Today, almost two years to the day after we tapped our first keg, we're releasing Sweet Child of Vine and Lonely Blonde in bottles! Over the next few weeks, six packs of 12 oz Fulton bottles will begin to appear in liquor stores across the metro area. We'll keep a running list on the bottom of this page as we deliver to more stores this week, so check back if often if you don't see your local stop on the list.
We assume you read that last paragraph, ran out to your local liquor store, and returned to your computer, Fulton in hand. So, here's more reading material to go with your new beer...
We bottled our first batches of homebrew by hand in Jim's garage. As any homebrewer knows, cleaning, sanitizing, and filling bottles by hands is a slow, painstaking process. The process of getting our commercial beer has been an even slower process, though for altogether different reasons. Even tasks that seems relatively simple, like packaging, are deceptively complex: From designing labels, six-packs, and cases to getting set up with new vendors to going back and forth with proofs and color drawdowns to the government approval process, there's a lot to it. Let's just say we're glad that part is behind us.
Then there's operational constraints. Many of you know of -- and probably helped with -- the recent Minnesota law change to allow breweries to serve beer on-premises in a brewery taproom. The taproom will be a great opportunity, but like most opportunities, it came with a tradeoff: because of space constraints, we had to choose between installing a bottling line or putting in a taproom. We chose to pursue the taproom, which meant we still needed a place to bottle. Fortunately, contract brewing has worked well for our keg production over the last two years, and now it's helping us get Sweet Child of Vine and Lonely Blonde into six packs.
It will take several weeks, but we'll eventually have bottles in most liquor stores in the Twin Cities. If your favorite neighborhood store doesn't have them, be sure to ask them. Just try to be patient, because there's a lot of demand and they could already be waiting for an order, or may have even run out by the time you get there. In the meantime, we'll be pouring samples at several stores around town this week, so please check out our events page if you'd like to come by.
Delivered Monday, 10/24
Big Top – Moundsview
Delivered Tuesday, 10/25
Bacchus Wine & Spirits – Shoreview Big Top – St. Paul Cub Liquors – Bloomington Dennis Brothers Liquor – Cottage Grove East Lake Liquor – Minneapolis Falls Liquor – Minneapolis France 44 Wine & Spirits – Minneapolis Gators Liquor – Oakdale Haskell’s – Bloomington Heritage Liquor – Maplewood Lake Ridge Liquor – Vadnais Heights Liquor Barrel – Crystal Liquor Barrel – New Brighton Lower Town Wine & Spirits – St. Paul Mc Donalds Liquor – Minneapolis McKnight Liquor – North St. Paul MGM – Bloomington MGM – Maplewood MGM – Oakdale MGM – Vadnais Heights Nook – St. Paul Perrier Wines & Liquors – Bloomington Skol Liquor – Minneapolis Thomas Beverage Co – St. Paul Tower Glen – Roseville United Penn Lake Liquor – Bloomington Wine Street’s Spirits – North OaksDelivered Wednesday, 10/26
Big Discount – Eagan Black Diamond Liquor – Eagan Blue Max Liquor – Burnsville Byerly’s Wine & Spirits – Eagan Cellar Wine & Spirits – Eagan Cellar Wine & Spirits – Roseville Central Ave. Liquor – Minneapolis Edina Liquor – Edina (York) Fairview Wine & Spirits – Roseville Haskell’s – St. Paul (Ford Parkway) Haskell’s Liquor – Burnsville Hennepin Lake Liquor – Minneapolis Hum’s Liquor – Minneapolis International Wine/Liquor – St. Paul Kowalski’s – Eagan Kowalski’s Wine Market – Woodbury Liquor Barrel – Lino Lakes Liquor Village – St. Paul Lowry Hill Liquor – Minneapolis Main Street Liquor Barrel – Centerville Metro Liquor – St. Paul MGM – Eagan (Pilot Knob) MGM – St. Paul (Larpentuer) Morellis Discount Liquor – St. Paul Network Liquors – Roseville North Loop Wine & Spirits – Minneapolis Perrier Wine N Spirits – Eagan Silver Lake Village – St. Anthony Snelling Liquors – Roseville Sorella Wine & Spirits – Minneapolis St. Anthony Market – St. Anthony Surdyks Liquor – Minneapolis West End Liquors – Red Wing
Delivered Thursday, 10/27
B&G Liquors – Minneapolis Big Discount – South St. Paul Boozemart – West St. Paul Buon Giorno – Lilydale Byerly’s Wine & Spirits – Burnsville Cub Liquors – West St. Paul Edina Liquor – Edina (Vernon Ave.) First Grand Ave. Liquor – St. Paul Hasen’s Liquor – Stillwater Haskell’s Liquor – Minnetonka Haskell’s Liquor – Woodbury Heritage Liquor – Maplewood Kowalski’s Wine Market – Woodbury Lake Wine & Spirits – Minneapolis Liberty Village Wine – Stillwater Liquor Time – Oak Park Heights Little Wine Shoppe – St. Paul Marshall Liquor – St. Paul MGM – Hastings MGM Calhoun – Minneapolis Oaks Wine & Spirits – Oak Park Heights Park Liquor – St. Paul Ramaley Liquor – St. Paul Rite Liquor – St. Paul River Liquor – Minneapolis Scotts Liquor – St. Paul Selby Wines & Spirits – St. Paul Sentyrz – Minneapolis Sharrett’s Inc. – St. Paul Williams Uptown Pub – Minneapolis Wine Thief – St. Paul
Delivered Friday, 10/28
Arbor Pointe Liquor – Inver Grove Heights Big Discount – St. Paul Cheers Wine & Spirits – Bloomington Chicago Lake Liquor – Minneapolis Crossroads Liquor – Shakopee Edina Liquor – Edina (50th St.) Franklin-Nicollet Liquor – Minneapolis Fridley Liquor – Fridley Greenway Liquor – Minneapolis Haskell’s – Minneapolis Haskell’s Liquor – White Bear Lake Liquor Barrel – Mahtomedi Liquor Barrel – New Brighton Liquor Barrel – St. Louis Park Mc Donalds Liquor – Minneapolis MGM – Inver Grove Heights MGM – Prior Lake MGM – St. Paul (White Bear Ave.) MGM – White Bear Lake On the Rocks Wine & Spirits – Hugo Shakopee Wine Cellars – Shakopee South Lyndale Liquor – Minneapolis Tonka Bottle Shop – Minnetonka Top Ten Wine & Spirits – Cottage Grove Top Valu #1 – Columbia Heights Zipps – Minneapolis