Have you ever looked down at your CSA box and just wished that all those radishes were actually beer? That dream may be closer than you think.
There's a new movement afoot; it has to do with crowdsurfing your loot. Kickstarter, CSA, whatever your mode of opportunity, young entrepreneurs are seeking creative ways of funding their startups. The latest is Smokehouse Brewpub, which wants to open a craft brewpub in the up-and-coming 38th Street Station area.
Jamie Robinson, a veteran of Town Hall and the brewer behind the project, and his partners chef Bryce Strickler and Amy Johnson have secured some financing already, but need that extra push of $160,000 to get the party started. They have the site, they have the concept, they even have a builder, now they just need some green. To help the project get going, the team is looking to you: drinkers, eaters, neighbors, et. al who might think that owning part of a brewpub would be a pretty nifty idea. There's a Founding Membership package, which centers on two things: a percentage of ownership and free beer for life. Yes, read it again, free beer for life. Of course there are legalities and restrictions and all manner of yada yada, but still. If you go to their website and request information, you'll be sent all the deets.
Councilman Gary Schiff is all on board with the project, saying, "The local food movement wouldn't be complete without locally-made craft beer. Smokehouse Brewpub will build on Minneapolis's growing microbrewery scene and will be an asset for the neighborhood. I applaud the creativity of the Smokehouse by offering shares of the business to small-scale investors. Smokehouse Brewpub will be the first Community Supported Pub (CSP) in Minnesota."
So what do you think, community? Do you feel like getting in on a 75-120 seat brewpub and smokehouse in south Minny, just off the LRT? Knowing y'all, like I do, I'm a little worried the investors might drain the tanks before a pint gets sold, but I like the initiative. We'll be watching this one . . .
