Source : Southernminn.com
Business is brewing in downtown St. Peter. On Monday, April 24, residents may start to hear some rumblings in the Nicollet Plaza, as interior demolitions make way for a new brewery coming this fall.
First fermented as a dream between two young Gustavus Adolphus College students, the Paddlefish Brewing Company is quickly becoming a reality for entrepreneurs Luke Dragseth, Eric Johnson and Dave Long.
“It’s no longer a question of ‘If?’; it’s a question of ‘How soon can we get it built?’” said Dragseth. “It’s all set in stone. It’s happening.”
At just 22 years old, Dragseth and Johnson may just be among the youngest brewery owners in the state. Still completing their senior year at Gustavus, Dragseth and Johnson have juggled the monstrous task of earning their bachelor’s degrees while courting investors and drafting up design plans to open St. Peter’s first microbrewery.
In spite of the challenge, the bubbling business owners showed little hesitation in hopping into the world of entrepreneurship. What Dragseth lacks in years, he makes up for in experience. Born and raised in the beer capital of the world, Milwaukee, Dragseth is intimately familiar with the microbrewery scene. He began brewing around six or seven years ago, and it was four or five years ago that he began to experiment with his own recipes.
“We have reason to believe [Dragseth] might be the youngest head brewer in the nation right now,” said Johnson. “I’ve picked his brains a few times, and I fully believe he’s as knowledgeable as the best of them, so I don’t think inexperience is a problem at all.”
It was witnessing Dragseth’s own brewing talents and the discerning lack of a brewery in St. Peter that led Johnson to cook up the idea of Paddlefish last summer, which takes its name from the growing paddlefish population in St. Peter. Johnson was to be the numbers guy and Dragseth the brewmaster, but the youths were also in need of someone with managerial experience.
Enter Dave Long, an avid craft beer aficionado who has toured hundreds of breweries across the country. With a background in marketing and managerial experience, Long joined in as a co-founder, helping bring Paddlefish Brewery to fruition. Once Paddlefish is opened, Long will take on management duties and, alongside his dog Izzy, serve as the face of the company.
On the menu
With the Amber Seaver Keller Williams Preferred Realty Team moving to the second floor of the Nicollet Plaza, Paddlefish Brewing Company is taking over the ground floor suite facing Highway 169. Fairly soon, the exterior glass panels will serve as a window into the 2,000-square-foot taproom.
Johnson said the brewery will offer a classic Minnesota brewery experience. Rather than stray into funky or frivolous drinks, Paddlefish will be brewing their own take on the standards, such as light American lagers, amber ales, porters, west coast and hazy IPAs, cream and sour ales and basic seltzers.
The menu will also feature gluten-free and non-alcoholic drinks, in addition to a rotation of seasonal beers from all over the world. When Oktoberfest comes along, patrons can expect a fitting lineup of German beers, dark beers, stouts and porters to be added to Paddlefish’s offerings. Drinks will come in sizes up to 32-ounce crowlers and 64-ounce growlers.
Dragseth has been developing his own recipes and twists on these classic drinks while receiving advice and mentorship from a wide variety of Midwestern brewmasters in the leadup to Paddlefish’s opening. Once community feedback starts rolling in, Dragseth aims to branch out and incorporate fresh styles that fit the area’s tastes.
“Our model for this brewery being taproom first is going to be served from the taproom. We’re going to get a lot of different styles out there; we’re going to run through a lot of different types of beer,” said Dragseth. “Because we’re not doing distribution, we’re not going to solely focus on just one variety to mass produce. We’re going to cater to the seasons.”
Paddlefish’s target audience goes beyond college students. The owners emphasized their desire to cater to St. Peter’s year-round residents first and foremost.
“We definitely see ourselves as more of a St. Peter business than a Gustavus business,” said Johnson. “Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but we really do care about this town and these people, and that’s going to be our target market.”
While Paddlefish’s offerings are limited to drinks, customers will be allowed to bring food from neighboring bars and restaurants into the venue.
Entertainment and more
Beyond a hub for specialty drinks, Paddlefish’s owners have set an ambitious goal of establishing the brewery as St. Peter’s leading entertainment center. When interior renovations are through, the back of the taproom will feature an open air space with 12-foot-high ceilings and a stage for performers. The taproom will be able to seat about 120 people, but when crowds are standing for musical acts, Johnson estimated the brewery will have capacity for hundreds of people.
“One of the things we think is going to set us apart is we want this to be a premier music and entertainment venue in the area, because there isn’t much,” said Johnson. “We’ve already had a lot of local musicians — and there are a lot — reach out and say, ‘We want to play at your place.’”
The stage is planned to be located at the very back of the L-shaped taproom. Guests walking in from southernmost entrance facing the Nicollet Plaza parking lot will see a wood-exposed bar, crafted by Ed Allen Designs, in the middle of the taproom with seating to the front and the side. The design further plans for a half wall to separate the brewing room from the taproom, allowing patrons to view the fermentation vessels and equipment while the brewing process is in action.
The windows facing Highway 169 will remain in place, offering natural lighting, alongside a glass garage door, which will be installed just a few feet south of the entrance facing the parking lot.
Outside the brewery, the owners plan to construct a fenced, patio area with the capacity for between 50 to 60 patrons. The outdoor parking lot could further serve as a location for Paddlefish to collaborate with other businesses, such as food trucks for special events. Johnson and Dragseth have both tossed around ideas with The Smallest Cog and have received interest from a Duluth-based sauna company about hosting an event.
All of Nicollet Plaza is getting a facelift as well, including a new exterior and coat of paint. A preliminary rendering, subject to change, replaces the dulled white and red striped coating with a dark, black finish and adds a cobblestone facade below signage for Paddlefish Brewing Co. facing out toward the parking lot.
“Our goal is to blend the traditional look of the city with the more modern look as well. So we’re looking at the new apartment buildings over there,” Dragseth said, gesturing toward Rök Lofts. “And the new Edward Jones building over there as some inspiration because we’ve got to do the best job of putting those two together, the old and the new.”
Plans are to open Paddlefish Brewing as soon as possible — between August and October. As demolition begins, the owners announced they would be posting updates on the brewery’s progress on all social media platforms and their website at paddlefishbrewing.com.
