USA, ND: Black Paws Brewing already open in Devils Lake

Black Paws Brewing, the first craft brewery in Devils Lake, opened quietly on Friday, July 8. Owner Jeb Oehlke opened the downtown brewery with a goal of bringing something new to Devils Lake, but not just new types of beer, Yahoo News reported on July 20.

"It's a place that's different from any other place," he said. "Just the atmosphere in the building when you come in and sit down — it's just a place that's really comfortable and relaxing to be."

After a busy opening weekend, Oehlke eased into business with a variety of craft beers from regional breweries and familiar flavors like Coors Light while his first round of in-house brews finished brewing and waited to be kegged.

Eventually, he hopes to fill 14 of his 24 taps with his own beer. The first will be his house signature, the "Black Paws Alt," which he describes as a traditional German-style altbier.

Non-alcoholic beverage options include pour-over coffee and Italian sodas. In the future, he plans to make his own syrups for craft sodas like root beer, cream soda and ginger beer.

For food, Oehlke is still working on securing kitchen equipment, so starting out, the menu is limited to frozen pizzas, but he hopes to add options like panini sandwiches, fresh flatbread pizzas and soft pretzels.

Prior to opening the brewery, Oehlke ran a law practice in Devils Lake.

"I knew I didn't want to practice law forever, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do," he said.

He had been home-brewing since 2010, and had considered starting a brewery with some friends in Bismarck, but plans never materialized. He decided to take the leap himself, closing his law practice and taking a job serving at the Ranch Steakhouse in Devils Lake while building his brewery.

Construction on the brewery started in November 2019, and took longer than Oehlke had originally expected.

"I think it's worked out for the best," he said. "Maybe I could have gotten it opened in eight or nine months like I originally hoped but it certainly wouldn't be the beautiful space it is."

Most of the work was completed by Oehlke and his father, with the help of around 50 volunteers over more than two years of construction. Many furniture pieces in the building were made by Oehlke out of recycled materials, like tables made from the wood of bowling alley lanes and wine barrels for table bases. Oehlke says it adds to the unique look of the space and the materials were cheaper than buying new.

"I probably spent all that money in the time that we ended up putting in to refinish them, doing the epoxy and stuff, but I've got a brew house that you're just not going to find anything like it," he said.

The building is around 7,000 square feet, Oehlke says.

Black Paws Brewing Company's name and sign pay homage to a breed of dog beloved by the Oehlke family — the Newfoundland. Oehlke's father was one of the founding members of a local search and rescue team in Devils Lake, and got the family's first Newfoundland puppy when Oehlke was in high school because of the breed's search and rescue capabilities. Since then, Oehlke's parents have owned four more of the breed, and now Oehlke has his own.

"It's kind of a salute to that breed and all of the dogs we've had," he said.

The logo is based on a photo of his dog Wrigley, and outside the brewery is a statue of the same dog.

The soft opening on July 8 marked the start of business for Black Paws Brewing Company, and already it has some repeat customers. The Crane family, visiting Devils Lake from Colorado, were there for a second time on Wednesday, July 13, and planned to go once more before leaving town.

"Even we, living in Colorado, knew this place was coming and were looking forward to it," said John Crane III. "We're happy to have something that is new and fresh for the community."

21 July, 2022