The Rock Bottom brewpub chain has a big secret. It’s an open secret, but something that most people, even many beer nerds, don’t know. I myself was unaware of this secret until a ten-minute talking-down from the brewer at the Chicago location corrected my misconception of the chain. The secret is this: There are no [...]
Continuing my survey of Twin Cities brewpubs I’ll take on St. Paul and the surrounding metro. Great Waters Brewing Co. Located in the heart of downtown, Great Waters Brewing Co. is the only brewpub in St. Paul. It is within easy walking distance of many St. Paul attractions including the Science and Children’s Museums, the [...]
Some time ago I started a series of write-ups on the Twin Cities beer scene. I started with metro-area beer stores and never came back to the theme. So here I go with the next installment: Twin Cities Brewpubs. I’ll start on the Minneapolis side of the Mississippi River. Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery The Town [...]
I grew up in St. Louis and remember well when the Schlafly Taproom opened its doors in the early 1990s. My first visit to the brewpub, in what was then a sketchy part of downtown, was my first brewpub experience. It was an exciting breath of fresh air in a town dominated by Anheuser-Busch. I [...]
I travel a lot on business. My last trip was to Hartford, Connecticut, where I had the pleasure of dining and drinking at the City Steam Brewery Café. City Steam occupies the brooding yet beautiful Cheney Building in the heart of downtown Hartford. Opened in 1877, the building once housed the largest department store in [...]
I was warned about Dennis Wehrmann prior to my visit. The native German Founder and Brewmaster at Franconia Brewing Company was variously described to me as “cantankerous”, “aggressive”, and “stand-offish.” But I was undeterred. You see, I have lived among the Germans. I understand and enjoy their no-nonsense directness, a character trait often perceived as [...]
While at the CBC I was interested in exploring what the industry thinks its future holds. It struck me that one of the best places to look for indications of that future is the many new and start-up breweries around the country. I talked to several newly minted and would-be professionals about their experience of [...]
Flat Earth Brewing Company Location: St. Paul, Minnesota Established: 2007 Brewers: Owner/Brewmaster – Jeff Williamson, Brewer/Master of Infusion – Mike Elias Production: 2008 – 800 bbl Beers: Year Round – Belgian Pale Ale, Element 115 Lager, Cygnus X-1 Porter, Angry Planet Organic Pale Ale, Northwest Passage IPA. Seasonals – Black Helicopter Coffee Stout, Winter Warlock [...]
Dave’s Brewfarm sits atop a ridge in the rolling rural landscape of western Wisconsin about sixty miles east of the Twin Cities. Standing there one feels far removed from everything. Wilson, Wisconsin, the nearest town, is home to only about 180 people. A big sign set with heavy timbers at the top of the drive [...]
Two Brothers Brewing Co. Warrenville, Illinois Established 1996 Owners: Jim & Jason Ebel Annual Production: 12,000 Barrels in 2009 I sat down with Jim Ebel at the brewery on August 20, 2009. Then How does one make the leap from homebrewer to craft brewer? It’s a great question. When we opened in 1996 micros were just [...]
