E-Malt.com News article: USA, MN: Gull Dam Brewing to open in autumn

In April, Mark and Barb Anderson signed the papers closing on the former Werneke Water Wheel Center property. After taking ownership, anticipation was for a June opening day, Barinerd Dispatch reported on August, 31.

The aggressive construction schedule proved to be overly optimistic. By early August, building renovations were still taking shape. An opening day is anticipated in early autumn.

The Gull Dam name and logo is in place on the taproom floor and the massive stainless steel tanks dominate what was an empty room in April.

The tanks can handle 80 kegs of beer or 40 barrels. Gull Dam Brewing has the capacity to brew four different varieties at a time, perhaps a stout with vanilla bean, or an amber wheat or Empire hops working to make a rich pale ale. Computerized control boxes monitor the temperatures from a hot side to a cold side.

Head brewer Luke Steadman wants to do a craft lager that is cask conditioned, aged in a keg and naturally carbonated.

"Dabbling in both covers a full perspective," Steadman said. And it allows for more creativity in developing a new beer to taste test before it is produced on an even larger scale.

Seating and high-top tables will place customers 5 feet from fermentation tanks where beer is in the making.

"By the end of it you'll feel you are part of the brewing process," Steadman said. "We aren't hiding behind the glass. You are part of it."

To that end, Gull Dam Brewing staff will be available to answer questions and show customers behind the virtual curtain.

On the brewery's hot side, where the batch spends 8 to 12 hours, a wooden paddle is used to mash and stir the mix.

"Essentially, you are trying to canoe through oatmeal," Steadman said. Through the process, there are opportunities to be creative by adding Indian corn, squash, roasted chestnuts, Clif Bars, maple syrup, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, or maybe orange peels.

A heat exchanger takes the heat from about 212 degrees on the hot side of the brewery to the 70 degrees in the fermentation tanks on the other side of the room. The batch will remain in the fermentation tanks for 10 to 21 days. On the cold side there is still an opportunity to add a level of flavor, perhaps honey or vanilla beans.

"There is always room to make a better beer," Steadman said.

Even when the batch didn't turn out the way Steadman expected, such as a raspberry wheat that soured, he said there were sour beer lovers who went crazy for it. Early in his career, Steadman collaborated to make a Smorgasbeer using a complex recipe and a host of ingredients. It had an amazing flavor. But no one wrote down everything in the mix that included Clif Bars, sweet corn and honey.

"I'm well-documented now," Steadman said.

Owner Mark Anderson, a pilot and state legislator from Lake Shore, said they were waiting for a state inspector before they could start brewing beer.

For Anderson it was amazing to see the tanks now filling what was empty space equivalent to a basketball court.

"We're close," Anderson said of opening, adding they are all anxious to get started. "Oh gosh, this is going to be too much fun."

For Lehmann, a key ingredient is bringing customers into the process so they feel part of the brewery. "We want this to be a fun environment," Lehmann said. "We want everyone to feel they are welcome. We want to be here for awhile. We want to keep growing with the community.

"There will always be something changing here - that will really be the exciting part."


03 September, 2014