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Est. 2014

Craft beer fever: Three new microbreweries set to open in Rochester

Craft beer fever: Three new microbreweries set to open in Rochester

(THE MED CITY BEAT) - Beer fans, rejoice! Rochester is about to become a regional destination for one of the oldest forms of medicine.

The craft beer craze is pouring into the Med City with at least three microbreweries set to open in the coming months.

Two of those will be "brewpubs," meaning they'll serve food in addition to the beers made on site.

Rochester currently only has one establishment (Kinney Creek Brewery) serving up its own brews. By comparison, there are at least six active breweries in Duluth and about a dozen in St. Paul.

But the days of Rochester being a craft brew desert will soon be a thing of the past. Here's a closer look at the city's suddenly thriving beer industry:

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Grand Rounds Brewpub

Location: 4 Third Street SW

Open date: April 15

Menu: Classic pub fare using international flavors and locally-produced ingredients

Website: www.grandroundsbrewpub.com (coming soon)

Beer selection:

  • Hawaii 507 Coconut Stout: A variety of malts, toasted coconut and bourbon vanilla beans create a rich chocolate-y dessert in a glass without being too sweet. And it’s served on nitrogen to enhance the creaminess.
  • Hop Bollocks Session IPA: The intention of a session beer is to provide big flavor with lower alcohol so you can have more than one per session. Hop Bollocks brings flavor and aroma with three different hops and a hint of pale honey.
  • Freedom Scottish Ale: This ale hints at Scottish flavors of biscuits and toffee with toasted caramel and a hint of smokiness.
  • KA Minnesota Kolsch: Clean and crisp Kolsch-style brew with just the right amount of sweetness coming from local honey from Oronoco’s Bee Shed.
  • Nelson IPA (end of April): A combination of unique malts and New Zealand hops gives Nelson IPA grapefruit and white wine overtones.

LTS Brewing Company

Location: 2001 32nd Ave NW

Open date: Pints/growlers available by late April, tap room to open this summer

Menu: N/A (beer only)

Website: www.ltsbrewing.com

Beer selection:

  • Kölsch: Brewed in the style of an ale, but cold-conditioned in the style of a lager, this clean, refreshing beer is a good starter for those newer to craft beer.
  • Oatmeal Stout: Slightly sweeter than dry stout, but less-so than milk stout, our creamy, toasty oatmeal stout is almost like eating an oatmeal cookie – without all the chewing.
  • 80/- Scottish Ale: Copper in color with a sturdy malt backbone and hints of kettle caramelization and smoke.
  • Belgian Blonde: This beer is a bright golden color with low hop character and lots of delicious flavor and aroma from Belgian Trappist yeast varieties.
  • IPA: Crafted from a combination of American and New Zealand hops to provide an intense hop flavor and aroma to accompany a pleasant bitterness and strong malt backbone.
  • Pale Ale: Will be used as a base for testing out new hop and malt varieties.  

Forager Brewery

Location: 1005 Sixth Street NW

Open date: Summer 2015 (TBA)

Menu: Wood-fired pizzas and other rustic-style dishes using fresh, seasonally-available ingredients

Website: www.foragerbrewery.com

Beer selection:

  • Urban Hop: American Pale Ale
  • Blaze a Trail: Midwest Pale Ale
  • Haka: New Zealand Pale Ale
  • Hot Blonde: Belgian Golden Strong Ale
  • St. Austy: Belgian
  • Driftless IPA: Indian Pale Ale
  • Hip-Hops: West Coast IPA
  • Cherry Darlin: Flanders Red with cherries aged in HBB
  • Autumn Ale: Pumpkin Ale with spices added

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(Cover photo: File / Adam Fagen / Creative Commons)

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