Local Tap Talk: Steel Toe Brewing
Over the last five years, the craft brewery movement has grown exponentially in Minnesota. The Associated Press says licensing records show two-thirds of Minnesota breweries have opened just since 2010. So, we decided to help you – and your livers – keep up with the taproom trend by stopping by some of these Twin Cities brewhouses. Next up is St. Louis Park's expanding tap room, Steel Toe Brewery.
It's no secret that the people behind Minnesota's booming craft breweries love beer.
From concocting recipes to brewing batches to savoring their work, brewers have a deep appreciation for their product.
But for many, like Steel Toe Brewing's owner and head brewer Jason Schoneman, it goes beyond the taste to the actual process.
Schoneman began like many other brewers – with home brewing.
"In the late 90s I started home brewing on my mom's kitchen stove and just found it to be a very interesting process," he said.
From there he was hooked.
To immerse himself more in the environment, he traveled to Montana to work at Lightning Boy Brewery. After long, tiring days Schoneman was still enthralled with the process.
"Those days were crazy long days out there, just a tremendous amount of work, and I still loved it after that. So, that's when I knew I wanted to own my own brewery someday as well," he said.
Schoneman felt along with experience, education was equally as important. So, after working at an Oregon brewery for four years he attended the Siebel Institute's International Diploma Course. He traveled to Chicago and Munich, Germany tasting, making and learning beer.
In the time that passed from Oregon and the Siebel Institute, Schoneman and his wife welcomed a daughter and moved back to the Midwest.
Then in 2011, ten years after first discussing his dream of opening a brewery, he opened Steel Toe Brewing in St. Louis Park.
The brewery that had big dreams of staying small.
"When we started, really what it came down to was that I really enjoy the process of making beer. I wanted to continue to do that instead of turning into a manager of people," Schoneman said. "What I really love is just the physical manufacturing part of this job. And the beer."
Steel Toe Brewing
Follow them: on Twitter @SteelToeBrewing, Facebook at Steel Toe Brewing or visit their website Steel Toe Brewing.
Owner & Head Brewer: Jason Schoneman
Location: 4848 W. 35th Street, St. Louis Park
Hours: Taproom: Wednesday & Thursday – 3 – 8 p.m. Friday 3 – 10 p.m. and Saturday 12 – 10 p.m
Contact: 952-955-9965
So after moving out west and working in Montana and Oregon, then traveling to Munich, what made you come back to Minnesota to open Steel Toe?
Schoneman: There were really just a few breweries here at the time, and we have family up here. My wife's sister lives here, and her parents. We used to come up here in high school…and in college. What really brought us back in 2009, we moved back in 2009, was we had a daughter. So, [we moved] in order to be closer to family [and] to raise her. It's also the right place and the right population, still kind of a young market.
Why did you choose St. Louis Park as the home for your brewery?
Schoneman: We live in St. Louis Park. I actually looked all over the metro. My first choice was actually St. Paul because the city softens the water so it's easier to brew with. But this was the first place I looked at. I probably looked at 30 other buildings and came back to this one. It's just home. It's our neighborhood. We want to be part of the neighborhood.
You mentioned that part of the reason you came to the Twin Cities was the population. What do you think it is about Minnesota that is attracting all these breweries and fostering this booming movement?
Schoneman: I think why it's so strong here now is because the laws have changed to really allow for it. The taproom bill, once it passed, finally made it viable. You could finally have a brewery and maybe make a few dollars without getting too large in size. Also, I think it's still kind of this newness of bold flavors. I think that's what people are looking for here. And you can get those from breweries that are out of state, but it's still kind of a new thing. That's where Minnesota can continue to grow. Oregon has been there for 20 years or more, that's where Minnesota has a lot of potential.
With the influx of breweries opening in the Twin Cities, how do you differentiate yourself?
Schoneman: I think it's just this consistency that we have. And there are others that have it for sure, but for our scale we are one of the most consistent. And just that super clean, well attenuated beer. I take great pride in consistency and I think we have it. We got it down pretty good.
So, why don't we talk a little bit about those beers!
*Listen below to hear Schoneman talk about the beers currently on tap.
Tell me, what would you offer someone who says they don't like beer?
Schoneman: Usually when I find people that don't like beer it's usually the hops, the bitterness, in the beer that they don't like. So, I'd have them start with what's on tap right now – Provider. And probably Wee-Heavy. Wee-Heavy has kind of this caramel, toffee, vanilla flavor. Very low bitterness, really no hop flavor or aroma. So, almost everybody that tries that really likes it. Provider does have some bitterness but it is the least bitter of all our year-round beers. It's light in color and just a really approachable beer but still has a lot of flavor, so it's more interesting than just the American light lager.
Absolutely. Always good to start with an approachable beer that still packs a punch of flavor. How about for those who deem themselves to be very knowledgeable in beer? What would you serve them?
Size 7. It's really good. I don't just say that because we make it, it is a really good IPA. We do some barrel aged beers [I would serve them.] We have an English Style Barleywine that's aged in whiskey barrels called Lunker. We also have a black barleywine. It's somewhere between a barleywine and an imperial stout that's aged in whiskey barrels. So, those are really complex, strong beers that age and change over time that I think beer snobs could really appreciate.
What is the most popular beer you sell?
Schoneman: Size 7. IPAs all the way.
No surprise there! What is your favorite beer?
Schoneman: Right now, probably the Wee-Heavy. In the world of IPAs it is kind of the opposite thing. It's just this really simple, malty beer. And I find that simplicity just to be really refreshing. It's just one of those things that it's just the little nuances that you find that keep it really interesting. I do drink a lot of Provider though. If it's based on how much beer I drink, definitely Provider. [laughs]
How about awards? What is your most awarded beer?
Schoneman: I think it would be Wee-Heavy with the two golds last year.* But we've won medals at the North American Beer awards; Lunker has done really well. We've only been entering competitions a couple years now, and we've been doing really well. So it's exciting.
*Wee-Heavy won the gold medal at the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival in 2014.
After spending all that time in Germany, how did that affect your flavors? Your brewing?
Schoneman: I think [it affected it in] just how clean and consistent [they are.] And when I say clean, just these flavors that come from malt and hops and not quite so much from yeast. We try to keep the yeast flavors to a minimum in our beer.
So, where did the name 'Steel Toe' come from?
I've worn steel toed boats most of my adult working life. Up until I went to work for Lightening Boy, I'd been wearing steel toed boots. What it really represents is hard work and the rewards that hopefully go along with it.
For those that have never been to your brewery, how would you describe it in one word?
Schoneman: Family. Right now there are five employees, it's a family owned business and we see the same people over and over again in the taproom. We know a lot of our retailers and whole-sale customers really well, so it feels like this cool group of people that are all pushing and rooting for Steel Toe to succeed. It's really cool.