Tap Talk: Red Wing Brewery Carries On City's Brewing Tradition
Over the last five or so 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. This week, we're featuring Red Wing Brewery.
For 60 years, the city of Red Wing was void of breweries. That is, however, until Red Wing Brewery Company picked up the reins of the city's past and brought brewing into its present.
The whole concept began coalescing when co-founders William Norman (aka "Norm") and Scott Kolby began home brewing together during the winter of 2000.
After years of researching the city's brewing history, refining their professional brewing chops and writing a business plan, the brewery opened for business on Dec. 6, 2012 – "and the city regained a lost tradition."
The brewery itself specializes in small batches of beers, about six to seven barrels of beer per week. And the beer is only sold on location, so it's about as fresh as it can be.
In addition to offering beer of its own design, Red Wing Brewery has also brought back some old recipes from the past, too. For one example, the brewery offers (seasonally) Cokins Red Wing Beer, which is an authentic German beer and "one of the first beers produced by the Red Wing Brewing Company after the repeal of Prohibition."
Their original craft beers give an ode to history, too, with names and styles inspired by historical landmarks and figures.
Related: Red Wing's Historical Beers | Their Original Craft Beers
And there's more than just beer. Technically, Red Wing Brewing is a brewpub, meaning it has food, too.
"Minnesota state law defines us as a 'brewpub,' so in addition to our own beer, we also serve house-made pizzas and calzones with dough from our local bakery. We also serve local wines and our own root beer so that everyone in the family, including kids, can feel welcome," Kolby said.
For more on the brewery, check out the interview with Scott Kolby below!
INTERVIEW
Firstly, what's it like being the first Red Wing brewery to open its doors in 60 years? That's gotta be something special, but challenging, right?
I think it would have been much more of a challenge to open 10 years earlier, before craft beer had really taken off. By 2012, even though we were the first brewery in 60 years to operate in Red Wing, people here were becoming familiar with the growing craft beer scene and were very excited to see it happening locally. In turn, that made us very excited to revive the beer-making tradition in our city.
How did you decide on your location? How long did it take to get everything up and running?
Because Red Wing has such a strong passion for its history, it seemed to be a great place to bring back yet another of the city's early industries – brewing. We settled on our present building because of its proximity to the highway, the marina, and the location of the original Red Wing Brewery. It was also cheaper to purchase our building than to rent another elsewhere in town. After closing on the property, we opened in just under 12 months, which is pretty good considering the drastic changes that were needed to convert the property into a brewery.
I see you have a fairly small brewhouse – how do you keep up with demand? Are there certain barrels that only hold the same beer?
We based the size of our brewhouse on what was already working for breweries in similarly-sized cities to Red Wing. So far, it has been a good fit for us, although we definitely can see that a future expansion will be necessary. We utilize all of our tanks for all of our beers, although we brew some styles – such as the historical Remmler's Royal Brew recipe from 1896 – more frequently than others.
What's your philosophy behind your beers?
Our beer brands are meant to bring a variety of styles to the Red Wing beer scene while promoting unique aspects of the city's heritage.
What kinds of beer do you enjoy brewing?
We enjoy brewing all beer, which is why we are in this industry. Consequently, we enjoy introducing people to the full range of beer styles that exists beyond the often requested "lightest beers" and IPA's.
Simply put: Why beer?
Perhaps the most exciting facet of craft beer are the people who are enjoying it. It's extremely rewarding to be able to create a product that brings people together socially and that helps them to step back from life and relax for a while.
How does the Kolby/Norman business relationship work? Do you both brew? Are there different things/aspects of the business you both focus on?
"Norm" and I have been friends and co-workers for many years and trust each other to the fullest. Norm taught me how to make homebrew, and before the brewery opened, we used to brew together. Now, I help in the brewhouse when I can, but Norm has pretty much taken over the brewing side of the business, which has allowed me to take on the office functions and the financials. We also jump into all of the other daily operations as needed. You tend to wear a lot of hats in this line of work.
What are your thoughts on the state of craft beer in Minnesota?
Minnesota laws have seen a number of recent changes regarding craft beer, and I think this is healthy if the state wants to enjoy the benefits of this thriving industry. For us in Red Wing, the passage of Sunday growler sales earlier in 2015 was a huge boost to our weekly revenue and has allowed us to further invest in our staff and our equipment. Can state laws continue to evolve? I believe so, but Minnesota is definitely on a good course.
Lastly, what's the future have in store for Red Wing Brewery?
There is a business adage that states, "stay as small as you can as long as you can." Right now, we are trying to enjoy who we are as we continue to become established, although we are already sometimes feeling a bit stretched at the seams. Growth will be inevitable, but we also don't want to jeopardize the good things that we currently have going for us. People come to the Red Wing Brewery for good beer, good food, and good company in a cozy environment, and all of these will remain paramount during any future phases of expansion.
