Nightlife : Innovation + Job News

The craft beer scene in the Twin Cities is going strong, to the point where it feels like a new brewery or taproom is opening every week. Distinguishing them from each other can sometimes be a challenging (if delicious) task for craft beer drinkers.
 
To introduce some rigor into all the efforts, the Better Beer Society (BBS) offers some expertise. The agency focuses on promoting craft beer and every aspect of its service, including staff training for bar servers so they can chat about beers with confidence.
 
One major focus is certification; the organization awards a "BBS Certified" label to establishments that prove they have a high level of beer service, selection, storage, and server knowledge. So far, only three bars--Bryant Lake Bowl, The Happy Gnome, and Republic--have gotten the BBS stamp of approval, but founder Rob Shellman is working with others to get them to that point.
 
"We've been pretty hard at work these past few months auditing and meeting with bar and restaurant owners about the certification program," he says. "Most of the response has been very encouraging, with owners and management wanting to get involved and improve on their practices."
 
Certification isn't an easy task, he notes, but it's not impossible. The BBS works with each establishment closely to track areas of improvement, so that every pour is a clean, predictable one.
 
A certified Cicerone (the beer world's equivalent of a sommelier), Shellman started the BBS last year after moving back to Minneapolis from Los Angeles. He's seen the strong beer scene in places like Portland and San Diego, and believes that the craft beer movement in the Twin Cities could be just as robust.
 
"We could really be a major beer destination here," he says. "Our mission is to help make that happen."
 
Source: Rob Shellman, Better Beer Society
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

The Twin Cities beer revolution continues: a new brewery and taproom, 612Brew, takes its name from the classic Minneapolis area code, and has announced plans to move into a busy intersection in Northeast Minneapolis.
 
On the auspicious date of 6/12/12, founders Adit Kalra, Robert Kasak, Ryan Libby, and Jamey Rossbach signed a lease for a brewery at the corner of Central and Broadway, in a historic building called The Broadway. The building has exposed brick and timber, as well as polished concrete floors and an outdoor patio, making it an ideal place to hoist a brew, the founders believe.
 
The taproom should be open by late fall, with growlers planned and two beers ready for launch: a pale ale called "SIX" and an IPA called "Rated R." Another beer, "Mary Ann," is a nod toward Gilligan's Island (complete with freshly grated ginger) and will be served as a summer seasonal beer.
 
Kalra notes that there's been a trend in the craft beer movement toward aged beers that have high alcohol content, but 612Brew will go the other direction into what he calls the "sessionable" category, with beers that feature moderate to low alcohol content. "That means you can drink a few and not feel over-served," he says.
 
The booming craft beer scene in Minnesota is bringing the state in line with other beer-friendly places like California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado, adds Libby. He says that with other breweries starting up in Northeast Minneapolis, the 612Brew team is hoping the area adds "Brew District" to its reputation to go along with "Arts District." Cheers to that.
 
Source: Adit Kalra and Ryan Libby, 612Brew
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

After Jaim Zuber's wife Cynthia discovered she was allergic to gluten and corn, going to restaurants became a daunting challenge. "We ended up with a list of maybe five or six restaurants that we knew were safe," says Zuber. "Otherwise, it was too time-consuming to call in advance and find out about the ingredients of their dishes."
 
Zuber figured that there must be others facing the same difficulties. As a software consultant and entrepreneur, he began envisioning a mobile application that would allow people to do searches of restaurants based on food allergies and sensitivities.
 
He brought the app, Food Seeking, to the entrepreneurial event Startup Weekend Twin Cities, and took second place, which boosted the fledgling firm's profile and gave Zuber the energy he needed to forge ahead.
 
"There are about four or five people working on this right now, and it's a good mix of people and talents," he says. "We would love to get to the point where we could afford to make this our full-time jobs."
 
The app is in beta version right now, and Zuber thinks it may launch in early June. In the meantime, he's collecting information on restaurants and specific dishes, and encouraging beta testers to share their experiences as well.
 
"I think my true long-term goal is to take my wife out to dinner in any neighborhood," he says. "Having the ability to just tap in a restaurant name and get a list of safe dishes would be a dream come true."
 
Source: Jaim Zuber, Food Seeking
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

The OpenTable reservation system has become a standard online tool for diners who want to check availability and restaurants that want to streamline their reservation efforts.
 
But a London-based contender, EVEVE, is now using Minneapolis as a launching point for a U.S. competitive play—and finding great success as a result.
 
"It's been really exciting for us in the past few months," says Timothy Ryan, director and president of the U.S. operations for EVEVE. "We feel that we're going to be a major challenger to OpenTable in the year ahead."
 
The company has provided reservation systems in Europe since 2007, and has relationships with over a thousand restaurants worldwide. When the time came to look at the U.S. market, executives considered restaurant-laden cities like New York and San Francisco and chose Minneapolis/St. Paul instead.
 
"We thought the Twin Cities would be a perfect test market, because there's a lively culture of dining here, and it's very representative of a top North American city," says Ryan. "If we can prove ourselves here, we can take the model anywhere."
 
EVEVE started its efforts here in July, and the first to switch from OpenTable was Hell's Kitchen, followed by Bar La Grassa, Meritage, and the three Barrio restaurants. Recently, another wave of local restaurants signed on, including Joe's Garage, Fuji Ya, and Jax Cafe.
 
Although Ryan believes that OpenTable is an excellent reservation system, he thinks that EVEVE is more compelling for restaurants, because the service charges a flat rate for use of its system, instead of a per-booking amount like OpenTable.
 
Also, OpenTable tends to market certain restaurants to its users, which can frustrate those restaurants that aren't promoted, Ryan notes. Also, restaurants use EVEVE "invisibly," which means that diners believe they're booking through the eatery itself, instead of an outside site like OpenTable.
 
For the future, EVEVE is confident that the momentum will keep going. The company has eight employees in the Twin Cities area, and anticipates more hiring in the year ahead.
 
"We've been very happy with this test run," says Ryan. "We think we're going to continue to be a major presence here."
 
Source: Timothy Ryan, EVEVE
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

The craft beer movement is in full swing, and downtown Minneapolis is about to get another hot spot for hop lovers.

Fulton Brewery is set to open around mid-September, and when it does, the Warehouse District location will feature tours and growler sales, with initial brews like American Blonde and Russian Imperial Stout.

The four founders--Ryan Petz, Brian Hoffman, Pete Grande, and Jim Diley--met in college and bonded over homebrewed beer. As soon as they whipped up a fairly decent version, they started joking about selling their creation, notes Hoffman. "It was one of those conversations that got more serious without any of us realizing it," he says.

About two years ago, Petz was looking at a dismal internship market as he studied at the Carlson School of Management, and came up with the idea of starting a company as his summer project. From there, the momentum built until Fulton went from garage to full-scale brewing space.

"More and more people are getting into the beer scene, so this is great timing for us," says Hoffman. "Also, people who drink craft beer aren't brand loyal, so they tend to try beers from different breweries. That means we all do better as craft beer does better."

As they ready the new space, Fulton is working to build up buzz for their brews, through participation at events like "Brew at the Zoo" and "Eat Ramen, Help Japan." Eventually, Fulton would like to be a major player on the local beer scene, but for now, he and his partners are content to work on opening their Fulton Brewery doors and welcoming the adoring masses.

Source: Brian Hoffman, Fulton Beer
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Pub Standards MN
Thursday, July 14, 6�8 p.m.
Psycho Suzie's
1900 Marshall Street NE, Minneapolis

Join in the monthly meet-up of Pub Standards MN to "drink, talk shit, complain, and commiserate" with other web professionals, as their website states.


Annual UEL Summer BBQ
Wednesday, July 20, 3�6:30 p.m.
University Enterprises Laboratories
1000 Westgate Drive, St. Paul
Free

Call 651-641-2804 or email [email protected] to rsvp for this annual gathering at the biosciences research center and early-stage company incubator.

Creativity in the Digital World � MIMA event
Wednesday, July 20, 5:15 p.m.
McNamara Alumni Center, U of M Campus
200 Oak Street SE, Minneapolis
Free to $45

Heath Rudduck, chief creative officer at Campbell Mithun, will present at this event from the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA). Registration and cash bar at 5:15 p.m.; presentation at 6 p.m.; networking, food & cash bar at 7 p.m. Pre-register for $40 (free for MIMA members and students) or walk in for $40�$45.


Hacks/Hackers Twin Cities
Hacked! - Why You Should Care about Privacy in Social Media
Thursday, July 21, 6 p.m.
Public Radio International
401 Second Ave. N., Suite 500, Minneapolis

Join the newly established Hacks/Hackers Twin Cities for a conversation about privacy and security in social media.


Bootstrappers Breakfast
Thursday, July 28, 7:30�9 a.m.
Wilde Roast
65 SE Main St., Minneapolis
$10
Early stage technology startups compare notes on operational, development, and business issues with peers who "eat problems for breakfast." Moderated by start-up lawyer Kevin Spreng.


CoCo/Project Skyway Grain Exchange opening party
Saturday, July 30
400 South Fourth Street
details TBA

The early news is that CoCo and Project Skyway will celebrate the opening of their Minneapolis space at the Grain Exchange on July 30. Watch for details on their websites.


Visit Tech.MN for a full listing of tech-related events.

"The best burger I've had in quite a long time" is usually a good recommendation, especially when it comes from a local restaurateur with several lauded restaurants and counting.

The source is Kim Bartmann, owner of Barbette, Red Stag Supper Club and Bryant Lake Bowl, and the subject is the grass-fed, "limousine beef" burger at Bread and Pickle, Bartmann's new incarnation of the concession stand near the Lake Harriet bandshell. After a soft opening last week, the reborn refectory is poised to serve the summertime crowds at the lake.

It's pretty busy down there," says Bartmann. "We are thinking of it as a [Bastille Day] block party a few times a week. We feel like we've done it before, just not in a fixed, night-after-night setting."

Bread and Pickle will sell "simple offerings," says Bartmann � burgers, fries, sandwiches, pasta salads, potato salads, as well as breakfast foods like espresso, egg sandwiches, granola and yogurt from 7��11 a.m. And of course there is still ice cream, from local favorites Sonny's and Izzy's.

Like at her other restaurants, the fare will be "focused on as much organic, local product as possible," says Bartmann.

One thing that won't be available at Bread and Pickle: waste. "Everything that comes out is compostable," she says, in new compost stations installed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (Park Board), an effort Bartmann called a "beta-test for zero-waste in the Park Board system."

The composting was in response to the Park Board's request for proposals, which called for sustainability practices that Bartmann new would give her a leg up on the competition. "We do that at all the other restaurants, and at the [Bastille Day] block party," she says.

Even water comes in a sustainable container: stainless-steel water bottles at plastic-bottle prices. Visitors can refill them at a water-filling station, installed by the Park Board, which have counters to see how may times it gets used.

Bread and Pickle will be open until 9 p.m. in the evening, possibly later for busier concerts, says Bartmann.

The refectory is not her only recent project, however. She is planning a remodel and revamped menu at Gigi's, near 36th Street South and Bryant Avenue, which Bartmann took over last November. Prep kitchens and extra cooler space there as support the Bread and Pickle operation.

In the early summer, Bartmann expects to unveil Pat's Tap at the old Casey's location on 35th Street South and Nicollet Avenue. She described the LEED-targeted project as "a little gastro-pub with a few skee ball machines."