January 2011 Interview: Harriet Brewing

Morph: Tell us how you first got started brewing beer...
Harriet Brewing: I was working as process design engineer/project manager and my colleague in the cubical next to me was a homebrewer and member of the Minnesota Homebrewer's Association (MHBA). So we talked about beer all the time. I also had another chemical engineer friend who was a homebrewer, and he gave me "The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing", by Charlie Papazian. I read it cover-to-cover during a business trip out to LA. I came back, purchased all the equipment and brewed a smoked porter. I took the beer to my first MHBA meeting and let it be casually judged. People liked it, I was thrilled, and I've been passionately brewing ever since. That was about 2.5 yrs ago.

Morph: What made you take the leap to open your own brewery?
Harriet Brewing: First of all, it wasn't much of a leap. My previous job duties included project management and lead engineering roles for industrial process designs from concept to commencement. When I was laid off I started my own engineering firm, Advanced Process Consulting, and did some gas turbine design work. Simultaneously, I was developing recipes and winning homebrew competitions. Finally, at the end of 2009 after a big win at the Mississippi Mash Out, it hit me. I need to design the brewery. I made it my New Year's resolution and here I am.

Morph: Tell us about what you’re currently working on...
Harriet Brewing: Right now we're trying to get our keg machine working. All of our equipment was bought from a brewpub in Japan. So, replacing equipment is difficult and sometimes impossible.
We're also fine-tuning our operations and scale-up procedures. Most of that attention is going towards taking care of beers in fermentation and conditioning. We have our first round of good beers in the fermenters, and we're basically singing them to sleep. Our #1 task for this week is to focus on our front retail space - taking all the scrap wood we've accumulated over the months and building a bar. We also have to do some piping to route beer to the front space for growler sales and samples, and insulate that and all the rest of our piping.

Morph: Are there any other breweries, local or otherwise, that have influenced you, and how?
Harriet Brewing: Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, CA. I had hoped to do a brewing internship there at one time. After I decided to open Harriet, my wife and I did an R&D trip out to San Fran and up to wine country. We had two evenings at Russian River, sampling their amazing sour and Belgian style ales. They are great proof that traditional Belgian styles can be brewed with integrity in America.

I also am a fan of Wisconsin's New Glarus Brewing Co. They're out of the box, very process-driven, and manage to crank out eclectic beers, one after the next...all successful in their own way. Their commitment to serving their local community is inspirational.

And obviously, Surly...for their business acumen, clever branding, and quality brews to back it up.

Morph: We heard you're throwing a launch party in February at the Blue Nile...tell us about it...
Harriet Brewing: Wednesday, February 9. Simple, laid-back, beer/food focused. We're still working on the details so check our website, our Facebook page, or the Blue Nile website. The beer we're launching is our Belgian-style IPA called Harriet's West Side. Our designer/artist, Jesse Brodd, will be there with the original West Side painting.

Morph: Where will people be able to buy/drink Harriet Brewing beer?
Harriet Brewing: Well, Feb 9 just the Blue Nile. Feb 10 - add Muddy Pig, Groveland Tap, Bryant Lake Bowl, Buster's, the Hanger Room and most important of all, Harriet Brewing Company. The bars/restaurants mentioned will be selling our beer to be consumed on premises only. Harriet Brewing will be the only location selling "off-sale". We'll have growlers and 750 mL bottles available soon. Our goal is to maximize sales from the brewery and develop a close relationship with our market. We'll be posting our hours on the website soon.

Morph: We heard you played a role in changing the growler legislation in Minneapolis...what can you tell us about that experience?
Harriet Brewing: Before Harriet Brewing, microbreweries in Minneapolis weren't able to have any off-sales of alcohol. Brewpubs could, but production breweries couldn't. Even weirder, surrounding cities such as St. Paul allowed breweries to off-sell. I simply went to my local council member, Gary Schiff, and asked him if there was anything he could do. I had found the space in the Longfellow neighborhood, but wasn't interested unless I could sell growlers. Gary immediately ran with it and created the Brew Beer Here! campaign. Just a couple of months later, the statute was amended. Thanks Gary!

Morph: What inspires you to do what you do, and how do you keep motivated when things get tough?
Harriet Brewing: It's all about the beer. I love the craft. Whenever I get stressed out or caught up in the minutiae of the business, I remember, without the beer, nothing matters. So it's kind of my home base or grounding point. When things get tough, I brew. That brings me back to why I do this in the first place. I know that if I brew a good beer, then I will be successful.

Morph: What Twin Cities neighborhood do you live in, and what do you like about it?
Harriet Brewing: West Side of Lake Harriet aka Linden Hills. Sense of community. And the lake. And our exact location in respect to everything else... And Sebastian Joe's. I spent many hours drinking coffee there while hammering out my economic model and business plan. The employees and regulars there are some of my biggest fans. Clancey's is amazing. They know everyone by name there, and I feel that sense of small town community living here. Note that our first beer, Harriet's West Side, is a tribute to our neighborhood. Love it.

Morph: What are some of your other favorite things about living in the Twin Cities?
Harriet Brewing: Bike paths. The lakes. Yoga (my wife owns Devanadi Yoga Studio in Linden Hills). Great community, great growing beer crowd.

Morph: What are some things you like to do for fun (besides making beer)?
Harriet Brewing: Cycle, cook, rock climb, meditate, hang with my son (4, River) and wife (Tanya). Travel when I can.

Morph: If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be?
Harriet Brewing: I'd have dinner with my Grandma, Andra Sowards. She passed away a few years ago, and always was there for me. I think she'd be relieved, impressed and my biggest fan (after my wife). I miss her.