USA, MN: Badger Hill Brewing Company opens in Shakopee

Award-winning Badger Hill Brewing Company will soon operate Shakopee’s first craft beer taproom, startribune.com reported on December, 16.

“We kind of wanted to do something a little bit different,” owner Brittany Krekelberg said.

It’s all part of an effort to open up the process to a city new to the craft beer scene. Patrons standing at the bar will be a few feet away from the brewing equipment. A mural, painted by a local artist, will show the steps of the brewing process.

Badger Hill is set for a soft opening around the holidays and a grand opening in January.

The brewery’s move to Shakopee feeds a larger vision for the city — one that includes restaurants and other nightlife. Though big business arrivals like Shutterfly and Emerson have garnered headlines, said Chamber of Commerce President Angie Whitcomb, the city is also home to a strong community of small businesses.

“I think people are realizing Shakopee is not as far away as most of the world thinks we are,” she said.

“I think people are looking for just a place to go,” Krekelberg said.

Brittany and her husband Broc co-run Badger Hill with Broc’s brother Brent and head brewer Michael Koppelman. Before there was a brewery to call their own, there was home brewing — something that continues to this day.

“Most brewers are home brewers in the past and the present,” said Koppelman, who recently developed Badger Hill’s Traitor IPA after first experimenting with the recipe at home.

Badger Hill offers six distinct beers — plus a limited series that includes seasonal offerings. All told, Krekelberg said, the brewery produces roughly 10,000 pints per day.

Before landing in Shakopee, Badger Hill shared space with Minnetonka’s Lucid Brewing, and still uses the bottling facilities there.

26 December, 2014