Photo via Chaotic Good Brewing Company
In early 2021, Scott and Molly Stroh opened Chaotic Good Brewing Company in their backyard. A year and a half later, the couple traded their 300-square-foot shed-turned-brewery for a taproom in Kasson, Minnesota.
Chaotic Good Brewing Company’s opening day in their new space was November 15th, 2022 (with a soft opening in the days leading up to it). Originally, the Strohs planned on continuing operations out of their backyard for three to five years before expanding. Their timeline changed when they closed on their new building in February 2022, approximately a year after opening in their shed.
“All along this [starting a brewery] was my exit plan from teaching,” Scott Stroh says. “We found a building at a price we could manage, and the timing just worked well.”
Although Stroh left his job as a high school science teacher to focus on Chaotic Good full time, he continues to pay homage to the job he once had through actions at the brewery.
“We donate to things like elementary school fundraisers, silent auctions, things like that,” Stroh explains. “We’re still figuring out how we can do more. We want to do classroom grants for teachers and community youth activities.”
In the original shed space, Chaotic Good only offered beer to-go. In their new 1,000-square-foot taproom with seating for 45 people, beer lovers can enjoy a brew or two in-house or purchase crowlers to-go.
“It’s not tiny, but it is intimate,” Stroh describes.
The bar, built by Stroh, is made out of a repurposed trebuchet and the taproom is filled with nods to the brewery’s name (which is a reference to the game Dungeons & Dragons). Dice, game figures, controllers, and more can be found sprinkled about the space.
“We’ve got fun stuff all over the bar,” he says. “It’ll take some time to find it all!”
Stroh brews with a 3-barrel brewing system and has 10 tap lines available (eight of which were filled as of their soft opening). One tap line has been designated the “infusion line.” They recently infused their Patch Master and Spice Dunkelweiss with chai tea.
“We’ve got a smoked Oktoberfest right now,” Stroh says referring to their infusion line. “We’re also taking the cream ale and adding Thanksgiving stuffing herbs to it.”
According to Stroh, their flagship beers, including a cream ale, an oatmeal stout, and more, have always been well received by their customers. These classic recipes have been brought over from the shed and will continue to be on tap. Despite current beer trends, Chaotic Good customers tend to prefer malt-forward beers over the often sought-after hoppy hazy IPAs and sours.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing what people want,” Stroh shares excitedly. “You know, it’s not really up to me. It’s up to the people coming in what we have on tap.”
Not only will the opinions of Chaotic Good customers be taken into consideration, but they will also have the chance to brew with Stroh. Adopt a Batch, one of the brewery’s Founding Member programs, allows the customer to work with Stroh to create a unique recipe for $350 (which covers the cost of a batch of beer). On brew day, the customer helps make their creation come to life. Once the last pint is sold, the customer gets their $350 back.
“We just did the first one today [November 17],” Stroh says. “With my mom!”
Stroh is calling this premier Adopt a Batch brew a farmhouse lager. It’s an American lager base with Norwegian farmhouse yeast.
In the future, the brewery will have events like live music and trivia nights. Along with these brewery staples, Chaotic Good will introduce something unique to its event calendar:
“We’ll eventually have a Magic the Gathering game night,” Stroh says. “That’s hard to find at a brewery!”
Stroh plans on getting started with events once they have the required licensure and an idea of what a normal week at the brewery will look like.
“I might do weird things,” Stroh laughs. “But I like to do them right!”
Brewer: Scott Stroh
Beers: Initiative Cream Ale, Shed Drop American IPA, Molly’s Favorite Oatmeal Stout, Irish Ogre Irish Red Ale, Patch Master Pumpkin and Spice Dunkelweiss,
Address: 202 2nd St Southwest Kasson, MN 55944
Hours: Monday-Sunday: 11am to 10pm
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