, often in the first hour of the on-sale.
The Autumn Brew Review is 1–5 p.m., Saturday, September 19, at the Historic Grain Belt Brewery at 19 13th Avenue NE, in northeast Minneapolis.
This 21+ outdoor event will feature unlimited beer from more than 120 participating breweries, as well as non-alcoholic samples, a commemorative tasting glass, live music, food vendors, beer educational sessions, and an opportunity to vote for the best beer of the festival.
WHAT:
15th annual Autumn Brew Review hosted by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild
Minneapolis artist Erica Williams has returned to with pen and ink to create label art for Surly Brewing’s 9th Anniversary Beer, NEIN. Williams has experience with bottle label art. She crafted the 2014 Surly Darkess artwork, and she worked with Indeed Brewing on their Derailed Series.
Erica’s inspiration for Surly’s Nein Anniversary Ale artwork mirrors that of the ale itself. “Todd visited Germany and knew he wanted the beauty of traditional German aesthetic reflected in the label so I used heraldry as my main source of inspiration. Lions, black eagles, billowing scrolls, and symbolically powerful imagery are commonly found in their shields, architecture, and art so we went with that,” said Williams. “I also used three lions, each with three eyes, because Todd and I are both cat people and I wanted to infuse the label with 3s and 9s. The oak leaves play to the process of making the beer and the spades are a symbol of good luck.”
“I put a lot of time into planning my drawings but I always leave room to allow them to develop organically in the moment.”
– Erica Williams
The label was drawn with pen and ink incorporating lots of small details and flowing lines. Like all her drawings, Erica used Rotring Rapidograph pens. She says they are “amazing” and the different sizes allow her to achieve the desired level of detail.
From the bottle:
Who Would have thought, when we sold our first keg in 2006, that we would raise our 9th Anniversary glasses in a new brewery, restaurant, and beer hall? So much has changed in such a short time, both at Surly and across Minnesota. The state’s beer scene is exploding and we are proud to have been part of the boom. Two things, however, haven’t changes a bit – Todd’s distinctive take on beer styles and our local artists’ amazing talent. Erica Williams’ meticulous design for NEIN is the perfect match for Todd’s approach to his craft.
Cheers to nine years!
Omar Ansari
Inspired by a recent trip to Bamberg, Germany, NEIN is brewed with oak-smoked wheat malt, fermented with German Hefeweizen yeast, and aged on charred oak. It is a huge, complex, dark beer, delivering the flavors of smoked banana, vanilla, and clove.
Todd Haug
Surly Nein Anniverary Ale – Artist: Erica Williams
Surly Brewing is debuting a new beer at the D4’th of July birthday bash show with Dillinger Four this Saturday at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis. Surly thought a new summer beer was the perfect way to toast both birthdays at one great event. More Surly beers will also be on tap.
#MERICA! is a true ‘Merican beer – a pre–Prohibition American Lager with soft hops aromatics (probably Cluster) that is brewed with flaked corn, giving it a light–bodied subtle fresh corn flavor, 6% ABV. A summer beer perfect for celebrating ‘Merica and 21 years of D4.
It is unknown if #Merica! will be one-off, draft only, or appear in cans at some point. Let’s hope they drop the cheeky hashtag from the name and put it in cans. Personally, I would have gone with the traditional ‘Murica! spelling. But you know those Surly guys, always breaking from tradition.
Friday, June 26th at exactly 4pm, Wander North Distillery (NE Minneapolis), Du Nord Craft Spirits (South Minneapolis), and Vikre Distillery (Duluth) will become the first distilleries since prohibition to sell craft spirits directly to Minnesota consumers. The coordinated sale by Minnesota craft distilleries comes in the wake of state legislative changes, and actions taken by their respective municipalities, to allow Minnesota micro distilleries to sell bottles of their spirits directly to consumers.
Vikre Distillery
Progress made during the 2015 legislative session resulted in Governor Dayton signing a law allowing micro distilleries to sell one 375ml bottle per person per day directly to the public. The law removed a prohibition on direct sales that had been on the books since the mid-1930s. The Minnesota Distillers Guild sent members to St. Paul to explain the need for the law change.
“People were shocked when they came to our distilleries and learned that they couldn’t buy what we made,” said Shanelle Montana, co-owner of Du Nord and president of the Distillers Guild, “thankfully, state leaders agreed that this outdated law needed to change.”
The law change will move Minnesota craft distillers closer to parity with small breweries and farm wineries in the state. Larger bottle sizes and expanded days of sale are a few of the inequities that will need to be addressed in coming legislative sessions.
The idea for the coordinated sale was the brain-child of Wander North’s owner, Brian Winter, and Du Nord’s co-owner, Chris Montana. “This is a big step for micro-distilleries,” said Winter “this will allow the small craft guys to grow, create jobs, and give the people what they want.”
Cider is a growing section of the beverage market in Minnesota and across the nation. You don’t need to look far to see the growth. Locally crafted and sourced cider is being produced all over the Minnesota, at places like Sociable Cider Werks in Minneapolis and Wyndfall Cyder out of La Crescent, MN. To celebrate the growing Minneapolis cider market and consumer demand, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery has partnered with several other cider purveyors in a week-long series of events.
MINNEAPOLIS CIDER WEEK EVENTS:
$2 Off Cider Sampler Platters
Tuesday, June 2
$2 off cider sampler platters at Town Hall Brewery, Town Hall Tap, Town Hall Lanes and Republic 7 Corners.
Event includes two games of bowling (with shoes) and $2 off all tap ciders. Appetizers will also be provided. Tickets are $25 and limited — call (612) 767-3354.
Bicyclists can visit five of the six participating locations to secure a punch-card, which is to be dropped off at their last stop to enter into a drawing for five gift baskets filled with cider, gift cards, glasses and swag. Participating locations are: Town Hall Brewery, Town Hall Tap, Town Hall Lanes, Republic 7 Corners, Sociable Cider Werks and South Lyndale Liquor Store.
