Minnewaska House Brewing Co. + Grill began brewing its own beer in April 2020 • Photo via Minnewaska House
The Minnewaska House Supper Club has been a staple of Glenwood, Minnesota, since 1965. Its charcoal grill-focused menu and proximity to Lake Minnewaska make it a town favorite. Just over a year ago in 2020, the restaurant added an in-house brewery in order to serve the community with locally made craft beer.
Husband and wife, Darren and Angie Anderson, bought the Minnewaska House back in 2004. Darren Anderson had played with the idea of brewing beer and hoped that one day, he could be a part of a craft beer space in Glenwood. Then, early last year, that idea became a reality.
“I come from a beer background,” explains Darren Anderson. “My grandpa was one of the very first beer distributors in Minnesota. So, starting this in-house brewery just felt right.”
The brewery came to fruition when the Andersons met Grozio Blevins, who is now Minnewaska House’s head brewer. Blevins had been a homebrewer for over 25 years and, like Anderson, had often thought about starting a brewery in Glenwood.
“I met Angie and Darren by frequenting the restaurant and we discovered that our ideas fit perfectly together,” Blevins says. “Minnewaska House already had the best food in town and the building is large—so the addition of a brewery was no big deal.”
Tourists head to Glenwood every summer to spend time at Lake Minnewaska. Blevins and the Andersons want their in-house brewery to be another reason for folks to visit the small town. They also want to share their passion for craft beer with Glenwood locals.
The 1-barrel nanobrewery sits behind the stage at Minnewaska House Brewing Co. + Grill • Photo via Minnewaska House
The brewery has been in operation for about a year. However, due to COVID-19, opening day wasn’t exactly the grand event they had hoped for.
“We technically opened April 1, 2020,” says Anderson. “We were geared up and ready to go—”
“But then opening day was a big April fool’s,” jokes Blevins.
To adapt to COVID-19 restrictions, they quickly got their growler license and were able to offer beer to-go in addition to their food takeout options by May 1, 2020.
“With the in-house brewery, our goal wasn’t to start a huge brewing operation,” says Blevins. “We just wanted to be small and crafty.”
The brewhouse is only about 140-square-feet and is equipped with a 1-barrel system.
“It literally looks like a homebrewery,” Blevins describes, “but the size is why we can do so many fun things with the beer! We’re a nano brewery and it works perfectly with the population we have here.”
Despite the nano-size of the brewery, the entire Minnewaska House building is quite large at around 12,000-square-feet. At full capacity, they have the ability to hold about 400 people.
“Once COVID is over we want to have events and brew special beer for those events,” states Angie Anderson. “We also have a catering license, which means we can take our food and beer anywhere in Minnesota!”
The Minnewaska House is an alehouse, so they aren’t brewing any lagers. However, they do have a wide range of beers available from the Sugar Booger Sour to the Wise Guy Stout to the Battle Axe Red.
“We have a lot of Coors Light drinkers around here that we’re trying to convert,” laughs Blevins. “Our flagship seems to do the trick.”
Their flagship brew, Bottle Bay Bikini Blonde Ale, is named after a local attraction called Bottle Bay—a space on Lake Minnewaska where boats and people often gather in the summer.
The Minnewaska House is currently offering growlers to-go as well as pints and flights for dine-in options.
“Our 1-barrel system means we can sell our beer as fresh as it comes,” states Blevins. “At the end of the day, I just want to make the best craft beer possible with our little system!”
Grozio Blevins, head brewer at Minnewaska House Brewing Co. + Grill • Photo via Minnewaska House
Brewer: Grozio Blevins
Beer: Knuckle Sandwich IPA, I’m Kind of a Big Deal Hazy IPA, Bottle Bay Bikini Blonde Ale, Original Big Sexy Cream Ale, Chahinkapa Pale Ale, Sugar Booger Sour, Bada Bing Black IPA
Address: 24895 MN-28, Glenwood, MN 56334
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