Hayes' Public House - Buffalo, MN3/10/2023  Get to know your brewer @hayespublichouse. Meet Pugs. He’s the owner, head brewer, and flat cap extraordinaire at Hayes’ Public House in Buffalo, MN. The only place with SIX beer engines in the state! Together, with his right hand man, Jake, they make some of the best traditional ales in MN. • Hayes’ opened its doors on November 19th, 2013. • Prior to the brewery opening, Pugs had been home brewing for about seven years. • The first beer he brewed at Hayes’ was their Irish Stout, still his go-to beer. It is simply one of the best beers they have, especially on the hand-pull. • Hayes’ brews off of a 7 bbl system by @pdxkettleworks, artfully engineered to brew high-gravity beers (it can be pushed to 8 bbls, if needed). They have four 7 bbl fermenters and one 15 bbl fermenter. • The hardest challenge for Pugs has been staying relevant in a world of ever-changing beer trends. Staying on top of your creative game is vital. • Future plans for the brewery include expanding into different packaging sizes for customers. They would love to be able to expand the taproom to accommodate more seating as well. • Reasons to stop by Hayes’ are their six traditional hand pulls, live music, and a patio that overlooks Buffalo Lake. Also, they plan on having a three day event for St. Patrick’s Day next weekend. 🍀 • His favorite lawnmower beer would be either @hammsthebeer or @oldstylebeer. • When he’s not brewing, you can catch Pugs at car shows, music events, or even swing dancing with his lady. He loves to cruise around in his 1946 Chevy Coupe. If you get the chance, pick a day next weekend to go visit one of the most authentic Irish taprooms in Minnesota for St. Paddy’s. That Irish Stout on the beer engine will be worth it.
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 Get to know your brewer @heavyrotationbrewing. Meet Josh. He’s the head brewer, and henchman of Hazies, at Heavy Rotation Brewing in Brooklyn Park, MN. • Construction of HRB started in November of 2021, and they opened their doors April 8th, 2022. Their one year anniversary is coming up! • Josh first began home brewing in 2010. He’s had recent stints @wickedwortbrewingcompany and later, in packaging, with the good folks @utepilsbrewing. • The first beer Josh brewed at HRB was their Zwickelbier—a fresh, sessionable, slightly hoppy Pilsner. • HRB uses a 3.5 bbl, three vessel electric brewhouse by @blichmannengineering. They also have eight 3.5 bbl stainless @ssbrewtech unitanks. • Josh loves to brew what he likes to drink. And for him, that’s definitely his Vienna Lager and the English Dark Mild. • There haven’t been too many hiccups at HRB, thankfully. Josh says he leaned pretty heavily on @brewermichaels at Venn Brewing and @tombergmpls at Falling Knife. Both guys were excellent resources for HRB. Proper carbonation in a fermentation vessel can also be a finicky leaning curve too. • Heavy Rotation just started offering four-packs of 12 oz bottles from their taproom. They’ll be starting a small barrel-aging program this year. HRB just recently teamed up with Minnesota legend, @gablesteveson. Check the beer out! • HRB always has 16 different beers on tap. Their smaller system allows them to consistently put out new beers. They also have a free arcade! • Josh’s favorite lawnmower beer would be @modelousa, both Especial and Negra. • When he’s not brewing, you can catch Josh spending time with his partner, Jessi, and their two dogs, Bogart and Jimmy. He loves to cook, camp, and kayak. ABV Technology - St. Paul, MN1/30/2023  Get to know the head of NA craft beer pioneer, @abvtechnology. Meet Ben, CEO of ABV Technology in St. Paul, MN. ABV has been turning your favorite craft beer into delicious nonalcoholic beverages, from Stouts to Cold IPAs. They’ve ramped up the inclusivity game in the national craft beer scene. • ABV Technology incorporated in 2017, spending the first three years developing their Equalizer: a dealcolyzer that removes the ethanol from regular craft beer. In 2020, they also came up with their Analyzer: their ABV% measuring device for craft beverage manufacturers. • ABV services over a third of Minnesota’s craft breweries. Currently, you can find their NAs on tap at 36 breweries across the state! • The first NA beer they produced for sale was the Helles from @bauhausbrewlabs. Bauhaus has been a leader in the MN craft NA scene for five years, with five distinct Nah beers both on tap and in cans. • Their Equalizers allow producers to make 32 gallons of NA beverages per hour. They can process approximately 6000 bbls of craft NA beer per year. The added benefit is nearly the same amount of clear, filtered alcoholic beverage is produced (used as a base for most seltzers around town). • Ben enjoys a clean, crisp NA Lager the most. Right now he’s drinking a ton of the NA Cream Ale from @ursa_minor_brewing. • The biggest challenge ABV has faced has been the turbulent market during this nascent NA scene. ABV was a pioneer in the craft NA world. Navigating the early years of the pandemic with a nonalcoholic beverage business was difficult, but now the tide has swung and NAs are one of the largest growing beer options. • ABV is looking forward to expanding their offerings to craft wineries, cideries, and more. They’ve established a presence on both coasts and in Canada as well. • A good reason to enjoy an NA is that their craft NAs always start as a fully fermented beverage. The flavors, aromas, and experience of your favorite beer styles are carried over to an ABV NA. • Ben enjoys crushing crisp Lagers, especially the Kellar Pils from @summitbeer. • When he’s not working, you can catch Ben gardening, running, cooking or procrastinating home repairs. Grand Strand Brewing - Myrtle Beach, SC12/30/2022  Get to know your brewer @grandstrandbrewco. Meet Christophe, head brewer and caretaker of the Seven Dwarves (brew fermenters) at Grand Strand Brewing, nestled in the heart of downtown Myrtle Beach, SC. • Grand Strand Brewing opened in February of 2021. • Christophe has been brewing professionally for five years, with stops @randomrowbrewing in Charlottesville, VA, @wildwolfbeer in Nellysford, VA, and @palmettobrewing in Charleston, SC. • The first beer he brewed at GSBC was Jolene, their Red Ale (it’s absolutely fantastic). • Grand Strand uses a 15bbl brew system with four 30bbl, one 15bbl, and a 7 bbl fermenters. That seventh dwarf must be hiding… • Christophe’s favorite beer to brew would be Jolene, due to the challenge of getting the red color to shine with that beer. He also loves to brew Belgian-style beers, although doesn’t get to as much because they are a beach brewery—Belgians are a tough sell sometimes. • The hardest challenge he’s faced as head brewer has been the consistency of their flagship Hazy IPA. Haze is easy at the start of the brew, but keeping that haze in suspension and keeping it consistent was a difficult challenge. But they’ve dialed it in now! • Future plans for the brewery include eventually having a second location and concentrating on their R&D. They hope to release a “Flip Flop Hop” series that will concentrate on new hop varieties throughout the US. • A great reason to pop by is the fact they have spent two years focusing on their flagships. They look forward to a lot of hop-heavy beer and crazy new brews in 2023! • Christophe’s favorite crushable beer would be @labattbreweries. His mother is Canadian, so it holds a special place in his heart. • When he’s not brewing, you can catch Christophe building out his man cave in his garage. He also likes to spend time in his vegetable garden when the weather is pleasant. So zen… Stop on by Grand Strand whenever you’re in Myrtle Beach, just a block from the beach. Say hey to Christophe and the crew and sip some of their splendid brew! Edmund Oast Brewing - Charleston, SC11/30/2022  Get to know your brewer @eobrewing. Meet Clint. He’s the head brewer, taproom jester, and magician of malts at Edmund’s Oast Brewing in Charleston, SC. • EOB started as a tiny bottle shop in 2008 as the Charleston Beer Exchange. Scott Shor and Rich Carley helped bring craft beer culture to the state and opened Edmund’s Oast brewhouse in 2014. Their full production facility opened in 2017. • Clint originally started on the bottling line @palmettobrewingin 2009. After reading “The Joy of Homebrewing,” by @charlie_papazian, he started making brews of his own. Wanting to earn Charlie’s fist bump at GABF, Clint finally succeeded winning a bronze in the Fruited Sour category in 2019 with EOB. • His first beer that he brewed at EOB was “Something Cold,” an American Blonde Ale. • Clint brews off of a 30bbl, four vessel brew house with a 15bbl mash lauter. They have three 15bbl, three 30bbl, two 60bbl and eight 80bbl fermenters. In addition, EOB has two 90bbl, two 60bbl, three 30bbl and three 15bbl brite tanks. • Clint loves to brew traditional Lagers. They’re light, sometimes malty or dark, and difficult to hide your mistakes. • His most difficult challenge at EOB was wrangling the beer, “Fistful of Foam,” a Czech-style Lager. It had a double decoction mash, which made the brew difficult, but well worth it. • Future plans include their collaboration with local meadery, @garagistemeadery, called, “Depeche Mjød.” It’s made with California Cab grape must, Turkish pomegranate and blueberries, aged on American Oak, Brazilian Amburana and Southern Bald Cypress. • Best reason to stop by EOB? Their staff. Everyone is knowledgeable and passionate about beer. Also, EOB is in the middle of the brewery district in Charleston! • When he can, Clint prefers sipping Coors Lights on the water when it’s hot. • Clint loves making meads at home—they make great Christmas gifts! He also loves burning calories so he can drink more (which means taking his dog on long walks and taking in the beautiful city). Stop on by Edmund’s Oast for some amazing brews and eats. Or, pick up one or their fantastic beers when on the East Coast. You can’t beat that lovely black & white can art! Talking Waters Brewing - Montevideo, MN11/14/2022  Get to know your brewers @twbrewingco.
Meet Nick and Phil. This dynamic duo has been crushing brews in Montevideo, MN for the last six years. They’re currently featured @stonearchmsp, so the next time you hit the airport, give them a try! • Talking Waters opened for business in July 2016. • Neither of these brewing geniuses had prior professional brewing experience. Nick started as a home brewer in college and Phil joined in when they started making pilot batches for Talking Waters. • The first beer brewed for Talking Waters was their award-winning Cream Ale, Farmer’s Tan. • Talking Waters brews with a 10bbl @dmesystems brewhouse and six 10bbl unitanks. • Their favorite style to brew would be any of their Lagers and new school West Coast IPAs. They love their clear beers! • The hardest challenge for them has been operating in a small community (population 5,402). Although they have great customers and fantastic support, their taproom is definitely limited by their geography. It’s forced them to move into distribution faster than they anticipated. • Future plans include a potential rooftop space at the taproom and bottle releases of Imperial Stouts and mixed-culture Sours. • A great reason to stop by is their fantastic staff and broad selection of styles on tap. Also, Montevideo is a beautiful town with Talking Waters right in the heart of their Main Street. • You’ll catch these two crushing @schellsbeer Lights and @modistbrewing Supra Deluxes after work. • When they’re not brewing or canning your favorite beers, you can catch Nick golfing, snowboarding, doing a triathlon or spending time with his family. Phil likes to golf, cross country ski, frisbee golf, and spend time with his family as well. Whenever you are looking for a chance to get out of the Cities, make the trip to Montevideo, MN, just two hours west of Minneapolis. Stop into Talking Waters and savor their wonderful suds. 🍻 Lady Brewery - Reykjavík, Iceland10/26/2022  Get to know your brewer @ladybrewery.
Meet Thórey. Brewer. Mother. Feminist. Designer. Artist. And all around badass. She’s the head brewer at Lady Brewery in Reykjavík, Iceland. • Lady Brewery officially opened their current home in Grandi, Reykjavík in 2021. • Thórey started brewing in January 2017 (she remembers this vividly). As soon as she started brewing, she knew it was going to be more than a hobby. • The first beer she brewed is First Lady, a citrusy IPA, hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Cascade hops. It remains one of her core beers. • First Lady is a gypsy brewery, meaning they brew using partner brewhouses (contract brewing). They currently brew next door @aegirbrugghus, a wonderful brewery in itself. • Thórey loves experimenting with local ingredients because Iceland does not produce hops. Her favorite style to brew right now is a Gose with white pepper, lime zest, with wild hand-picked arctic thyme and sea salt. • As an artist, balancing cost and creativity is her most difficult challenge. She prefers to just fuck around with something crazy, expensive, and time consuming, but realizes the business side of it may not always agree. • Future plans include their House of Lady at their current location where patrons can enjoy their tasting station and to-go beers. Their Lady Lab will be getting a 150L brewing vessel and a 300L fermentation tank. • A great reason to stop by is that they are the only female-owned and brewed brewery in Iceland! Located in the Grandi fish district, the views are incredible. • Thórey is a sucker for a good @peroninastroazzurro. It’s so simple and refreshing, she doesn’t have to analyze it. • When she’s not brewing, you can catch her running a creative studio, And Anti Matter, with her husband, Baldur. Ever designing, ever creating. So, the next time you stop in Iceland, give Lady Brewery a visit! 🇮🇸 Schell's Brewing - New Ulm, MN10/12/2022  Get to know your brewer @schellsbeer.
Meet Dave. The man. The myth. The brewing legend. He’s the brewmaster at Schell’s Brewing Company in New Ulm, MN. • Schell’s opened for business in 1860. Yup, it’s the second oldest family-owned brewery in the entire United States (next to @yuenglingbeer). So, just a bit before the Surly bill passed in MN. • Dave has been brewing professionally since 1996. After a career in aerospace engineering, he made brewing stops at Water Tower Brewing Co, in Eden Prairie in the late 90s. He then brewed at Bandana Brewing in Mankato. He’s been at Schell’s since 2006. Dave also used to be the president of the @mncraftbrewersguild. • The very first beer he brewed at Schell’s was the 2006 vintage of Snowstorm, a London Stout. • Dave brews off of a 100-150 bbl system, depending on the beer. Their fermenters range in size from 100-750 bbls. 🤯 • His favorite beer he makes at Schell’s? It’s definitely No Frills, their German-style Pilsner. • The hardest challenge Dave has faced at Schell’s was designing an ultra-low calorie/carbohydrate beer. • Future plans for the brewery include releasing their 2022 edition of Snowstorm. It’ll be a multi-grain Doppelbock. • A great reason to stop by Schell’s this year is their Oktoberfest bash this Saturday. Dave said that if you’ve never toured the grounds, the history and the tours they offer are fantastic. Also, they just recently opened their new, spacious taproom. • Dave’s favorite crushable beer would be @millerhighlife. • When he manages to find time away from the brewery, you can catch Dave riding his bike. Although I doubt you could really catch him. Want to experience one of the best Oktoberfests in this state? Head to New Ulm this Saturday, October 15th, and take in the historic grounds and revel in the sensational suds from this brewing master! Venn Brewing - Minneapolis, MN10/1/2022  Get to know your brewer @vennbrewing.
Meet Ben, slayer of suds and master of the mash. He’s the head brewer at Venn Brewing in Minneapolis, MN. • Venn opened its doors on December 17th, 2017. • Ben has been home brewing for 12 years, with professional stops @tribesbeerco in Chicago and @surlybrewing, right here in MPLS. • The very first beer he brewed at Venn was the Schwarzbier—dark Lager for the win! • Venn uses a 7bbl @dmesystems kit and ten 7bbl unitank fermenters. Magic happens here. • His favorite style to make for the brewery would be…yes, Lagers. What the Helles?! • The hardest challenge he’s faced was brewing 100 unique recipes for their first 100 batches. Wow. Without repeating anything, recipes got pretty thin and challenging after batch 75. • Outside of a few staple beers, the luxury of a smaller system means they can churn out new recipes frequently—a great reason to stop by and see what’s new! • Venn also opened a full-service coffee shop recently, so now you can stop by and enjoy coffee starting at 7am Tuesday-Sunday. Perfect for those noon Twins, Vikings and Gophers games. Just hop on/off the train! • Ben’s favorite crushable beer would be @hammsthebeer or @millerhighlife. • When he’s not brewing double batches, you can find Ben kickboxing or doing Jiu Jitsu, spending time with his lovely wife and daughter, or golfing any chance he gets with his pops. Next time you’re taking the train to the airport or the Mall of America, make sure to hop off the Blue Line on 46th St and pop into Venn for a pint! RVK Brewing - Reykjavíc, Iceland9/20/2022  Get to know the founder of @rvkbrewing.
Say hello to Siggi. He’s one of the co-founders of RVK Brewing in the heart of Reykjavík, Iceland. A home brewer by trade, Siggi helped design a lot of the beers you enjoy from RVK today. • RVK opened in May of 2018 and their taproom opened in July of that year. • Siggi has been home brewing since 2012. Even though he is the co-founder and has designed a lot of the recipes in use today, RVK has a dedicated team of brewers to carry out the day-to-day activities. Siggi concentrates on the business side. • The first beer launched at RVK was a Mosaic-driven IPA appropriately called, “Deput IPA.” They haven’t brewed it again since, but may bring it back. • The original brewery, located next to the taproom, is a 5HL (metric sizing) brew system with 40HL fermenters. In July of this year they opened their new location next door, with a 15HL system and 300HL fermenters. • RVK prides themselves in making great beer for everyone—from Lagers to big, barrel-aged Imperial Stouts. Siggi is particularly fond of their IPAs, whether they are sessionables or triples. • The hardest challenge they have faced is coping with demand and not enough capacity. They’ve had to outsource brews which has created all sorts of problems. Now, with their new brewhouse, they hope to increase their capacity eight-fold. • Since opening the new location, the challenge now becomes coming up with styles that have a broad acceptance and will utilize their new canning line (just installed the day I was there). To go sales have just been legalized in Iceland, so that is something else to look forward to. • A great reason to stop by RVK is their great beer and atmosphere. They’re converting a mid-century movie theater into their new taproom! • Siggi’s favorite beer to crush is their Hrím Pseudo Lager. • When he’s not running the place, you can find Siggi hiking, biking, snowboarding or just chilling at home listening to a good vinyl LP. Next time you’re in Reykjavík, make sure to stop in at RVK and sample their amazing array of brews. |
