It was a sweltering weekend in Minnesota and a stop at a local brewery was definitely in the offing. I wanted something different so I chose Waldmann's Brewery. It was a good choice. Nestled in a neighborhood of houses off the main road, you'll literally stumble upon an old stone house. It was in the fall of 1857, before Minnesota was even a state, and before the Civil War, when Waldmann's was established. It is in the oldest surviving commercial building in St Paul to be exact, so the history here is remarkable. To be fair, there was a long 154 year break between when Waldmann's saloon came alive again in 2017 as Waldmann's Brewery, but that doesn't matter.
I've talked a few times about the German's and their beer fetish and this story will fit right in. In 1848, German lagers were first introduced to this area. St Paul was a small, but thriving frontier city. Less than 10,000 people lived here then, but German lager beers were all the rage in America at that time. By the time the Waldmann saloon was built in 1857, there were already 12 breweries in the city and ten of them brewed only German lagers. I think this funny, but the anti-alcohol Temperance movement was alive and well then and somehow they got the idea that German lagers had less alcohol in them. I wonder how that happened?? They don't have less alcohol, but the blissfully unaware were left to think so. Soon city ordinances made life a little easier for German lager saloons, when the Lager Beer Act was passed in 1860, making it illegal to charge lager beer makers with licensing fees and taxes. Anton Waldmann was one of the many unlicensed brewers at the time, but he did eventually get his permit. The Lager Beer Act was repealed in 1862 and Waldmann decided to get out of the brewing business in 1863. His legacy didn't end there though as he loaned $500 to two Bavarians who went into business as brewers and eventually built what became the Schmidt Brewery on West 7th in St Paul. In exchange for the loan, Waldmann received a mortgage on four lots of land on which the brewery is built. Much of this information is on their website
Waldmann's is a throw-back, for sure. Whale oil lamps, old steamboat chairs, period maps and old photos of the time abound around the brewery, which is also a German restaurant. I had the wurst plate and of course, the beer. I wanted to start off with the Rauchbier, but those before me selfishly, but smartly, drank it all. I settled for a Maibock. Settled isn't the right word as it was delicious. Of course, my passion for malty, bready, toffee like beers was soothed by this drink. It was smooth to the finish and a beautiful amber in color. The alcohol content was high at 7.0%, but if you like earthy, toasty beers that aren't hoppy and finish light, this was it. It's great when you find something that is the best of both worlds. A great choice as it was perfect for the weather and not heavy at all. Bock have their origins back to the 13th century. They sometimes were brewed to coincide with the fasting of Bavarian monks. Many come out during Lent. They are a stronger alcohol content beer, reaching up to 12% in Germany. a Maibock separates itself from other bocks by being lighter and much more balanced with Pils or Vienna malts and Nobel hops.
I next went with the Dusseldorf Altbier. The Altbier has been around for centuries, literally. Altbier means "old beer". It's a masterful blend of malt and hops that comes in a delicious dark copper color. It is a true balance between sweet maltiness and bitter hops. Instead of being a bottom-fermented lager it is a top-fermented ale, which makes it complex and slightly fruity, though I was more caught by the maltiness and very light bitter ending. It is always served in a cylindrical glass. I found it to be a top-notch beer. Shockingly, in Germany, altbier is only 2% of all beers consumed, but just like I said earlier, the Germans are rabidly territorial. In Dusseldorf it is the best seller, by far. You might want to know your German geography and matching beer style when traveling there. In St Paul, you don't have to worry about that. Try them all.
Waldmann's adheres to German beer standards and uses German ingredients. Their head Brewmaster appears to know his stuff and I found my journey to Waldmann's Brewery to be an excellent choice. I will go there again. I'll try the schnitzel next time and a few more beers.
Add comment
Comments