Gambit Brewing Company Coming January 2023 to Lowertown in Saint Paul

Photo via Gambit Brewing Company

he new year is bringing in a new brewery for the culturally vibrant Lowertown of Saint Paul. Gambit Brewing Company is opening in the space that once housed 12welve Eyes Brewing. Owner and head brewer, Josh Secaur and general manager, Mike Christenson, hope to open the brewery’s doors in early 2023.

This isn’t Secaur and Christenson’s first rodeo in the industry. Before putting Gambit Brewing Company into the works in March of 2022, Secaur was head brewer at Bobtown Brewery in Roberts, Wisconsin, which Christenson opened in 2016.

According to Secaur, starting a brewery of his own wasn’t top of mind, but when the empty space in the Pioneer Endicott building was presented to him, “it just felt right.” With the location secured, the next step was putting a name to the space.

“The definition of Gambit is being a calculated risk with the goal of success,” Secaur explains. “That just seemed right for a brewery opening in 2022.”

Gambit Brewing Company is in a basement space in the Pioneer Endicott building that has been empty since 2019. The historic building, whose beginnings date back to the early 1800s, will play a part in the brewery’s design and decor as the taproom will have a speakeasy ambiance.

“We’re in a basement space,” Secaur describes. “You have to come down the stairs to get into the front door, so when you walk in, we want it to feel like you’re going back in time.”

The art-deco-inspired taproom is approximately 2,400 square feet and is equipped with 12 tap lines, all of which will be in use by opening day.

“We’ll have a hazy IPA with Citra and Cashmere hops, a Kentucky common, and a couple of different blonde beers,” Secaur says.

Secaur, who will be heading the brewing operation, describes the Kentucky common as “a cream ale-esque amber beer with a healthy dose of corn and a great gateway beer for the non-craft crowd.” The tap list will also consist of a fruited sour, a porter with chocolate and coffee, a Belgian single, and an oatmeal stout.

Secaur wants the tap list to be heavily influenced by the Lowertown community—more specifically, by the folks who live in the Pioneer Endicott building. There are over 200 apartments in the same building as Gambit Brewing Company. Secaur hopes that his brewery will become the residents’ neighborhood hotspot.

“We’ll see where the community is ready to go with beers,” he says.

Gambit Brewing Company’s diverse tap list will be brewed using a 5-barrel brewing system from Portland Kettle Works, equipped with eight fermenters and three bright tanks.

In addition to their community-driven tap list, they plan to have a hard seltzer program. The unflavored seltzer will have the option to be flavored with house-made tinctures and syrups, made with in-season ingredients.

“We’re focused on local goods and local agriculture with our ingredients like malts and hops,” Christenson says. “It’s been a focus to find ways we can support local farmers and businesses.”

Gambit Brewing Company will have crowlers and plan on eventually offering four and six-packs to go. They will also be distributing to a few local taps.

Although they don’t have an official opening date scheduled, Secaur and Christenson plan on Gambit Brewing Company’s opening day to be in early-to-mid January of 2023.

Brewer:

Josh Secaur

Beer:

Nordic Blonde Ale

Patersbier, Belgian Single

Coffee Blonde

Tangerine Blonde

Kentucky Common, Cream Ale/Amber Ale

Gambit Pale Ale

IPA with Pilsner and Wheat Base

Mr. Eliminator IPA

Fruited Sour