Guest Pass: LTD Brewing Company In Hopkins
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Over the last couple of years, the craft beer scene has exploded in Minnesota.
Now, it seems like there's a taproom on every corner.
One of those is LTD Brewing Company in Hopkins.
It's less than a year old, but the guys behind it have been making beer for over a decade.
Actually, Jeremy Hale and Blake Verdon have been brewing beer longer than they've been able to legally drink it.
"You could buy the ingredients," Hale said, "because it's just food until you ferment it and make it into beer."
They started brewing in their dorm rooms, while students at the University of Minnesota. They kept at it through graduation, but after school they ended up working more traditional jobs.
That is, until Verdon had an idea.
"We were down at a buddy's wedding, and Blake said, 'It'd be cool, if we started a brewery,' and I looked at him and I said, 'That's the worst idea I've ever heard.' And a couple days later, I was lying in bed, thinking, 'I'm kinda getting sick of riding a desk all day, a brewery would be an awesome option,'" he said.
And last June, they opened LTD Brewing, with constantly rotating taps. And a friendly sense of competition.
"We try and have a little bit of everything, the nice thing is we balance each other out," Hale said. "I make sure he doesn't get too hoppy. He makes sure I don't get too dark with the beers. So, it works pretty well."
And since the guys started brewing because they couldn't buy beer, they want their tap room to be as inclusive as possible.
"We make our own root beer, so we really want to foster the environment of a family-friendly atmosphere," Verdon said.
LTD's board games and Nintendo 64 surrounded by couches help to keep the atmosphere casual.
"It's not just a brewery for the craft beer, you know, enthusiast," Verdon said. "It's a brewery for the community."
What does LTD Brewing stand for? A couple of things.
First, it means "living the dream." It also stands for "limited," referring to the brewery's constantly rotating taps
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Next week's Guest Pass will take us to Golden Valley and I need ideas. You can send me a suggestion on Twitter @Matt_Brickman or email me at mbrickman@wcco.com.
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