E-Malt.com News article: USA, MN: Shakopee Brew Hall’s two owners looking to open it in 2017

When two good friends spend most of their Saturdays together brewing beer in a garage for five years, some wild ideas are bound to pop up. For Ryan Lindquist and Damon Schuler of Shakopee, one of those ideas will be coming to life in 2017 when they open a craft brew hall in downtown Shakopee, SW News Media reported on December 17.

“I don’t want to abuse the word, but we’ve had a passion for brewing beer for a while,” said Lindquist. “We’ve always had a business plan; we’ve always had a vision.”

In fact, that vision began brewing right along with their first batch of beer.

“We did a couples weekend to Stillwater [with our wives], and we did a winery tour and a couple of breweries, too,” explained Schuler. “I was not happy in the job I was at. Both of us were like, ‘Gosh, we could do this.’ I think a month later we were buying our first home brew kit and brewing in my garage. That was five years ago.”

Schuler’s background in accounting and matter-of-fact way of approaching problems combined with Lindquist’s creativity and sparkplug personality make the pair a bit of an odd couple, but they know that.

“I never had an idea of how I could start my own business. I’m not an idea guy because I’m not necessarily creative — I’m an accountant,” Schuler explained. “Our skills offset perfectly enough that we make a good team. He’s got the creativity. I just want to have the passion of starting a business, and I love beer.”

Schuler and Lindquist love beer so much, they even love the smell of brew day, which Schuler jokes is not as appreciated by his kids.

“When it turns to sugar it just smells so awesome,” said Lindquist.

“I never saw myself as a chemist before, but I like watching how it’s made, going through that brewery process, and brew day when you put that grain in that hot water — it’s the best smell,” said Schuler.

Their first couple brews were iffy at best, they said, but as they tinkered with things, read books and even did some brew schooling, the process started coming together. Eventually, the two became confident in their newly cultivated skills.

“We actually still have at least five or six of the very first beer [bottles] we brewed in my basement,” said Lindquist. “It took us two or three batches until we realized we were doing something wildly wrong, but we corrected. We are extremely confident in providing good beer on a regular basis to the folks of Shakopee.”

The pair was in a holding pattern with their brew hall plans for quite some time until fate played into their hands recently. A building at 126 First Ave. E., nestled between Turtle’s Bar and Grill and Arnie’s downtown became available for rent. Lindquist and Schuler knew they had to jump on the opportunity to be centrally located.

“Things were just stagnant, until a few things happened simultaneously, including the [building for rent] and the head brewer being interested,” he explained.

“I think the downtown piece of Shakopee is beautiful,” said Lindquist. “It’s just a treat, the opportunity to be wedged in a downtown strip like this. I couldn’t be more happy to assist and see a community grow and be a part of it.”

As it stands, Lindquist and Schuler have quite the to-do list to complete before the Shakopee Brew Hall will open, but they are ticking items off with high hopes of opening in spring or summer next year.

They recently began the licensure process with the city and state, and they are also ensuring the building is up to code before they begin the design process. Lindquist and Schuler already own a seven-barrel brewery system that is being kept in storage until they need it.

Once the inside of the building is complete, the pair hopes to have capacity for about 75 people. While the brew hall itself won’t serve food, Lindquist said they are hoping to eventually host food trucks, and they will likely allow patrons to bring in food from Turtle’s next door.

“We’re envisioning an opportunity for live music and having that ability to have regular live stuff. That would make me feel good,” said Lindquist. “We are going to have more of an open environment for people to get together and hang out, come and go with growlers and taste our beers.”

Although Lindquist and Schuler have a love for brewing their own beer, they do plan to bring in a head brewer with eight years of industry experience who will brew the recipes they’ve perfected over the last five years in Schuler’s garage.

“We will have our flagships and some rotating ones. We want to stay current with the seasons,” said Lindquist.

They also want to pay homage to a brewery that existed in Shakopee many decades ago — the Shakopee Brewery. The Shakopee Brewery was founded in 1856, and its remains still stand along the Minnesota Valley state recreation area trail near Nyssen’s Lake between Shakopee and Chaska.

“I’m a nostalgia guy. There’s hundreds, if not thousands, of beer styles out there that exist. While the styles and palates of beer drinkers has changed over the years, loosely the science of brewing beer has not,” Lindquist said. “I want to do something that recognizes the past.”

“What would be a super hit is to get a recipe from the old brewery,” added Schuler.

Whether they’re brewing up a historic recipe or something totally new, Lindquist and Schuler just want to create beers that will tickle all varieties of palettes.

“I can buy a case of Pabst and throw it back with the best of them, but I love having those conversations with people getting them to try something new,” said Lindquist. “There’s nothing I like better than to strike up a conversation with a stranger, and I think that’s something that could happen at a place like Shakopee Brew Hall. People coming down the street, taking a load off from Rahr, or heading home from their day job.”


18 December, 2016