Surly Set To Debut New Destination Brewery

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- On Friday, a popular Twin Cities brewery will open the doors to its new beer hall and restaurant.

Surly Brewing Co. is expecting a packed house for the grand opening of its $30 million building near the Minneapolis' Prospect Park neighborhood.

"We're terrified, we're excited, we're ready. I think everyone's just ready to go," said Omar Ansari, founder and president of Surly Brewing Co.

Four years of hard work have come down to the final hours at Surly's new building.

"Every now and then [it] kind of hits me," Ansari said. "We've all been working on that goal, right in front of us, which culminates in [Friday's] opening."

Like any business owner, Ansari always hoped to one day expand the Brooklyn Center brewery, but he never dreamed of the 53,000-square-foot building that will double production capacity in one year.

"One of those six fermenters holds three quarters of what we sold our first year (laughs), so it's a lot bigger," Ansari said. "It changes what we can do. From our perspective, it probably means, in the next few months, getting into Iowa, Wisconsin and different spots around the country."

Along with new equipment to meet the ever-growing demand, Surly will showcase the beer hall that changed the landscape for Minnesota's entire craft beer community.

Visitors will sit down with a pint of beer, most forgetting the so-called "Surly Law" passed in 2011, allowing smaller breweries to sell pints.

"We kind of knew it would change the market but we think it's been for the good," Ansari said.

Surly may have fought for its own expansion, while also opening the door for other breweries.

"And it's great for the beer scene. It's a rising tide, lift all boats. Like Portland, like San Diego, Denver -- people are gonna start traveling here just to visit breweries," Ansari said.

The beer hall features a full menu with everything from standard bar fare to the more adventurous menu items, like bone marrow.

Tours of the facility are expected to begin in January. This spring, the event center and fine dining restaurant will also open inside that building.