4 questions: A flight with Indeed Brewing Company 🍻
We’re highlighting Minnesota’s 100-plus craft breweries with our new flight series – four short questions for the people behind the beer. This week is Indeed Brewing Company.
Indeed Brewing Company, which opened in Northeast Minneapolis in 2012, is one of the largest breweries in Minnesota, and was the first to open a conventional taproom in the state. The brewery prides itself on its quality, and is currently expanding its Wooden Soul program to make and release more sour beers (it's one of the largest sour programs in the state right now).
I sat down with Indeed's co-founder Tom Whisenand to sample a few beers – Indeed's Double Citra Day Tripper Pale Ale on cask, the Midnight Ryder Black IPA on nitro, Mexican Honey Imperial Lager, and Wooden Soul Invisible Piper – and ask him a flight of questions.
If you could only drink one beer for life, what would it be?
"That's a hard one. I don't know if I could drink one beer for the rest of my life. I might lose hope. I think I'd quit drinking if I could only drink one beer – I have to have variety," Whisenand said. "I'd quit drinking."
What's your biggest blooper since opening the brewery?
"Gosh, so many. I wish I could show you the security footage that we have of the messes we've made in the brewery – we've made some epic messes. We've had 6 inches of mash covering the entire floor burst out of a vessel before. ... Just the epic messes that we've made, where you think, thank God there are drains in these floors so you can just wash it all away," Whisenand said.
(And actually, they had to shovel the 6 inches of mash up first, then wash what was left down the drain.)
What's your biggest pet peeve in the brewing industry?
"Biggest pet peeve is people forgetting that we really are in this together," Whisenand said. "You can't compete with each other like we're selling laundry detergent. You need to respect your fellow brewers and be considerate of what they're doing and think about how everything impacts the industry as a whole and the consumers at the end of the day."
What tips would you give beer drinkers who want to learn more about craft beer?
"Don't be discouraged if you try something you don't like. There's definitely a craft beer for everybody. Come visit a taproom – find a taproom and ask questions. If they're not friendly about you asking questions, give them a bad Yelp review and then come to Indeed because we try to be really nice people and help people find what they're looking for," Whisenand said.
If you have a suggestion for what brewery we should visit next, let us know! Get in touch via Facebook, Twitter (@MelissaTurtinen) or by emailing food@gomn.com. Cheers!
