What a good weekend for beer! Add August Schell Brewing Co. to the fun. Today they announced that they’ll be hosting their very first Bier Garten at the brewery on Sunday. In addition to beer, they’ll have music, root beer, brewer’s grain bread and cheese baskets for sale. Schell’s plans ot have the Bier Garten open every Sunday throughout the fall as weather permits.
Photo: August Schell Brewing Co.
At the stroke of 6pm Friday, the fine folks who brought you Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery an Town Hall Tap open a new venue to the public, Town Hall Lanes. Town Hall Lanes occupies the space that was once occupied by Skylane Bowling in Minneapolis’ Nokomis neighborhood. The space has been renovated and in addition to bowling and the requisite beer, a full restaurant has been added to the space. And of course it wouldn’t be Town Hall without an antique bar… for this venue, the gang traveled to Washington to pick up a 100+ year old bar.
The vintage bar at Town Hall Lanes (Photo: Town Hall)
Needless to say, with the Town Hall team at the helm, this should be a great place. I really like their beer, I like the food at both Town Hall venues and though I’m a marginal bowler at best, I like throwing a ball down the lane every once in a while.
So, check it out Friday evening if you dare… otherwise let the dust settle and enjoy the place soon. Best of luck to Pete & the entire Town Hall crew!
Town Hall Lanes
5019 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis MN
The Old Skylane Bowl
Here’s a chance for you to check out one of Minnesota’s newest breweries-in-progress, Urban Growler Brewing Co. On Thursday and Friday you’ll have a chance to tour the space, sample the beer and check out their plans for the brewery.
2325 Endicott St., St. Paul
Thursday, July 18th and Friday, July 19th
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Urban Growler has plans to open their brewery in the latter part of 2013 as the first women-owned & brewed microbrewery in the Twin Cities. Keep your eyes on them, folks.
Founding Memberships are still available at a range of levels, from $500 on up. Details here.
Check out the building. Photo: Urban Growler
Thanks to Elliot Ginsburg & Erin Conway for their contribution. Elliot and Erin are associates at the law firm W. Michael Garner, P.A. (www.franchisedealerlaw.com). W. Michael Garner, P.A. specializes in franchise, dealer, and distribution law, and the firm has also done legal work for breweries. As we see a proliferation of taprooms in Minnesota, I think one of our next steps needs to involve addressing how brewpubs in the state have grown and evolved. Read on for a legal perspective on brewpub distribution. Cheers!
By Elliot Ginsburg[1] and Erin Conway[2]
Introduction
Generally, states divide the alcohol industry into three tiers: manufacturing, distribution, and retail. Historically, this was done to prevent large manufacturers from vertically and horizontally integrating, thereby reducing competition and choice, and increasing price.[3] If brewers could own wholesalers, for example, they could push out competing brewers and increase prices artificially. The three-tier system was also embraced by many states to encourage moderate consumption and an orderly collection of tax revenue.[4] The key to the three-tier system is that no business operating in any one tier can have an interest in a business in any other tier.[5]
While some argue that the three-tier system is antiquated and no longer serves a purpose,[6] presumably, the three-tier system is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
Brewpubs, however, do not fit neatly into any one tier. Brewpubs operate as manufacturers in the sense that they brew beer for off-site consumption, and they also operate as retailers in the sense that they sell beer directly to consumers.[7] In some states, brewpubs can distribute their brews through wholesalers to other retail facilities[8] but many states allow brewpubs to sell beer only on-site for on-premises or off-premises consumption. Minnesota, for example, allows brewpubs to sell beer only on-site for either on-site consumption, or off-site consumption in growlers or large bottles.[9] Thus, Minnesota brewpubs are more like retailers than traditional “production brewers.” Production brewers produce beer and self-distribute or sell their brews to wholesalers who then sell to liquor stores and bars to sell to consumers.
Minnesota brewpubs, including Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery and Fitger’s Brewhouse, tried to pass a law in 2011 to allow brewpubs to distribute their beers through wholesalers. The Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association (the “MBWA”) opposed this legislation for reasons discussed below and the bill did not make it out of committee.
The question that this article addresses is whether brewpubs in Minnesota can find a way to distribute their brews through wholesalers, while maintaining the integrity of the three-tier system and allaying the MBWA’s concerns.
Back in February, we told you about the Noble Star Collection from Schell’s, a series of beers based on the Berliner Weisse style. We’re excited to share that you’ll start seeing these the beer on select shelves later this week.
The beer was hand-filled, hand-labeled and bottle conditioned after spending time maturing in Schell’s 30s-era cypress wood lagering tanks. (See a 2008 article on the tank restoration here.) Read on for the press release.
Photo: Schell’s
In 1860, German immigrant August Schell broke ground for the August Schell Brewing Company and paved the way for a 153-year-old family tradition. In 1891, the thriving brewery was passed on to August’s son Otto, a Berlin-trained brewmaster—whose many improvements to the brewery included the construction of the brewhouse and cellars, which are still used today. Four generations later, current President Ted Marti and his son Jace, also German-trained brewers, revived a very rare cypress fermentation tank, purchased by Alfred in 1936 and located in a cellar built by Otto, for their newest Berlin-style wheat beer series: the Noble Star Collection.
After occupying Berlin in 1809, Napoleon’s troops adoringly referred to the tart and effervescent white beer of the city as “The Champagne of the North.” In honor of this beer style, its history, and Minnesota’s great state motto, Schell’s crafted “Star of the North,” their interpretation of a traditional Berliner Weisse. They used an authentic mixed culture of yeasts and bacteria from Berlin for fermentation and aged it in one of their original cypress wood lagering tanks from 1936. The long secondary fermentation in the wooden tank allowed the defining characteristics of the beer to develop. It was then hand-filled, hand-labeled and bottle-conditioned, which allows it to continue to develop and evolve. This beer will be available in select liquor stores later this week. Enjoy it straight in a pokal glass or mix in a shot of sweet raspberry or woodruff syrup, as is traditionally done in Berlin.
Info/ Flavor Profile:
This beer is extremely pale yellow in color with a slight haze and a large, creamy, snow-white foam head. This beer is rather light on the palate and very dry. A lively carbonation accentuates the refreshingly tart acidity. Expect an interesting mix of fruity flavors reminiscent of ripe lemons and apple juice with a touch of spice and a subtle brett character.
Beer Statistics: