Suburban Distillery Is Building a Swank New Cocktail Room Just in Time for Brandy Season

St. Louis Park-based The Dampfwerk Distillery will open a new cocktail room just in time for brandy sipping season later this fall. The distillery isn’t new, but up until now, fans have had to seek out the distinctive square bottles with the etched artwork at liquor stores. Before the end of 2019, a new space will be constructed that will embody the convivial drinking culture of German in the Minneapolis suburb.

Dampfwerk is the family-run distillery at 6311 Cambridge Street that’s built a reputation on fruit brandies, bucking the usual distillery trend of vodka/gin/whiskey/repeat. Co-founder Ralf Loeffelholz is German and is capable of espousing stories of region-specific brandies and their family legacies like sharing bedtime fairytales. His passion for coaxing flavors and sharing the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) seasonal flavors and spirits is evident in any conversation with him. What our area has lacked, until now, is a proper brandy-sipping culture.

The Dampfwerk Distillery [Official]

The new cocktail room will pour Dampfwerk’s products from the autumnal pear and apple brandies, to the bitter-laced rye, to bracing gin, and the Pfeffersack, which sips like Fernet. In addition to sipping the spirits on site, there will be bartenders with an array of proper cocktails. On the menu will be classic cocktails along with a serious focus on drinks made with the brandies.

The Dampfwerk Distillery [Official]

The cocktail room will be open Wednesdays through Sundays. On Sunday it will host a kaffeeklatch with German coffee, cakes, and brandy. Dampfwerk has been working with Honey & Rye Bakehouse on some German cakes, tortes, and pies.

Look for a late fall opening.

• Dampfwerk Distilling [WEB]
• Twin Cities Cocktail Heatmap [ETC]
• A Bakery Boom Sweeps Minneapolis [ETC]