Yeah, I was struck by that too. Best of luck to the upstarts, and I’m glad for their existence, but I feel like Summit in particular got the short end of the coverage-stick here. They’re doing really interesting stuff with their Unchained series and, hell, they just took gold at the WBC for EPA.
Minnesota is the only place I’ve ever seen where someone gets press for just talking about doing something. Ok, thats not entirely true. If Thomas Keller just mentioned he was thinking about opening a bistro somewhere, that would get massive headlines. However, we are not talking about Thomas Keller.
There is so much rah rah but nothing actually showing anything. How about some chops? How about some ability? Have you ever won an award that means something? Who are you? Why would I buy your beer? Not just why would I buy your beer, why would a distributor sign you? What have you done to show that you know what you are doing to be 1) a brewer and 2) produce quality recipes not just ones ‘stolen’ from other breweries. Case in point, Sierra Nevada Pale ale. Ive seen at least 3 professional breweries use their recipe not including SN themselves. No, fruit zest does not make it your recipe. What are you going to do for equipment? Do you have new equipment in your budget b/c there is frankly no quality used equipment on the market. I’m getting ahead of myself..
What about actually showing progression? Check out these guys: http://eaglerockbrewery.wordpress.com/
Probably the best site I’ve seen showing the progress of opening a brewery.
Start to finish. Give it a read. Its rather brilliant.
Its the medias fault for covering them. Its the breweries fault for not putting anything out. If they talk the talk then they need to walk the walk. You can have it both ways.
1. I brew crappy homebrew on a shitty converted keg system and I stole the kegs. All my douchey friends love my free mediocre beer. Why wouldn’t the general public when they have to pay for it?
2. I just get my recipes on the interwebs. Why put any effort or study or research or get any training or education.
Wait…complain about the media outlets….? That assumes the average reporter has the knowledge to be able to tell that someone is a homebrewer as opposed to a professional.
On 612’s old web site they talked about doing beer releases, as if they were a real brewery and NOT just a bunch of homebrewers. What BS.
When you have a REAL brewery with a REAL product then it’s the time to talk to he media and not just play at being pro brewers.
Off topic, but what particular beer style is under-represented in this community? Fulton’s first attempt off the truck was an IPA. Why any new brewer would kick off with an IPA in this market puzzles me. Same thing with a Pale Ale.
They’re great styles, but starting there? It would be difficult to differentiate yourself, at least positively, compared to the local monsters.
So what’s an open style that hasn’t been all but defined in this market by a local brewery? Again, I’m not saying multiple breweries shouldn’t do the same style – -that’d be stupid — I’m just thinking about what would be a *new* place to upstart to launch.
Last thing: I think Lift Bridge did a good job of launching with an under-represented beer. Farm Girl is fairly unique, locally, at least in terms of local beer you could find at a liquor store or bar.
I guess you could compare it to Cynic… I wouldn’t.
Per styles, I would say something English probably. 100’s of American pale ales, crappy IPA’s and such. Gotta have at least one thing in the line up that is a ‘drinker’ meaning moderate alcohol without a ton of hops. Not mainstream by any means but not something that is going to knock you on your head.
There is a big push back in the US that is gathering a ton of steam on the session beer front. Problem is, any brewery can brew a massive hoppy thing, very very few can make something low gravity. The UK, Belgian and Germany have tons of lower gravity (not light) examples of wonderful things.
Some of the absolute best beers in the world are well under 5%…just dont the BA/Rate people. On the other hand there is definitely a place for DIPA’s. Biggest problem there is that most are sweet and insipid. There is a huge niche for traditional lagers as very few people do them, rather do them well. Point of fact, there is plenty of room for ANY great beer style. Trying to do a ‘new’ style of beer without understanding in completely, having a winning recipe AND educating the public is a sure loser. Cover those 3 thing, make sure its clean, crisp and delicious and you have a winner.
I wanna play!
It is interesting to watch the media “cover” the assortment of on-the-sideline-and-not-yet-in-the-game brewer(ies). Kinda feels like the late 90s again…
Armchair brewery owners are a dime a dozen – sticking it all (and then some) on the line to actually build a bricks-n-mortar brewery is a rare bird. (You know, quitting your day job and living on Ramen.) I don’t begrudge anyone chasing the brewery dream. That is, brew brilliant beer and you will be my friend. Brew insipid, lame, me-too bad beer, and you are my mortal enemy.
But then again, I’m not “local” so I must not warrant much ink cuz I’m on the wrong side of the MN/WI line (though St. Croix Co. is considered part of the U.S. Census division named Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — just sayin’…). We’re 48 miles from DT St. Paul – easy 50 minute drive.
And if ya wanna get a taste of where the beer actually hits the pavement, we’re having open Tap Room hours at the BrewFarm this SUN 9/19 from 3:00-7:00. I guarantee you will experience beers that are unique, tasty and well-crafted.
Farmer Dave
Dave’s BrewFarm – A Farmhouse Brewery
Wilson, WI
Little known fact: all journalists and reporters are alcoholics. They are exploiting these breweries and startups for free product! There really is no craft beer renaissance! Its all a lie! They just do it for the free booze and make it something its not! Ack!
@Fuzzy: Yes, cans are contracted at Point and bottles are contracted at Sand Creek. That’s part of my business model – I’m truly a one-man operation and the feasibility (physically and financially) to get the reach I do with my contract beers would be impossible w/o the contracts. Come on out to the LaBrewatory this Sunday or wait a couple weeks for ABR and experience for yourself if I can brew…
Just beer? Its your living. It’s like writing about the real renaissance and talking about Leonardo’s lazy fat little brother who never got off the divan instead of all the real contributions real brewers are making. Oh I dunno like the whole 150th series or the Unchained stuff from Summit.
Dave A.-
This isnt fucking Twitter. The @ in front of a name is redundant aping of a moronic practice. Do you go around in real life saying @Bill? Hey, @Sarah? How you doing? WTF? Do people who do this think about what they’re doing or are they trying to seem cool?
Everyone else is typing an extra character! I better do it too!! Look at me! Look at me! I think I know something about the untertoobs.
Think of all the time I save by omitting the @, time in which I’m drinking instead.
The Brew Farm Select rocks, btw.
Dick Cheney-
Damn your cyborg heart. You wouldn’t know a real journalist if one bit your shiney metal ass. And no Faux News does not have journalists. Go back to your undisclosed location.
I think this is all missing the point. The article was about beer brewing in MINNEAPOLIS, and that is what was mostly represented, with a little talk about Surly which has had the most public success among the new batch of minnesota breweries. I read the article more as a “Yay, we can make beer in Minneapolis again and be successful” which really is something to rejoice.
The article is titled “Return of the growler, Inside the Twin Cities craft-beer Renaissance.” That does imply that article will be about more than just brewing in Minneapolis.
What about an Irish Red? Some character but still an easy drinker. No local examples to compete against and even if it were released as a seasonal only it would be a departure from the maibocks we see every spring -which I love btw. A locally brewed Irish Red would make a killing on St Patty’s day.
“Turns out finding a building was the easy part, though. Now we have to design the layout, do some demolition and construction, secure financing, select our equipment, and put everything together once it comes. So, it will be months (and hopefully not years) before we are up and operational.”
They forgot to mention that they will have to get approvals and licenses from the City of Minneapolis, the State of MN, the Aft and the Trade and Tax Bureau before they can brew a drop in MPLS.
Kat from MNbeer.com,
I think you need to change the title of one of your previous posts from, “FULTON BEER SOON TO BE BREWED IN MINNEAPOLIS,” to “FULTON BEER MAY EVENTUALLY BE BREWED IN MINNEAPOLIS.”
There is a big difference between renting a building and having a brewery in that building.
The article says Grainbelt Nordeast AMERICAN AMBER LAGER is a brown ale. Huh.
Styles? I thought they meant nothing and it all boiled down to what each individual likes, whether they have any knowledge or palate or experience?
Ahahahahahaha!
I find it pretty odd that there’s a story about “the craft beer renaissance” and the main pieces are about “breweries” who have yet to sell a beer.
Yeah, I was struck by that too. Best of luck to the upstarts, and I’m glad for their existence, but I feel like Summit in particular got the short end of the coverage-stick here. They’re doing really interesting stuff with their Unchained series and, hell, they just took gold at the WBC for EPA.
Seems like upcoming breweries should turn off the PR machine and turn up the “get junk done” dial.
Carole:
If you were an upcoming brewery, would you turn down PR? That would be pretty stupid!
Minnesota is the only place I’ve ever seen where someone gets press for just talking about doing something. Ok, thats not entirely true. If Thomas Keller just mentioned he was thinking about opening a bistro somewhere, that would get massive headlines. However, we are not talking about Thomas Keller.
There is so much rah rah but nothing actually showing anything. How about some chops? How about some ability? Have you ever won an award that means something? Who are you? Why would I buy your beer? Not just why would I buy your beer, why would a distributor sign you? What have you done to show that you know what you are doing to be 1) a brewer and 2) produce quality recipes not just ones ‘stolen’ from other breweries. Case in point, Sierra Nevada Pale ale. Ive seen at least 3 professional breweries use their recipe not including SN themselves. No, fruit zest does not make it your recipe. What are you going to do for equipment? Do you have new equipment in your budget b/c there is frankly no quality used equipment on the market. I’m getting ahead of myself..
What about actually showing progression? Check out these guys: http://eaglerockbrewery.wordpress.com/
Probably the best site I’ve seen showing the progress of opening a brewery.
Start to finish. Give it a read. Its rather brilliant.
Complain about the media outlets, not about the upcoming breweries.
Why would you want beer when you could just buy a 612 tshirt, tote bag, pet bowl, monogramed dildo….
JFC, there are a zillion homebrewers “thinking” about opening a brewery. Let’s do a profile a week for the next decade one each of them.
If you’re going to open a fucking brewery just fucking do it and STFU. I don’t give a shit if you love Minneapols. BFD!
Its the medias fault for covering them. Its the breweries fault for not putting anything out. If they talk the talk then they need to walk the walk. You can have it both ways.
Answers to Kris’s questions:
1. I brew crappy homebrew on a shitty converted keg system and I stole the kegs. All my douchey friends love my free mediocre beer. Why wouldn’t the general public when they have to pay for it?
2. I just get my recipes on the interwebs. Why put any effort or study or research or get any training or education.
The media’s fault?! Damn librul media. What would Glen Beck drink? (Bill ORielly’s jizz) That’s my motto….wait better get a new motto.
It is true. They are looking to spend all of this money on a building/equipment etc., but have they spent wisely by going to Siebel’s, etc…..
The best gear in the world won’t do you any good if you don’t know what you’re doing to begin with.
Wait…complain about the media outlets….? That assumes the average reporter has the knowledge to be able to tell that someone is a homebrewer as opposed to a professional.
On 612’s old web site they talked about doing beer releases, as if they were a real brewery and NOT just a bunch of homebrewers. What BS.
When you have a REAL brewery with a REAL product then it’s the time to talk to he media and not just play at being pro brewers.
612Brew did recently update their logo to from “EST. 2006” to “EST. 2010”.
Off topic, but what particular beer style is under-represented in this community? Fulton’s first attempt off the truck was an IPA. Why any new brewer would kick off with an IPA in this market puzzles me. Same thing with a Pale Ale.
They’re great styles, but starting there? It would be difficult to differentiate yourself, at least positively, compared to the local monsters.
So what’s an open style that hasn’t been all but defined in this market by a local brewery? Again, I’m not saying multiple breweries shouldn’t do the same style – -that’d be stupid — I’m just thinking about what would be a *new* place to upstart to launch.
American wheat? Gah.
Last thing: I think Lift Bridge did a good job of launching with an under-represented beer. Farm Girl is fairly unique, locally, at least in terms of local beer you could find at a liquor store or bar.
I guess you could compare it to Cynic… I wouldn’t.
Per styles, I would say something English probably. 100’s of American pale ales, crappy IPA’s and such. Gotta have at least one thing in the line up that is a ‘drinker’ meaning moderate alcohol without a ton of hops. Not mainstream by any means but not something that is going to knock you on your head.
There is a big push back in the US that is gathering a ton of steam on the session beer front. Problem is, any brewery can brew a massive hoppy thing, very very few can make something low gravity. The UK, Belgian and Germany have tons of lower gravity (not light) examples of wonderful things.
Some of the absolute best beers in the world are well under 5%…just dont the BA/Rate people. On the other hand there is definitely a place for DIPA’s. Biggest problem there is that most are sweet and insipid. There is a huge niche for traditional lagers as very few people do them, rather do them well. Point of fact, there is plenty of room for ANY great beer style. Trying to do a ‘new’ style of beer without understanding in completely, having a winning recipe AND educating the public is a sure loser. Cover those 3 thing, make sure its clean, crisp and delicious and you have a winner.
You guys take all of this way too seriously. It’s beer. Just sayin…
I wanna play!
It is interesting to watch the media “cover” the assortment of on-the-sideline-and-not-yet-in-the-game brewer(ies). Kinda feels like the late 90s again…
Armchair brewery owners are a dime a dozen – sticking it all (and then some) on the line to actually build a bricks-n-mortar brewery is a rare bird. (You know, quitting your day job and living on Ramen.) I don’t begrudge anyone chasing the brewery dream. That is, brew brilliant beer and you will be my friend. Brew insipid, lame, me-too bad beer, and you are my mortal enemy.
But then again, I’m not “local” so I must not warrant much ink cuz I’m on the wrong side of the MN/WI line (though St. Croix Co. is considered part of the U.S. Census division named Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — just sayin’…). We’re 48 miles from DT St. Paul – easy 50 minute drive.
And if ya wanna get a taste of where the beer actually hits the pavement, we’re having open Tap Room hours at the BrewFarm this SUN 9/19 from 3:00-7:00. I guarantee you will experience beers that are unique, tasty and well-crafted.
Farmer Dave
Dave’s BrewFarm – A Farmhouse Brewery
Wilson, WI
Little known fact: all journalists and reporters are alcoholics. They are exploiting these breweries and startups for free product! There really is no craft beer renaissance! Its all a lie! They just do it for the free booze and make it something its not! Ack!
Journalisto has been eliminated. Disregard that last comment. RAWR.
Journalisto has been “taken care of”. Please disregard any of what he said. Bow before me. RAWR.
Dave isn’t all of Dave’s Brew Farm bottles & cans made at Point & Sand Creek?
I agree with Dave Anderson.
Dave, the Brewfarm is local enough for me. You have a tap line on reserve at Stub and Herb’s if kegs become available.
@Fuzzy: Yes, cans are contracted at Point and bottles are contracted at Sand Creek. That’s part of my business model – I’m truly a one-man operation and the feasibility (physically and financially) to get the reach I do with my contract beers would be impossible w/o the contracts. Come on out to the LaBrewatory this Sunday or wait a couple weeks for ABR and experience for yourself if I can brew…
Dave
Just beer? Its your living. It’s like writing about the real renaissance and talking about Leonardo’s lazy fat little brother who never got off the divan instead of all the real contributions real brewers are making. Oh I dunno like the whole 150th series or the Unchained stuff from Summit.
Dave A.-
This isnt fucking Twitter. The @ in front of a name is redundant aping of a moronic practice. Do you go around in real life saying @Bill? Hey, @Sarah? How you doing? WTF? Do people who do this think about what they’re doing or are they trying to seem cool?
Everyone else is typing an extra character! I better do it too!! Look at me! Look at me! I think I know something about the untertoobs.
Think of all the time I save by omitting the @, time in which I’m drinking instead.
The Brew Farm Select rocks, btw.
Dick Cheney-
Damn your cyborg heart. You wouldn’t know a real journalist if one bit your shiney metal ass. And no Faux News does not have journalists. Go back to your undisclosed location.
I think this is all missing the point. The article was about beer brewing in MINNEAPOLIS, and that is what was mostly represented, with a little talk about Surly which has had the most public success among the new batch of minnesota breweries. I read the article more as a “Yay, we can make beer in Minneapolis again and be successful” which really is something to rejoice.
Zombienate
The article is titled “Return of the growler, Inside the Twin Cities craft-beer Renaissance.” That does imply that article will be about more than just brewing in Minneapolis.
What about an Irish Red? Some character but still an easy drinker. No local examples to compete against and even if it were released as a seasonal only it would be a departure from the maibocks we see every spring -which I love btw. A locally brewed Irish Red would make a killing on St Patty’s day.
Aubrey,
Would Finnegan’s qualify as an Irish Red? I know that it’s brewed-on-contract at Summit, but is still a local product.
4 years going strong, and Ramen still tastes good to me!
I guess it would qualify. I’d like to see something else enter the market though.
Dusty,
I love me some Ramen, too! Your beers are rockin’, so keep up the good work!
Dusty-
I will send more Ramen tomorrow. Unfortunately, some of it has been around for 150 years.
This is from the 9/19 Fulton Beer newsletter…
“Turns out finding a building was the easy part, though. Now we have to design the layout, do some demolition and construction, secure financing, select our equipment, and put everything together once it comes. So, it will be months (and hopefully not years) before we are up and operational.”
They forgot to mention that they will have to get approvals and licenses from the City of Minneapolis, the State of MN, the Aft and the Trade and Tax Bureau before they can brew a drop in MPLS.
Kat from MNbeer.com,
I think you need to change the title of one of your previous posts from, “FULTON BEER SOON TO BE BREWED IN MINNEAPOLIS,” to “FULTON BEER MAY EVENTUALLY BE BREWED IN MINNEAPOLIS.”
There is a big difference between renting a building and having a brewery in that building.
Oops…I meant the ATF not the AFT.