The beers of Barley John’s Brewery are expected to start turning up in in the Madison area beginning next week.
Barley John’s got its start in 2000 as a small, eccentric brewpub located in New Brighton, Minn., a suburb on the north side of the Twin Cities. After years of building a following of craft beer enthusiasts, owner John Moore decided it was time to expand.
However, Minnesota state laws prevent a brewpub owner from also owning a commercial production and packaging brewery. The answer was to create two separate companies — the brewpub in New Brighton and the production brewery in Wisconsin. Moore owns the brewery, and his wife, Laura Subak, owns the Minnesota brewpub.
It’s a business model that benefits Wisconsin fans of Barley John’s. The new production facility and taproom opened last August, just over the state line in New Richmond. Much of equipment in the 14,000-square-foot brewery is Wisconsin-made. The brewery has an initial capacity of 10,000 barrels, and plenty of room for expanding later. Now that the company has had a few months to get the system up and running, sending beer to Madison was a logical next step.
“It’s great to open up Madison, I’m excited,” says Moore. Barley John’s has been a very popular guest for more than a dozen years at the Great Taste of the Midwest. The long drive to the Twin Cities brewpub has become something of a pilgrimage.
Moore will initially offer four brands locally. The Little Barley is a session-style American ale that’s similar in style to an Extra Special Bitter. Old 8 Porter is a black ale with a bold chocolate malt backbone. On the hoppy side, 6 Knot IPA is assertive with its estimated 50 IBUs. And, there’s Moore’s signature beer, his wild rice amber called Wild Brunette. This one’s complex with lots of Minnesota wild rice, lots of chocolate and caramel maltiness, hints of vanilla and a spicy hoppy finish. Moore developed that beer as a homebrewer in the early 1990s.
These four beers were the ones that Moore started his Minnesota brewpub with, more than 16 years ago. He says they represent the broad range of beer that his brewpub has been known for since it opened.
Moore also expects some of his rare and highly sought-after brews to find their way to Madison both in draught and in special can releases. One of those is the Dark Knight, a robust Baltic porter that’s aged for at least six month in 45th Parallel Distillery bourbon barrels.
He’s also planning seasonal releases of Maibock, Oktoberfest and Wheat Wine in the months ahead.
Barley John beers will be available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans. They are expected to turn up at area Steve’s and at Hy-Vee stores by Feb. 17.
