The craft beer boom is spreading to the shores of Lake Minnetonka.
The Excelsior Brewing Co., the first Lake Minnetonka brewery and the only one allowed in the small town, is more than tripling in size less than two years after opening thanks to the high demand. The $1.4 million expansion is set to open next month, with a celebration this Saturday of the demolition.
"We basically reached our capacity nine months into operation," spokesman Ben Flattum said. "We didn't know what we were getting into … and it's been crazy."
The expansion of the brewery, which opened in summer 2012 in an old 1920 Ford dealership industrial building, will increase beer production by 600 percent and add a bottling line to sell cases to Twin Cities stores for the first time.
It's part of the growing brewery and taproom trend across the west metro area. And Excelsior could soon have company on Lake Minnetonka.
Across the lake from Excelsior, Wayzata City Manager Heidi Nelson said they've received some inquiries about opening a brewery in the city, though no formal proposals have been submitted yet; the city is also discussing changing its ordinance to allow taprooms.
In Excelsior, the brewery is just three blocks from the lake, near the town's main street, at 421 3rd St. But opening a new business in a small town hasn't come without challenges.
Last fall, some nearby residents and businesses complained to the city about noise issues increasing with the brewery's expansion. And since then, the City Council has debated how or whether to limit the brewery's hours and outdoor seating.