Well, Hello, Surly!

This picture was taken on my second visit on a Sunday afternoon, three weeks
after they opened, with no line to get in and no wait for a bar stool,
though the Beer Hall was full. A bar-back wondered aloud what w
as wrong, but, come on, it's 12 degrees out,
and there's a Packers game on, they can't all be SRO nights.

Editor's note (that's me, too, of course): I wrote the bulk of this post the following day from my first visit to SDB (Surly Destination Brewery) on 12/19. I held off of publishing it immediately because I didn't feel that some of my photos were quite good enough. I planned to return and take better ones, give the merch store a longer look, maybe check out this new beer I've heard about. Surely, sometime soon, it'll mellow out, and you can just breeze in and get a stool without a care, right? Well, you'd think. I'm going to pick up where I left off and use the pics I have, for now. So, here we go...



I read something in the Star Tribune the other day about Omar Ansari telling his collected employees that the culmination of their efforts to build the "Destination Brewery"/beer hall/restaurant/event center had taken half the life of the brewery itself. Doggone it, he's right. Just about. It was in early February 2011, at the Surly 5th anniversary at the Muddy Pig that he unveiled the plans and commenced the campaign to change the necessary laws. I'll never forget that because we had our 5th anniversary party at the Blue Nile the week before, and I how I wished he'd done it then, we could have used the publicity. And the day after that exciting announcement, I was at Acadia Cafe's party (there were 14 5th anniversary parties, at the first 14 accounts they had...I was either #3 or #4.), hanging out with him, hearing about all the calls coming, people already asking for jobs, the media attention, the resistance starting from fiercely opposing parties. (Well, one in particular....yep, talking about you, MLBA.)

Here's the view of the building from afar, my first peek at it, turning the corner of Malcolm and University.

It took a matter of hard pressure on legislators, some concessions for the enemies of the cause, and months later, in summer of 2011, we all got our wish and the laws changed, allowing a brewery to actually sell their own beer on premise to customers for consumption on site. Over the next few years, taprooms starting popping up all over, to the point where you would rarely find a brewery without one. Surly was originally going to wait until their 30 million dollar facility was done until they had a taproom, but those things don't just bloom overnight. Hey, the public's embrace of their beer took several years. So, in the middle of 2013, they set one up in the original brewery and it lasted a good year and a half, closing shop in late October to get ready for the new one. (Yes, you can only have one taproom per brewing company here in Minnesota. That's fine, the old brewery will not be open to the public, anyway. And who would go out to Brooklyn Center, when their main attraction is in Minneapolis?)

Now in line, waiting to enter the behemoth. 

A glimpse at the brewery, from above, where the unfinished fine dining room and event center are located.

And now, finally, December 2014, a few months shy of 4 years from the start of it all we're finally here. My invitation to the special industry insider soft openings must have gotten lost in the mail (what, eight years of serving and promoting the brand doesn't get me a sneak peek?), so I got out of work early, and got out to the grand premiere of the dazzling new beer factory Friday night. It was remarkably easy to get to by public transportation. I took a 22 bus from Lake Street and Cedar Avenue near my home to the stop at Cedar and 5th Avenue on the West Bank, where I walked to the Transit Station a block away and walked down to the Green Line light rail platform. About 10 minutes later, the train came and whisked us through the University of Minnesota, past Stadium Village and to the Prospect Park neighborhood. I was told it's four blocks away from that stop, but wasn't certain in what direction, so I followed my instincts and walked eastward down University Avenue about two blocks to Malcolm Avenue SE. Off to the right I could see the Witches Hat tower, and once on the corner, I turned to the left and there it was, standing proud, shining, still two blocks away.

Another look down from above, peeking at the people in the Beer Hall. 

I joined the line, from the entrance to the street, wrapping around the fire pit,  to get in, which only shortened as people left the building. An elderly gentleman behind me wondered aloud, "do people really stand in line for beer?" Well, what are you doing, gramps? He also insinuated that I should be let in for wearing a Surly stocking cap. I then showed off my t-shirt (the first one Omar gave me back in January, 2006) and hoodie, and told him, hey, pops, anyone can buy these who wants to, I'm not the only one bedecked in Surly gear. The wait was about 25 minutes, and once inside, my friends among the staff gave me the low-down. I was blown away by the fact that it filled up immediately at 11 am (right around when I got out of bed), and remained full ever since.

Pumping out the pints at the "don't call it a taproom."

Here's a peek at the beer list from opening day (I was certain they wouldn't mind if I stole this beer-soiled menu that would only wind up in the trash).....

.....and the rest.

To the right, a peek at the enormous fermenting tanks, sticking out of the building and stretching to the sky, to the left, the Company Store (new name for the gift shop. Beyond that, the beer hall, with handy signs telling you where to get in line for your beer, or how to wait for a table. Upstairs in the not-yet-finished event center, cans of freshly canned Abrasive Ale were on sale. I got one of those, poured it into a plastic cup, and returned the empty can to the bar, where an employee asked, "done already?" Man, am I the only who who understands "beer from for a glass, from a can"? I toured the space, among the hundreds of others, marvelling at the beauty of the design, eventually standing in the "beer here" line. No rushing the bar, demanding the barman's attention, waving bills, pounding, all those things I'm used to, all those things that would be included in the "shitshow" everyone feared. As much as I hate standing in lines, it's the only way to really control the chaos.

Peering through my glass, looking at throngs once more, and all the masses also hanging out on the railings.

Once I had some beers in my mitts (it would be stupid to buy one at a time, only to wait in line again), and wandered a bit to find a stool open, and promptly sat down and perused the menu.I ordered. I chose an appetizer of tortilla chips and beans that must have a Pakistani origin as they're named for Omar's father. Naseem's Gheet, they were called. For an entree, I decided upon Beef Birria and it was delicious. Overall,  the menu looked ambitious, delicious, but slightly expensive. You're getting what you pay for here, though. It's disappointing some out there, who just want a cheap sandwich or burger with their brew. Those people, I feel, did not enter the halls of Surly with the right expectations. You're not getting typical "pub grub" here. Time to evolve, people.

Shiny, happy people drinking Surly.

Beer choices hang on the wall, while Surly art sits on the back bar. Below, cooler filled with cans of soda. Somebody has to drive, right? 

A word about the service: I groused about the lines, but beyond that, all was courteous, friendly, and orderly. One Beer Hall employee took orders and processed payment. Once it printed, another member of the team grabbed the ticket, poured and placed the pint properly, calling it out for the customer. If you're seated at a stool, you were allowed excellent attention. It's just the matter of getting there, is all.

Fore: Surly Doomtree (I'll review it when it's canned). Aft: The Devil's Work (will it be canned? Hmmm...)

I sat at the bar next to a couple who were merely the second people I heard remark "we must be the oldest ones here." They were fun to talk to, and in a moment my friend Doug came along, and took a seat once they left. I ordered a Todd the Axeman IPA, my fourth beer of the visit, and chatted with Doug. From my bar stool vantage-point, I saw Omar helping out a little, assisting in the pouring. I'm sure he must have been ready for sleep, right about then. I congratulated him on the success of this massive endeavor. He and the staff had been busy all day, from the minute they opened the door at 11 am (and earlier, setting up) and here it was past 11 pm, with no slow-down in sight. They just did an incredible expansion, and there seems to be no way to satisfy Surly Nation. Beer fans around the nation are always asking: When will you distribute to Texas, to Oregon, to Maine, they want to know. This greater capacity will help them cover the neighboring states and most of Minnesota. So, keep waiting, Houston, and Portland, and Portland.

So many lights give Doug and his beer a sparkly glow!

The view from the Beer Here line.

As I said earlier, I'd planned on visiting again once things settle down a bit. "Give it a few weeks," they said, meaning my friends among the staff and those who just guess about such things. I'm afraid, though, that after those two weeks, it'll be clogged up with all those people who waited two weeks. And so on, and so forth. Everything I've heard from everyone else who's gone is packed, jammed, and full. Still, there are waits to enter the doors. After two weeks, still? Yes. Sundays, Mondays, Wednesday afternoons. Will it ever let up? Who are all these people?

As the number of beers increase, the pics get blurry. Hey, that guy on the right doesn't look thrilled I'm taking his pic. No, wait, I know him, his name is Kipp he sings in a metal band that used to play at the Nile. They'd start with the good stuff, and end the evening with cans of Hamms. That's the rock and roll way

So, many questions. I will be back for the answers. Perhaps soon. (But not today, it's freezing out. I'm not standing in a line in zero degree weather.) And I've got to get a new Darkness t-shirt, for I couldn't afford one on Darkness Day (gee, it's good to be working again!) and some of those sweet new glasses. (Don't you have enough, Al? Yeah, but I "need" these!)

Why is Omar flipping me off? Is it because I called him a "sell-out?"

As I said, I'm looking forward to the day it won't be such an intensive tourist trap, where you can pay a casual visit without having to stand in too many long lines. Before that, though, I will return again to experience it anew, and maybe have better pics to replace these. Whenever I do, and even when I don't, I think back to the history of this brewery, and how far they've come. It's been pretty astounding that a scrappy upstart got so huge so fast.

Of course, I have to give huge credit to Omar and Todd for creating it and planning it perfectly, and to Linda for making this Beer Hall happen in such incredible fashion. It's an amazing accomplishment.