Sorry… the above rock-n-roll blip was uncalled for… in any case, here’s some info from Jon (harvested from BA) at Stub & Herb’s about some changes with Stub & Herb’s and local beer. The first few paragraphs resonate heavily with the MNBeer crowd. The latter will likely ruffle some feathers. Though we don’t necessarily agree 100% with what Jon has to say (though we applaud the focus on local beer 100%), these are his words in their entirety & you can form you own opinions. Cheers!

I am about to make some changes that may make some of you unhappy. We have worked really hard at Stub’s to turn our place into a haven of great American craft beers over the last three years. It has been a blast. However, now there are many great beer bars that do a fantastic job of supporting craft beer in our community.

When we made our change a few years back it was a goal of mine to support local beer as well as craft beer. Somewhere along the line, I strayed from my commitment to the local guys. We have not supported breweries like Summit, Flat Earth and Brau Brothers to the degree that I think we should. In the last few months, all of the breweries that I just mentioned have stepped up their game by offering products that continue to get better and more consistent. All of the local breweries deserve more support from us at Stub’s.

From now on, you can expect to see more locally produced beer at Stub’s and less of the other great American craft brands that are available in our market. I am sure that this commitment will mean that I will no longer be on the short list of bars that is considered for some of the limited availability kegs that come into MN. Usually, not supporting a brewery’s everyday brands costs you when the specialty stuff comes available. I realize that having specialty and hard to find kegs at Stub’s is how I made friends on this site. I am sure some of you will be disappointed with my decision. I apologize; however, I know the struggles of operating a small, local business. I will be happier watching Stub and Herb’s dollars being spent to support companies that employ local people, use local resources and give us a reason to be proud of the fact that we are Minnesotans.

I want to make clear that my new commitment will be to quality, local beer. Some of the local guys make some real stinkers! I will not buy bad beer just because it is local. I will also not buy beer from companies that sell themselves as MN-made and produce their products in other states. I have seen the look of disappointment in quite a few customers faces when I get asked where the Fulton Brewery is located (Because the answer is WI). I don’t have time for businessmen when there are some actual breweries trying to establish themselves in my community.

Sorry for the rant. I just wanted you guys to hear it from me first.