What’s Brewing Bergseth Bros.
Online Weekly Newsletter Vol.23
What a fantastic game – Congratulations to the Denver Broncos on their victory. I cherish the time spent with family and friends more than the game itself. Of course, I enjoyed all of the terrific food and the selection of beer.
North Dakota had a victory in the beer scene this past year too…..
Fargo Brewing Company won a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. The guys took home the first medal ever for the state of North Dakota with its Fargo Original Lager. Even better, Fargo Brewing Company invested in a larger lagering tank to support the demand for this product. What does this mean to all of us? A larger lagering tank translates into a lower price for the beer! (win/win)
Below is the original press release from September and a documentary showcasing Fargo Brewing Company
Fargo Brewing Company Wins Medal at the Great American Beer Festival®
Fargo, ND • September 28, 2015— Fargo Brewing Company claimed a bronze medal at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition. Presented by the Brewers Association, GABF is the largest national beer competition that recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. The top three winners in the competition’s 92 beer categories were announced September 26 at the Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.
Left to Right: Eric Barron, Zach Click and Sean Dunnigan of Fargo Brewing Company.
Pictured with Charlie Papazian, President of the Brewers Association (right)
“We are extremely honored and very proud to bring home North Dakota’s first medal. This is a testament to the hard work our team puts in every day,” said Chris Anderson, Brewmaster and Co-Founder of Fargo Brewing Company.
Fargo Brewing Company was recognized in the Kellerbier or Zwickelbier beer-style category for its Fargo Original Lager, a light, crisp, traditional German style lager. The 2015 GABF competition winners were selected by an international panel of 242 expert judges from the record number of 6,647 entries, plus 91 Pro-Am entries, received from 1,552 U.S. breweries. Fargo Brewing plans to release Fargo Original as a year-round offering in the near future.
“American brewers continue to create innovative, flavorful high quality beers. That was on full display at this year’s Great American Beer Festival,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Great American Beer Festival. “The Great American Beer Festival continues to showcase the best this country’s brewers have to offer, with the competition growing and becoming ever more competitive. Congratulations to all participants and especially this year’s winners.”
Fargo Brewing Company is North Dakota’s largest brewery and was founded in 2010 by friends Chris Anderson, Jared Hardy, John Anderson and Aaron Hill. Fargo Brewing currently distributes beers throughout all of North Dakota, Minnesota, and portions of South Dakota and Wisconsin.
For more GABF competition information, including the 2015 winners list and photos, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.
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Watch “Now on Tap: The Story of The Fargo Brewing Company” on YouTube
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CHEERS!
What’s Brewing Bergseth Bros.
Weekly Online Newsletter Vol.22
A few weeks ago we had the pleasure to hook up with the guys from Fulton Brewery to recap last year and plan this year. Fulton Brewery has been a favorite among many locals in our territory. Minneapolis is no different; Fulton Brewery is seeing explosive growth in their hometown. Below is the story of Fulton Brewery told by the guys who started it all; Ryan, Jim, Brian & Peter.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SUDS
When we founded Fulton in 2009, we were homebrewing out of a South Minneapolis garage and contract brewing at a small Wisconsin brewery. Our dream was to build a real Minneapolis brewery of our own in the next 5-10 years, and quit our day jobs along the way. We never guessed we’d build two Minneapolis breweries in three years. Looks like being wrong can sometimes be awesome
LIKE MOST GREAT THINGS, IT STARTED IN A GARAGE
We started homebrewing 10 gallons at time in a one car garage in South Minneapolis in 2006. We had no intentions of starting a business at that time, but later found out we had accidentally put together a team that might be capable of managing a startup. Jim had the big ideas, Peter built the equipment, Ryan dreamed up recipes and Brian drank the beer. Before long we had to move from Jim’s one car garage to Peter’s two car garage in the Fulton neighborhood. Little did we know, this wouldn’t be our last expansion.
By 2009, we were getting pretty good at homebrewing, and our family & friends seemed to love our beer (we were giving them free beer, so maybe they weren’t the most unbiased focus group.) We had a few recipes that we all loved. One was an IPA we called Sweet Child of Vine. Another was a subtle but complex blonde ale called The Lonely Blonde. And everybody seemed to love the two imperials we were working on: an imperial red ale called The Libertine and a big stout called Worthy Adversary.
We had the beers, but we were in far from the ideal position to start a company. Ryan was in the middle of graduate school, Brian was getting ready to get married, Jim was studying for the bar exam, and Peter was expecting his first child. None of us had any money to put towards a brewery, nor had any of us run a business before. We had no industry ties or experience. But we did have passion, so we decided to forge ahead anyway.
We couldn’t afford to build our own brewery, so we started calling other local breweries to see if they could spare any brewing capacity. There weren’t very many Minnesota breweries at the time, and none of them had excess capacity, but then we came across Sand Creek Brewing Co. A couple hours east into Wisconsin on I-94, Sand Creek had capacity for contracting and—crucially—allowed us to do the brewing. We were able to apprentice with an experienced brewmaster, learn the basics of operating a production plant, build distribution, and generate some revenue. We sold our first pint of Sweet Child of Vine on October 28, 2009.
THE HOUSE THAT BEER BUILT
Things happened fast. Less than a year later, we were in over 100 bars in the Twin Cities, and we had signed a lease for a brewery of our own in downtown Minneapolis. As we were drawing our layout and waiting for equipment to arrive, Minnesota passed a key piece of legislation enabling packaging breweries to operate taprooms. We quickly redrew our plans and ordered bar equipment. We started brewing and selling growlers in the fall of 2011, and by the following March, we opened Minneapolis’ first taproom.
Photo Courtesy of (Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)
Before we knew it, we were three years in. We were having a blast, growing like crazy, and…still waiting for our first paychecks. It was starting to feel like a very expensive and time-consuming hobby. But the opening of the taproom helped us grow to the point where we could quit our day jobs. At about the same time, we hired our first employee, Mike Salo, who became our head brewer, and eventually, a part-owner.
The downtown brewery was full before we knew it. The taproom took up half the building, we were brewing around the clock on our 20 barrel brewhouse, and we were adding tank after tank to keep enough beer flowing just to satisfy the Twin Cities market. Meanwhile, since the taproom took up so much space, we didn’t have room for a packaging line, so we were still contract brewing in Wisconsin for our bottled beer. By January of 2013, the four of us had decided we needed to build another brewery.
Press Play to watch “Fulton Brewery 2015 Year in Review”
THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING BIGGER
On September 1st, 2013 – three years to the day after we entered our first lease for the downtown brewery—we got the keys to a 51,000 square foot building in NE Minneapolis. It was kind of like the brewery version of a “forever house” – the place we were going to move into for good. The NE brewery has 8 times the square footage of our downtown location, and we get to brew on an 80 barrel brewhouse. The NE brewery does not have a taproom, but our offices, warehousing, and QC/QA laboratory are all located here. Today, the vast majority of Fulton beer – in kegs, bottles, and cans – comes from the NE brewery. In addition to housing the taproom, the downtown brewery has evolved into our laboratory for smaller batch and experimental brewing, including collaborations, taproom exclusives, and barrel aging
Year-Round Brands
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CHEERS!
What’s Brewing Bergseth Bros.
Weekly Online Newsletter Vol.21
Nebraska’s Oldest and Largest Craft Brewery
I was first introduced to Ben Matya and Empyrean Brewing Company in my former career. Currently, I have the delight of representing the brand at Bergseth Bros. If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Ben in person, it does not take long to notice his passion and commitment to quality, integrity, and making the best craft beer possible in Nebraska. This quality stands out in their year-round brands and seasonal offerings, as well as, their Carpe Brewem series.
My personal favorites are two year-round offerings, Dark Side Vanilla Porter and Imperial Mango IPA. If you get an opportunity, try their limited release Peanut Butter Porter or Rye IPA. Both are incredible examples of their passion and commitment to the craft industry.
Lift a pint of Empyrean Brewery to celebrate their 25th Anniversary!
It began with a dream that we could brew full-flavored beer in the great state of Nebraska. In late 1990, that dream became our state’s first brewpub, Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill. Since then demand for our beer has grown, so we expanded our pub and Empyrean Brewing Company was born. Today we still dream big, even while we handcraft our beers in small, flavor–filled batches. So enjoy an Empyrean beer— the taste of dreams come true.
Press the Play Button to watch “The Taste of Dreams Come True”
All of Empyrean beers are presented in the most natural state possible.
Unfiltered. Unpasteurized. Uncompromised.
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CHEERS!
What’s Brewing Bergseth Bros.
Weekly Online Newsletter Vol.20
Brrrrrrrrrrr – It’s cold outside!
Its perfect timing with the cold snap we’re experiencing outside but -25°F is way too extreme for my liking. The “Cold Snap” I prefer is from Samuel Adams and, hopefully, this beer will help ease that cold feeling too.
Samuel Adams Cold Snap
Style Profile
Stirring from the haze of winter, this refreshing unfiltered White Ale awakens its smooth wheat with the bright snap of spring spices. From the subtle sweetness of orange peel and plum to the peppery bite of fresh ground coriander, the blend of spices creates just the right refreshing kick to signal that spring is on its way.
Style White Ale
Malt Varieties Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend and malted wheat
Hop Varieties Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops
Special Ingredients A blend of exotic fruits and spices including, orange peel, plum, and fresh ground coriander
IBUs 10
Color Golden, hazy / 6 SRM
Alcohol 5.3% ABV / 4.2% ABW
Yeast Strain Samuel Adams ale yeast
First Brewed 2014
Availability January – March
Click on the Play Button Below to watch the Video
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CHEERS!
What’s Brewing Bergseth Bros.
Weekly Online Newsletter Vol.19
Think Local, Support Local & Drink Local!
Now Available in Bergseth Bros. Full Territory
NEW – Opening Act – Session IPA: 4.5% ABV – 43 IBUs
Light but full of flavor, Opening Act is a low alcohol India Pale Ale. Brewed with North Dakota grown 2-row malted barley, Crystal malt and a generous helping of Northwestern grown hops, Opening Act is a great place to start your night.
NEW – Freak Show – English Strong Ale: 7.5% ABV – 38 IBUs
Deep red… full of roasted barley flavor, Freak Show is an English Style Strong Ale brewed with North Dakota grown 2-row malted barley, roasted barley, crystal malt and some English grown hops to balance this Freak Show out. Step right up and see the show, it will surely please you…
NEW – Train Wreck – India Pale Ale: 6.5% ABV – 69 IBUs
Distinctly hoppy, Train Wreck India Pale Ale will entertain your taste buds with floral, citrus, piney, dank flavors. Brewed with North Dakota grown 2-row malted barley, Crystal malt and a healthy helping of Cascade and Centennial hops. Hold on to your pints, this beer is off the rails!
Iconic Blonde Ale: 4.8% ABV – 16 IBUs
Easy drinking and approachable, The American blonde ale is brewed with North Dakota grown 2-Row malted barley a touch of Honey Malt and the finest Pilsner Malt accompanied with a small dose of American grown hops produces a clean, light, well-balanced thirst quenching beer. I’ll take another please.
Doc’s Orders American Wheat Ale: 5.0% ABV – 20 IBUs
Light but cloudy, this unfiltered American wheat is the perfect cure for what ales you. Brewed with North Dakota grown 2-Row malted barley, malted white wheat, crystal malt and a splash of American grown hops. This beer will have you reaching for another dose.
Illusion American Amber Ale: 5.5% ABV – 25 IBUs
Citrusy with a hint of malt, This American Amber ale is a well-balanced, medium bodied beer. Brewed with North Dakota grown 2-row malted barley, Munich malt, Crystal malt and finished off with a simple helping of Pacific Northwest Hops. We are confident this will not be the last time you reach for our Amber ale.
Invincible American Pale ale: 5.5% ABV – 32 IBUs
Pale in color and refreshingly hoppy, this Pale Ale is a perfect balance of malt and hops. Brewed with North Dakota grown 2-row malted barley, ESB malt, Munich malt, Crystal malt and topped off with a pronounced quantity of Pacific Northwest Hops. Floral, citrus and tropical tones of grapefruit will leave you with an aromatic experience.
Encore India Pale Ale: 6.5% ABV – 60 IBUs
Decidedly hoppy and bitter, this India Pale Ale will cloak your pallet with citrus, floral, and piney flavors. Brewed with North Dakota grown 2-row malted barley, Crystal malt and crowned with a distinct quantity of Pacific Northwest Hops.
Into the Darkness Porter: 4.8% ABV – 30 IBUs / Also available on Nitro*
Dark and mysterious, this Porter creates a smooth blend of dark malts to bring out chocolate and coffee notes to your fancy. Brewed with North Dakota grown 2-row malted barley, Crystal malt, German Chocolate Malt, a touch of flaked barley with a liberal helping of American grown hops to round it off. Travel into the Darkness…
The Rhombus Guys are, left to right, Arron Hendricks, Chad Gunderson, Matt Winjum
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CHEERS!