Author: ryan

Ryan Anderson (that's me!) is the editor & founder of MNBeer. Much has changed since the fall of 2005 and I'm proud to have been a part of it all. Sometime I'll tell you about my grand theory that links craft brewing to punk rock. Just ask.

Whit?

By on December 6, 2006in general beer, history

Recent beer history buffs, lend me your ears… Jim wrote to us asking about a locally produced beer that went by the name Whit. He says that he remembers first trying it around 15 years ago at a food and/or beer fest in the upstairs area of Bandana Square. I’m fairly sure the only beers I’d tried at that time could be purchased in gas stations, so I’m no help. Anyone?

And just so we’re clear, the beer wasn’t simply a wit/witbier, but an actual beer with the name of “Whit.”

Old timers?

Flat Earth Brewing: The Lowdown and a Request

By on December 4, 2006in breweries

First, a request: Jeff from Flat Earth Brewing Co. is looking for plumbers and electricians to bid on the job at Flat Earth. He needs both in order to finish the installation. You can drop him a line at brewer AT flatearthbrewing.com.

Do everyone a favor, though and don’t hound the poor guy with requests for more information about his brewery. You’ll all find out more as things come together. In the meantime, here are some answers to your questions:

My wife, Cathie, and I own the brewery. We plan on brewing as soon as
possible. The biggest possible hang-up will be federal paperwork. We
are starting out with a 15 bbl JVNW system we bought in California. We
will be doing kegs to start and bottles in the future. We should be
able to do 1500 bbl per year the first year. Without giving too much
away the beers will be styles that are harder to find fresh in
Minnesota on a regular basis. There will be a common theme to the
beers but it will not be ingredient based. My experience is home
brewing, which I still do, and 2.5 years at Minneapolis Town Hall. We
chose Minnesota because we live here, actually about 2 miles from our
brewery. Content on the web site will grow as we grow. …
Sign up for the e-mail newsletter on the site to keep up with current
events.

Thank you for all the interest.

Jeff Williamson
Flat Earth Brewing Company

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Crash the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild Meeting

By on December 4, 2006in breweries, general beer

The Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild allowed me to sit in on their meeting at Schell’s on Saturday afternoon. I’d like to think that MNBeer holds a lot of the same core beliefs as the Guild, so it seemed only natural for me to want to check out their meeting. I’d like to have MNBeer more involved in reporting Minnesota beer-related politics so that we can all be more aware of what’s going on and can be mobilized to act whenever necessary. The Guild is obviously a great resource for this sort of thing.

Unfortunately, I have no real secrets, rumors or dirt from the meeting to share with you. No one present knew anything about the brewery that is going to be part of the Clyde Iron Works revitalization project in Duluth. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the “brewery” was actually a brewpub ended up being a Granite City, but like I said, no one seems to know yet.

After the meeting, Dave (Berg) took us on the detailed tour of the brewery, including many places that you don’t get to see on the official tour. Schell’s is such a cool place to visit to begin with, so visiting with a guide who actually makes the beer was even cooler. You won’t see the bottling line, pasteurizer, cellars or even the main brew kettle on their regular tour (and my wife Dawn argues that that’s perfectly fine…) so this visit was a treat. Apologies in advanced for forgetting to take some photos… I was too busy walking around slack-jawed, looking at the second-oldest continuously-run family-owned brewery in the US. Definitely cool.