Not Another Bar: New Brewery Finds a Home on Lake Minnetonka

Excelsior Brewing Company is not just another bar in town, said John Klick, president of the company.

“We’re not there for the binge drinker,” he said. “We’re there for the guy who wants to sample a nice craft beer.”

Klick founded Excelsior Brewing Company with two friends: Jon Lewin and Patrick Foss. Each brings a love for handcrafted beer and professional expertise to a business that started at a Little League baseball game.

Klick said that he began daydreaming about owning a microbrewery about four or five years ago. At a Little League game, he talked to Foss about his dream, and the two began discussing how to make the dream a reality. About six months later, at another Little League event, Lewin joined the conversation.

On Oct. 1 of last year, they signed a lease for building space at 421 Third Street in .

“What’s not to love about Excelsior?” Klick said. “We always knew that this was where we’d go.”

Their brew house will make 20 barrels of beer at one time. That’s 40 kegs of beer, Klick explained. The main ingredients in beer are water, grains and yeast, and it will take 1,500 pounds of grain to make one batch of beer.

“It’s a lot,” Klick said.

Futhermore, the price of grain has climbed in recent months, mirroring the broader commodity market. Although they haven’t started making beer yet, Klick said that the company will have to purchase grains in futures just like other food companies.

“We have to commit to what we’re going to want to use,” he said.

It helps that the brewery is near local grain suppliers so that instead of buying truckloads of grain, they can purchase it as needed. Then, when they’re finished with the 1,500 pounds of grain, local farmers will use it to feed their cattle.

Small and microbreweries like the Excelsior operation are a growing trend in the beer world. They have occupied vacant buildings in cities across the nation, provided communities with an enhanced identity and are gaining a greater portion of the market.

At the end of the brewing process, the beer goes into a fermenter. Klick explained that they will start with two 40-barrel fermenters and two 20-barrel fermenters. They will add more fermenters as they gain enough business to make two batches of beer a day.

Currently, the only full time employees are Klick and the brew master, whose name the company has not yet disclosed. This means that at least in the beginning, Klick will fill many roles. Not only will he drive a truck to distribute the beer, but he will also take care of the marketing, a job he did at a company he still partly owns.

The first beers will debut in May just as residents start enjoying the coming summer and taking advantage of Lake Minnetonka. They are considering a pale ale, a blonde ale, and a Belgian Wit as their first beers.

“What we want is more 'sessionable' beers,” Klick said.

Session beers have lower alcohol content than other beers, Klick explained. Someone could potentially consume two to three beers versus just one to two. He described session beers as refreshing, something residents will look for on hot summer days on the lake.

Klick, Lewin and Foss all participate in several activities around Lake Minnetonka, such as fishing, sailing and snowmobiling. As part of their business, they plan to donate a portion of their proceeds toward . They also want to help raise awareness about the affecting fresh water.

Other future plans include lake events, food pairings with local businesses and, of course, a taproom. 

But there’s a hitch. The brewery will not have access to the taproom space for another two years. Another business presently occupies the needed 3,000-square feet of space.

Klick emphasized the goal of opening a taproom sooner rather than later. They are working on several possible options to try to make that happen.

“We’re planning on having a taproom as soon as we can,” he said.

The final hurdles to opening day are building clean up and federal, state and city licenses. In April, the brewing gear will arrive.

"All preparations are on schedule," Klick said.