Welcome back to a look at local beer in Minnesota. In March, you were given a brief history on craft beer and introduced to the basic recipe for beer. Now we’ll kick off our profile of local breweries and brewpubs with St. Paul-based Flat Earth Brewing Company.
Flat Earth, like many small breweries, is situated in a light industrial area, tucked out of sight just north of the Mississippi river, a short jaunt from busy 35E heading into St. Paul. Those familiar with the process of locating breweries of this size will attest to the, “am I really in the right place?” feeling that usually accompanies a first time visit. Rest assured, you are in the right place and once you get in the door, you’ll be rewarded for seeking them out with a warm welcome, clear pride in the product being produced, and during their tasting room hours, a glass to sample their products.
But before we get to what comes out of the brewery, let’s look at how they got started. Jeff and Cathie Williamson, owners of the brewery, moved to St. Paul shortly after getting married in 1997, primarily because they had a strong base of family and friends in the area. As many commercial brewers do, Jeff started out as a home brewer. He got to the point of producing good beers at home and spent some time working at the Minneapolis brewpub, Town Hall, prior to the decision he and Cathie made to open their own place. Besides looking for a change of pace from his career in teaching and a venue for going into business for himself, he and Cathie were interested in expanding the availability of locally produced craft beer.
The Willimasons searched for a site for their brewery in St. Paul, specifically because they were already regular participants in local events such as Winter Carnival and Saints baseball games. In addition, the rich brewing history of St. Paul was something they wanted to take part in reviving and expanding. The home of Flat Earth was the site that best met their needs of (1) being close to their home, (2) needing the least amount of renovation to become a brewery and (3) offering room for future expansion within the existing structure.
The brewery, which opened in 2007, puts forth a varied line up of beers with names that are meant to get people thinking and talking. Some, such as Black Helicopter Coffee Stout and Element 115, are inspired by the sci-fi/X-Files genre. Coffee lovers can enjoy the conspiracy theory-named Black Helicopter Coffee Stout, which uses locally roasted Dunn Bros coffee, and UFO experts will be familiar with Element 115, the undiscovered element that allows UFOs to fly. In the lineup of Flat Earth brews, Element 115 represents the California common style of lager beer. Others, such as Cygnus X-1 Porter pay tribute to one of the Williamsons’ favorite bands, Rush.
According to Jeff, “Each beer has a story unique to itself just like the beers themselves.” One beer with a hometown story is Curly Tail Ale. The St. Paul Saints baseball team contacted Flat Earth for a beer to be brewed for their 20th Anniversary. What Flat Earth came up with was a traditional British Bitter style beer. This style is one that is characteristically lower in alcohol and would meet the 4.1 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) requirement of the baseball stadium without any watering down. As to where the name came from, that can be attributed to the mascot, Mudonna, a curly tailed, pink pig. The response to this beer was so great that even after their contract with the Saints ended, Flat Earth continues to brew this beer.
The brewing of Curly Tail, and all of Flat Earth’s beers, is done using as many locally produced ingredients as possible, which to date have included local hops and malt. The importance of this fact is born out in Jeff’s words: “We do as much as we can locally because those are the people that are helping us grow. I’d rather buy a local product and keep the money circulating locally.”
If you’re looking to try out Flat Earth for yourself, you can find them on tap in about 30 restaurants and bars throughout the Twin Cities metro, including Ngon Bistro, Birchwood Café and The Happy Gnome. Additionally, Flat Earth bottles some of their brews for sale in 22-ounce bottles or “bombers” available at liquor stores and all of their beers can be purchased at the brewery in 64-ounce “growlers” all six days of the legal alcohol selling week in Minnesota.
Now that you know a bit more about Flat Earth and their dedication to maintaining strong ties to St. Paul, you’re probably also a bit thirsty. So make it a point to stop on down at the brewery, make a trip to your local liquor store, or belly up to one of the many local establishments that offer Flat Earth on tap and taste for yourself what this local gem has to offer.
Kris McDowell is a Twin Cities writer about tasty things, including cheese and beer. You can read her Beer Musings from Minneapolis-St. Paul on the blog she shares with her husband Mag, and at the site MN Beer.
