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Bad Weather always planned for its own facility, it just took a few years to get there. After opening in a shared building with North Loop and Badger Hill Brewing, it moved across the metro from a Minnetonka production facility into a St. Paul taproom in the fast-growing West 7th neighborhood last October. However, all bottled beer has still been produced in Minnetonka until later this month when the first Bad Weather cans hit shelves across the Twin Cities.
Cans will replace bottles, with spring seasonal Migration blonde ale being the last bottled Bad Weather beer. The brewery previous brewed only Windvane year round along with their seasonal line-up. They are excited to expand the product line to three year round offerings and a seasonal, giving them four packaged beers at all times. Windvane red IPA will continue year round, joined by Hopcromancer IPA and Sun Pillar Belgian Blonde. The first season to appear in cans is summer’s Firefly rye pale ale.
“We’re still in our Migration season,” says co-owner Joe Giambruno. “We’re aiming mid-June and Firefly season to get the first cans out,” hoping for little overlap between the two container types on shelves so they can minimize customer confusion.
Cans have long been the preference, he adds, noting the ability to block sunlight and easier portability. “There’s no difference flavor-wise,” he says, explaining, “It’s much better for us on things that affect the age of the beer.”
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Inside the West 7th taproom. Photo courtesy Bad Weather Brewing Co.
Upon opening the taproom last fall the brewery introduced several new beers and there’s been interest from both brewers and customers to increase their packaged offerings. Now settled into the new space, Bad Weather is ramping up in-house production on beers to make all the beer in St. Paul and can onsite with a local mobile packaging company. “People get a better idea of what we’re put out there,” says Zac Carpenter. “It’s now reflecting the taproom a little more. In Minnetonka it was a great way to start but you couldn’t put out as much beer. With the taproom we’re able to flex our muscles a bit, try different styles.”
The ultimate goal, Carpenter adds, is to grow distribution. The taproom is Bad Weather’s anchor point, Carpenter says, but the way to reach the most customers is to have the beer available in more markets. Bad Weather beer is currently sold across the metro area as well as the St. Cloud and Rochester areas.
They may continue to release their Storm Cellar beers in wax tipped bottles depending on beer style.
- The Year in Beer: 2015 [EMPLS]
