Big Wood Brewery

Last updated
Big Wood Brewery
Private
IndustryBrewery
Headquarters
White Bear Lake, Minnesota
,
United States
ProductsCraft beer
OwnersJason Medvec
Website bigwoodbrewery.com/Big_Wood_Brewery/Minnesota_Craft_Beer___www.bigwoodbrewery___HOME.html

Big Wood Brewery is a brewery and taproom located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The company began in some empty warehouse space in Vadnais Heights in 2009, before moving into their newly built brewery in 2012.

White Bear Lake, Minnesota City in Minnesota, United States

White Bear Lake is a city in Ramsey County in the state of Minnesota. A small portion of the city also extends into Washington County. The population was 23,769 at the 2010 census. The city is located on White Bear Lake, one of the largest lakes in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

History

In 2009, Steve Merila began to brew beer in some of the empty warehouse space which his wood flooring distribution business was not using. The original intent was to serve the beer at wood flooring seminars Merila held. Additionally, he began to offer beer to customers at his store. There was a bookshelf in his office which rotated out of the wall, revealing a small lounge with a couch and a bar. Jason Medvec joined Merila during Minnesota's "Winterfest" in February 2011. [1] [2] As the beer began to develop a following, it was decided to start their own brewery, called Big Wood Brewery due to their history in the wood flooring industry. Slightly later in 2011, they hired their first professional brewer, Ty McBee. Their first official beer was a stout, "Morning Wood", which won "best beer" at the regional Autumn Beer Review (which it won again in 2012). Their two biggest sellers are "Jack Savage" (an American Pale Ale) and "Bad Axe" (a seasonal Imperial IPA). [3] Other beers include "Wicked Ex" (another IPA), Weissenheimer" (a wheat ale), and "Bark Bite" (IPA). [3] [4] In 2012 the brewery was named "#1 Minnesota Brewery at the St. Paul Summer Beer Fest. [2] When they began looking for a location to expand their operations and move it out of the warehouse space, the decision was to move to White Bear Lake, where they would be the only local brewery. They selected a century old building in which to house their brewing operations, as well as open a taproom. [5]

India pale ale Pale ale beer with high hop content to improve its preservation

India pale ale (IPA) is a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale.

Wheat beer beer brewed in part with wheat

Wheat beer is a beer, usually top-fermented, which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are Weissbier, based on the German tradition, and Witbier, based on the Belgian tradition; minor types include Lambic, Berliner Weisse and Gose.

In 2013 Big Wood began to offer four of its products – Jack Savage, Morning Wood, Bark Bite, and Bad Axe - in 16 ounce aluminum cans, as a way to expand their market. [6] The brewery moved from its warehouse location to its current address in White Bear Lake at the beginning of 2013. [7] In February 2014, the brewery opened their taproom to the public, and along with dozens of other local breweries, they are part of a campaign by both Explore Minnesota (the Minnesota Department of Tourism) and the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild to promote, "brewcations", which highlight tours of those breweries. [8] The taproom was constructed using materials recovered from historic area buildings and barns, as well as from trees downed in storms. [9] In 2016 the brewery began a "Taproom Series" of craft beers, where they release a previously taproom-only beer every three months, in both bottles and kegs. The premier offering in the series was "FINE!", an IPA. [10]

In 2017, their "Chocolate Chip Cookie Beer" was selected as one of the craft beers to be served at the Minnesota State Fair. [11] The brewery's beers and ales can be found in bars and liquor stores throughout Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin. [12]

Minnesota State Fair state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota

The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance. It is also the second-largest state fair in the United States by total attendance, trailing only the State Fair of Texas, which generally runs twice as long as the Minnesota State Fair. The state fairgrounds, adjoining the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota, are in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, midway between the state's capital city of St. Paul and its largest city, Minneapolis, near the Como Park and Saint Anthony Park neighborhoods of Saint Paul. Residents of the state and region come to the fair to be entertained, exhibit their best livestock, show off their abilities in a variety of fields including art and cooking, learn about new products and services, and eat many different types of food—often on a stick. The fair runs for twelve days from late August into early September, ending on Labor Day. The Minnesota State Fair was named the best state fair in the United States in 2015 by readers of USA Today.

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References

  1. ↑ Andy Greder (September 2013). "Big Wood Brewing: Bringing Beer to White Bear Lake". White Bear Lake Magazine. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Big Wood Brewery and Wirtz Beverage Minnesota Announce Partnership". Brewbound. February 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Local Tap Talk:Big Wood Brewery". CBS News Minnesota. December 19, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ Steve Tanko (April 9, 2015). "Big Wood Brewery Delivers; A Review Of One Of Minnesota's New Craft Beers". KOOL 101.7. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ Kristine Goodrich (May 23, 2012). "Brewery wants to set up White Bear Lake taproom". White Bear Press. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ Kristen Cloud (April 9, 2015). "Big Wood Brewery Rolls Out Four Premium Craft Beers In Rexam Cans". The Shelby Report. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  7. ↑ Mark Reilly (September 6, 2012). "Taproom/breweries spread across suburbs". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  8. ↑ "A vacation with that beer, please". The Bulletin. November 2, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  9. ↑ Jess Fleming (January 28, 2014). "MN Big Wood Brewery taproom to open in White Bear Lake". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Big Wood Brewery's FINE! IPA is first bottle release in new 'Taproom Series'". The Growler. March 17, 2016. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  11. ↑ "MN State Fair announces specialty brews, drinks". Valley News Live. August 5, 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Big Wood Brewery's Taproom Opens Today". Eater. February 7, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
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