Here's another new brewery for your drinking pleasure. Excelsior Brewing is scheduled to open its doors on Monday (July 2). The brew house is located in the scenic suburb of the same name, just a couple blocks from the lakefront. The brewery's beer line-up will lean more toward sessional-style brews, which have lower alcohol content. But they're coming out guns blazing with Bridgejumper, an IPA that clocks in at 8 percent alcohol. The beer will be available in the brewery's taproom and will spread to area bars soon. Taproom hours for its launch week are as follows: 2-10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 2-8 p.m. Wednesday, 4-10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, plus noon-10 p.m. Saturday (July 9). Excelsior's normal taproom hours will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Excelsior's taproom joins only a handful of on-premise pint-selling breweries in the Twin Cities, such as Fulton, Harriet and Lift Bridge. Growlers will be on sale, too.
The owners — John Klick, Jon Lewin and Patrick Foss — have an ace of a head brewer in Bob DuVernios, formerly of Great Waters in St. Paul. He's brewing on a 20-barrel system, which is about the same size as Fulton's. Excelsior's XLCR Pale Ale should be ready in the next week and he's working on the brewery's blonde ale too.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Details: 421 3rd St., Excelsior. 952-474-7837. www.excelsiorbrew.com.
