I love it when a brewery has a lot of history to it's setting. This isn't possible for many, but it really adds to the experience for me and is what I think of when I think about brew pubs. St Paul Brewing has a home run in this regard. Hamm's Brewing started in St Paul in 1865 by a German immigrant named, Theodore Hamm. Hamm actually acquired the small brewery through holding the deed to a foreclosed loan from the prior owner, Andrew Keller. Hamm's has a long tradition in Minnesota and I remember seeing Hamm's Beer commercials on tv as a kid. An animated bear with the famous saying, "from the land of sky blue waters." were quite memorable for a kid. At one point, Hamm's was the 5th largest brewery in the country, having expanded to San Francisco, Baltimore and Houston by the 1950's. Shortly after their 100th anniversary, the brewery went through a series of purchases, in 1965 to Heublein, then in 1973 to a group of distributors, who sold to Olympia Brewing in 1975 and again to Pabst in 1983. The brewery itself was traded to Stroh's at this time, who ran it until closing it in 1997, ending a 137 year run. The brewery sat idle and was left to decay and vandalism. A 2005 fire damaged some of the building, which was actually the original stables and carpentry shop. In 2024 a new owner came in and reimagined the site for a new brewery, building a taproom and restaurant out of the keg room and using the stables and shop as an outdoor biergarten. It is now the home of St Paul Brewing. Be careful as you drive there as you might miss it, tucked back in the bowels of the old building site.
It wasn't crowded as we got there on Saturday. I had already checked out the menu before going, so I knew my son would give it the thumb's up. They have a long bar in the tap room that stretches off to the right, The entrance to the beer garden is just after the bar, but February in Minnesota had the outdoor area closed. The room wraps around to the right and opens into a large room with a lot of quaint seating. A fireplace and some art pieces dominate the room. I would gladly take a client or friends to this brewery any time. Lots of room and ambiance with a separate area for the taproom is perfect when you want to talk and not be drowned out. The menu had appetizers, salads, burgers and pizza. My son wanted the cheesy garlic bread, which I normally stay away from, but it was excellent. All the food we had was really good, with no complaints at all. I was looking for something dark and went with the Crooks Haven. A English style Porter with hints of chocolate and rye. It was dark and smelled good. It wasn't too heavy either and tasted great. I got the smoke in the after taste, and I really liked the beer. Porters have been around since the 1700's and are considered the first engineered beers. It is a blend of three kinds of beer styles, a stale ale, a new ale and a weak ale. This makes it complex and different due to the combinations and can be chocolatey and toasty.
The last beer I tried was a pumpkin ale. At first, I didn't want it because pumpkin was so October and November, but after reading the other ingredients, I changed my mind. It showed up in a deep bronze color and smelled excellent. I immediately thought of a winter ale I had where I could smell the nutmeg. It tasted good, as I could smell and taste the pumpkin and clove, but also had cinnamon and nutmeg in it. It was really a decent winter beer and I think it is worth a try.
The brewery is a hit with me. I wasn't intrigued by their t-shirt selection, though I took a good look as I wanted one. Nothing really caught my eye. The ambiance and setting are great and they are an oasis as that part of St Paul is older and industrial. Both beers I had were good, though I think they needed a few more of their own beers to round out the selections. You could even get an original Hamm's for $4.00. They had other spirits and wine as well. If you want some nostalgia in an old warehouse setting, I recommend St Paul Brewing. I will go back to check out the biergarten later. You can almost hear the horses clopping on the brick streets and the boilers cranking out smoke with the smell of beer in the air, almost.
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