Tap Talk: North Moorhead's Junkyard Brewing Company
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. For the next brewery, Tap Talk travels northwest to Moorhead's Junkyard Brewing Company.
Aaron Juhnke got his first taste of craft beer when attending a party in college. Directed by a group of senior members of an unofficial Rugby club he was in to bring beer to the party, Aaron chose Guinness to appear "cool." He went a step further by getting the Guinness Extra Stout.
"I ended up liking it quite a bit. So, after that I decided that I would have to figure out a way to get beer like that on a more regularly basis," Aaron said.
So, he began homebrewing.
Using a handful of ingredients and a few canning jars, he brewed his first batch and used the sound method to determine fermentation and carbonation. (I.e. he listened for pops against the lids of the cans.)
After trying his first brew his friends had a few name suggestions, one of which was Junkyard.
Aaron continued to hone his brewing skills throughout college. He even passed the hobby on to his younger brother, Dan.
Soon, graduation approached and he began to wonder if he could turn his hobby into a legitimate business.
"There were not really any other breweries in the Fargo-Moorhead area where we eventually opened for business. Plus, I didn't know very many other people who were really into craft beer so I figured there would be a ton of folks out there who would discover this huge spectrum of flavors and fall in love with beer too," Aaron said.
As with his hobby, Aaron passed his dream of owning a brewery onto his brother as well, and in 2012 they began the process of building the company.
They pooled their money and resources, found a space and equipment and in a year turned their dream into their own nano-brewery.
Now, four years later, the pair has gone from distributing kegs in 2013 to opening a taproom 2014 to adding more barrels and brews to their business.
Follow them: on Twitter at @JunkyardBrewing, on Facebook at Junkyard Brewing Company, or visit their website online.
Owners: Aaron Juhnke and Dan Juhnke
Brewer: Dan Juhnke
Location: 1416 1st Avenue North, Moorhead
Hours: Mondays - Thursdays: 4 – 10 p.m., Fridays: 4 p.m. – 12 a.m., Saturdays 12 p.m. – 12 a.m. and Sundays: 2 – 10 p.m.
Contact: 701-936-5545
On your website, you mention that the name for the brewery was conceived when your friends suggested names for your first brew – Junk's Trunk or Junkyard Brew. Can you tell me, were there any other names thrown around before deciding on "Junkyard?"
Aaron: Yes, there were a lot of other names tossed around. Most of them were pretty stupid and maybe some people think the name "Junkyard Brewing" is stupid too, but we thought that it was the perfect mix of what we were trying to achieve. The word has deep roots in American culture, and I think it generally reflects what we're all about. We are very DIY focused, and our brewing niche is very eclectic and scattered, like a junkyard.
It's definitely a name that could work against you, but hearing the explanation of how both are eclectic and rooted in American history it makes sense! So, how did you decide on North Moorhead for the location of the brewery?
Aaron: North Moorhead, or "NoMo," has a bit cheaper average rental rate than other parts of town, and it's got quite a few spaces that aren't being used. Moorhead also happens to have the best water around. Plus, the Moorhead business community is a bit more like a family than our neighboring city, where it is quite a bit more competitive and adversarial. I think that it is because Moorhead is kind of the "little brother" city to Fargo that the businesses here feel like they need to stick together. Since we started as the "little brother" version to virtually any other brewery out there, we fit right into Moorhead.
That's an interesting analogy as you opened the brewery with your little brother. Tell me, what does it mean to be able to open the brewery with your brother? How do you divide the responsibilities?
Aaron: We are both brewers. I actually taught Dan how to brew when he was still in high school. But his personality is far more perfection-oriented, so he is our brewmaster now. I like talking to people probably more than he does, so I manage the business and service side of our operation. I'm glad we eventually decided to split the roles like this, because initially we were both doing everything and arguing about everything at the same time.
I'm sure the explicit division makes things easier when it comes to decision making. So, lets dive into the beer. What do you currently have on tap?
Aaron: Our tap menu is constantly changing, but we post fresh versions of it on our Facebook page under the "menu" tab whenever we print new paper menus for the taproom.
So, with all the brews you have on tap now are any flagship beers? Does Junkyard have "flagship" brews?
Aaron: We do not technically have any flagship beers, but we do have quite a few that get hyped up more than the average. Our Peanut Butter Bandit, and it's big brother King Size, are probably among our most hyped up beers. We also have a handful of Imperial Stouts that people love, like Coal Miner's Daughter and Uncrushable, and our Free Candy which is a Belgian style quadruple. Also, we have a series of "Experimental Sour" beers that are very popular.
Sounds like there are a lot of options to choose from and more coming! So, as you near five years of business where do you hope Junkyard will be in the next five years?
Aaron: I want this business to be around forever, so we want to grow cautiously and set ourselves up with a diversity of revenue streams so that we increase the security of the business. Currently, we are doing about 95 percent of our business in the taproom alone, and we would like to diversify and expand into more wholesale through self-distribution. Mainly in cans, if we can make it work.
It seems like you really have set path that you intend to follow! I wish you luck with canning. Tell me, where do you hope to see the brewing scene in Moorhead and northern Minnesota go in the next five years?
Aaron: I hope that everyone will be making world-class beer in their own unique way. I think there will too many breweries in the future for us to all be overlapping and brewing the same things. I imagine that successful breweries in the future will either be more experimental or more firmly fit into a niche within the market.
It seems like that is the hope for many brewers across the state; that people continue to tweak and alter their styles so they are making the best beer they can. Tell me, aside from drinking it, what is your favorite thing about beer?
Aaron: I like the people who are into breweries and craft beer. They're honestly some of the best customers that any business could hope to have. I don't know what it is about us beer folks, but we're good people.
I'm sure you're customers are happy to hear you think so highly of them! So, finally, how would you describe Junkyard in one word?
Aaron: Fun
