Summit has been busy brewing some exciting news this week. First, tickets are on sale for the St. Paul brewery's 26th-anniversary party. The Summit Backyard Bash -- held at the brewery on Sept. 8 -- will be headlined by hip-hop juggernaut Doomtree. Admission is $14.
The second announcement has been a long time coming: Summit will finally open a taproom in late September. The brewery always has had what most would consider a taproom, but it's been used primarily to dole out beer samples during tours.
Summit will now use its event space to sell pints on site, starting one day a week (Fridays, 3-8 p.m.). Why didn't the brewery jump on the taproom bandwagon sooner? On Summit's website, founder Mark Stutrud said he wanted to "take the time to really evaluate the reality of operating a taproom." He also said he wanted to "respect our retail customers."
Some bar owners have been leery of brewery taprooms, which at times offer rare batches not available in the greater bar scene. Summit seems to be taking the diplomatic route by only offering a single day for pint sales. Like other breweries, Summit will invite food trucks to its taproom on Fridays this fall.
Summit also is set to debut a new beer in the popular Unchained Series. The 10th entry in this limited-edition series is brewer Nate Siats' version of a Belgian dubbel. There are three release parties on Friday for Unchained: Belgian Style Abbey Ale. Siats is expected to make an appearance at each. Grumpy's in Roseville will have a cask of the new brew from 4 to 6 p.m. You can "bocce with the brewer" from 6 to 8 p.m. at Village Pub in St. Anthony. Finish the night at the 331 Club in Minneapolis, where Siats will present another cask of this small-batch beer.
More info can be found at www.summitbrewing.com.
More sushi coming to Uptown The $45 million Mozaic project in Uptown has a new tenant. Origami, one of the Twin Cities' top sushi restaurants, will open a new location on the first floor of the commercial building in November. Owner Kiminobu Ichikawa (Ichi-san) currently has locations in downtown Minneapolis and at the Ridgedale mall in Minnetonka. Co-owner Emiko Grant said they plan to close the mall location in October.
Origami's Uptown outpost will have a full bar and similar menu. Grant says they were lured to the location with the prospect of opening a large patio.
