Beaver Island brewery ready to launch

The Beaver Island Brewing Co. was under construction all of January.

But that didn't stop curious patrons from checking out St. Cloud's newest brewery at 216 Sixth Ave. S, the site of the old downtown Bo Diddley's Deli.

"People have been constantly walking in and asking if we are open yet," said Nick Barth, who runs the brewery with Matt Studer and brewmaster Chris Laumb. "People are excited for the brand."

Now, Beaver Island is ready to launch.

The brewery hits the market this week and will celebrate with a three-day Central Minnesota bar tour that starts at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Boulder Tap House. Beaver Island will have its red IPA called 39 available.

The tour also includes stops at the Veranda Lounge, D.B. Searle's, Green Mill Restaurant & Bar, Pickled Loon, the St. Cloud and Sartell locations of House of Pizza, Grizzly's Wood Fired Grill of Waite Park, and Old Capital Tavern and Jimmy's Pour House of Sauk Rapids.

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Barth also expects the taproom, which is undergoing its final city inspections this week, to open Feb. 14.

"I think the community is excited to have its own beer," Barth said. "Everyone has just been so enthusiastic. And (Laumb) makes a quality beer."

Beaver Island is the second brewery to open in St. Cloud within the past three months, joining the Lupine Brewing Co. that launched in December out of the old O'Hara's Brewpub and Restaurant/McCann's Food & Brew at 3320 Third St. N. They are the first full-scale breweries to operate in the city since the St. Cloud Brewing Co. closed in 1939, a fact that Beaver Island pays tribute to with the name 39.

Beaver Island first debuted at the St. Cloud Craft Beer Tour at the River's Edge Convention Center and won the sold-out, third-annual event's people's choice award. The brewery hosted a special tapping party later that night at the Pickled Loon, with the bar reaching capacity and selling out of Beaver Island beer in about 30 minutes.

The brewery started kegging its beers at the end of January.

"The response so far has been overwhelming," Barth said. "I couldn't have written a better script for the start of the brewery. I'm ecstatic that people have liked the beer so much."

Like Lupine, Beaver Island will have its market launch at the Boulder Tap House.

"It's pretty cool to see the brewers come in and watch people drink their beer," said Boulder Tap House owner Ray Herrington, whose restaurant has always had 41 kegs hooked up on tap. "It's like hearing your own song on the radio. It's cool to see the brewers react to it and interact with people drinking their beers."

Herrington said Lupine has been a popular beer selection at Boulder Tap House.

"We will sell the first glass of Lupine beer because it's a St. Cloud beer, but we will sell the second glass because it's good," Herrington said. "It's nice to see all the hard work of the local guys result in great-tasting beers. It's fantastic to see local breweries starting up. It's great for the local beer scene."

Follow Jake Laxen on Twitter @jacoblaxen.

Beaver Island Beer Tour

Thursday

•5 p.m. at Boulder Tap House (3950 Second St. S)

•8 p.m. at Grizzly's Wood Fired Grill (137 Second Ave. S in Waite Park)

Friday

•4 p.m. at the Veranda Lounge (22 Fifth Ave. S)

•5:30 p.m. at House of Pizza (19 Fifth Ave. S)

•7 p.m. at D.B. Searle's (18 Fifth Ave. S)

•8:30 p.m. at Green Mill Restaurant & Bar (100 Fourth Ave. S)

•10 p.m. at Pickled Loon (715 St. Germain St.)

Saturday

•5 p.m. at House of Pizza (1733 Pinecone Road S in Sartell)

•6:30 p.m. at Old Capital Tavern (2 Benton Drive N in Sauk Rapids)

•8 p.m. at Jimmy's Pour House (22 Second Ave. N in Sauk Rapids)