612Brew Sold, Original Minneapolis Taproom Will Become Padraigs Brewing

612Brew, one of Minneapolis’ and Minnesota’s first taprooms, has been sold.

A fixture in the Northeast Minneapolis Brewery District, 612Brew will be renamed and transformed into Padraigs Brewing under new ownership. Padraigs will shift the brewery’s focus to Irish-style beers through partners Patrick Carey, Jason Myrold, and Steve Wankewycz.

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Elm Creek Brewing | 3rd Anniversary Brewery Spotlight

As Elm Creek Brewing Company nears its 3rd anniversary, not only do they have a party and festivities to look forward to on June 23-25, but also the start of a whole new era for the brewery.

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Arbeiter Brewing Co. | Hoop Jump Cold IPA

Have you ever had a “Cold IPA?” No, we are not talking about the one that you just pulled from the refrigerator. The history of a Cold IPA is relatively new, but the development is credited to Wayfinder Beer out of Portland, Ore. Cold IPAs are a thing of beauty and smell the part too. On one side, you have that smell of the hoppiness from an IPA. On the other, you have that clean, crisp style of a lager. Do not mistake these as IPLs, which seems to be a common thread. Read More

Back Channel Brewing Co. | Titles (New England IPA)

The folks of the North start to rejoice this time of year because it means warmer days ahead and the start of the baseball season. It also means we’ve made it out of the brutal winter and into beers of the warmer seasons. The thick and dark beers are still around. But, we are starting to see a seasonal change to juicer beers that one can enjoy on patios or sitting in the stadium of your favorite baseball team — Back Channel Brewing Titles is the ideal beer for that. Read More

Blackstack Brewing | Patent Pending

Innovation is all around us, and there is so much innovation that goes into making great craft beer. Innovation can be the equipment at each brewery, or the hand-selected ingredients by the brewers, or those trendy new labels on each can. You find yourself wondering, how the heck did they do that, or what made them think of that? Doing a Google search for “beer patents” returns 603 patents just in the brewing process alone. If you keep digging down that rabbit hole, you will start to find other patents related to craft beer, items as genius as the Beerbrella. The beauty of craft beer, it will always innovate.

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Twin Cities Craft To-Go | Part Two

The days march on and become murkier in the midst of COVID-19. However, as our situation is ever changing, craft breweries resilience and community support remains steadfast. Our local favorites continue to adapt new business models, solidifying ecommerce sites and delivery routes in a matter of days. Our Instagram stories continue to fill with lines, and even pyramids, of crowlers in people’s homes after returning from beer runs.

(READ: Twin Cities Craft To-Go | Part One)

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Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub | Big Jim IPA

There’s a lot to love about Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub. Their wings are voted one of the best in the Twin Cities, their fried chicken sandwich is Food Network famous and their patio is one of the best places to bring your four-legged friend in Minnesota’s treasured patio months.

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Hammerheart | Herbstklagen Smoked Märzen

Minnesota’s Hammerheart Brewing Company is devoted in every facet of their existence to the holy trinity of Vikings, heavy metal and beer. These are all passions I share, so when … Read More

Forager Brewing Company Launches Humble Forager

Last month, Forager Brewing Company‘s head brewer, Austin Jevne, took to social media to announce the brewery’s latest adventure: a new brand and distribution brewery, Humble Forager Brewery.

Contract brewing out of Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, WI, Humble Forager will use some of FBC’s favorite recipes to create a series of rotating pastry stouts, hazy DIPAs and fruited sour ales. The beers will be distributed to bars and liquor stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and select locations in the Southeast in early 2020.

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Fulton Beer | Specter

“It’s there and then it’s not.”

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). An alarming public health crisis, the death-by-suicide rate for Americans has grown 30 percent in the last two decades. In 2017 alone, more than 47,000 Americans died by suicide. The tragedy of the suicide epidemic in the last 20 years seems to have touched all of our lives at some point. Three years ago, it touched the family of Minneapolis’ Fulton Beer.

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Minnesota Legislature Stems Future Growler Sales for Breweries

The ability to sell growlers in the future looks bleak for some Minnesota breweries as a critical piece of legislation failed to move forward in the Minnesota Senate this year.

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Minnesota’s Lupulin Brewing Company Acquires Hydra Beer Company

Lupulin Brewing Company out of Big Lake, Minnesota announced on Thursday the acquisition of Hydra Beer Company in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The move will create a second Lupulin taproom in the former Hydra space in Sioux Falls, right across the Minnesota border.

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2 Days, 2 Nights | Twin Cities Craft Beer Scene

When the snow melts, Minnesota springs into life. As a Minnesota native, I’m partial to the great Land of 10,000 Lakes for many reasons. If you can get past the prolonged winters and man-eating mosquitoes, Minnesota really does have a lot to offer to the outdoor enthusiast, family man, beer aficionado, sports fan and everyone in between. Oh, and the beer scene in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul is absolutely kickass.

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Hayes’ Public House | Where Irish Hospitality Meets Minnesota Nice

Located in the heart of Central Minnesota — a state known for its fierce Scandinavian pride — is a small Irish pub that almost seems out of place.

Hayes’ Public House provides the most authentic Irish experience some Minnesotans may ever have. And that’s the point. Owner and Head Brewer Pugs Hayes and his wife spent two months touring Ireland, absorbing as much of its culture as they could. With the help of friends and family, they recreated what they saw, heard, felt and tasted in a small brewery that has become the hub of Buffalo, MN.

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Summit Brewing Adjusts to the New Age of Craft Beer

Minnesota can attribute a lot of its craft beer heritage to St. Paul-based Summit Brewing. Founded in 1986, Summit is Minnesota’s second oldest brewery behind Schell’s, with beers like its Summit EPA being a stalwart on local shelves for decades – even before “craft” preceded its title. Now, Minnesota and the larger Midwest markets are shifting. The Land of 10,000 lakes has 150 local craft brewers, which has led to a dramatic increase in competition from newcomers like Surly and Fulton. Summit felt the pains of this competition firsthand, as they recently announced layoffs amidst a decrease in production. So, how does Summit plan to rebound? We asked Summit’s PR/Content Coordinator, Brendan Kennealy, to find out.

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BREAKING | Surly Brewing Announces Full-Time Distribution in Colorado

Last October, Surly Brewing made shockwaves within the craft beer world after the popular Midwestern brewery announced the departure of Todd Haug, Surly’s iconic brewmaster, who has been credited with developing many of the brewery’s cult classic beers. 12 months later, as the popular Minneapolis-based brewery celebrates its 10 year anniversary, Surly is primed for its next evolutionary phase, as it expands its distribution footprint.

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