Today's Breweries

 In the 1980s, a generation after Prohibition, some people began to realize that there was more to beer than plain old pilsners. Small, "craft" breweries began to appear on the American landscape. The idea--and the beers--caught on, and now we have seen the return of the regional brewery serving a very happy local population! (Of course, the big boys have tried to emulate the microbreweries, but all that marketing and gimmickery have met with limited success. . .)

The main breweries still in operation today include Schell's, Cold Spring, Stroh's (in the old Hamm brewery), and the Minnesota Brewing Co. (in what used to be Schmidt's brewery). These have been detailed in previous sections. The more recent arrivals to the Minnesota brewing scene are detailed here.

Summit Brewing Co.

Mark Stutrud, native of South Dakota, opened a small brewery in St. Paul in 1986. This was the first new brewery to begin operations in the Twin Cities since Prohobition. Setting up shop on University Ave., Summit has grown from a 50 barrel a week brewery that only sold draft kegs, to its current level of about 15,000 barrels per year (a sixfold increase in just eight years).

Summit has plans to build a second brewery in the near future, but a location has not yet been decided upon.

James Page Brewing Co.

James Page opened his doors in the summer of 1986. Currently, he produces two main beers, an Amber and a Wild Rice Beer, plus seasonal specialties. The company has diversified and also sells homebrewing equipment and ingredients.

Take a look at the Beer-Hunter's Guide to Minnesota for more information
on today's Minnesota breweries--and for a list of other brewing establishments.