Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you and your current job?
I am Chris Kolve, one of the Co-Founders of Wabasha Brewing. I am CEO and do the administrative work here.Brett, the other Co-Founder, and I were brewing in his garage on as one barrel set up for ourselves. Friends and family would tell us how good the beer was and I had a few people tell me we should open a brewery. So that was the start. We wanted to do classic styles and quality beer. We started with cream ale, porter, and amber. We added IPA’s and seasonal a little later.
What was the inspiration behind your brewery?
We are in an old brewing area, we’re brewing started in Minnesota, so we decided to go with an old school name and being on Wabasha street, it just fell into place.
Can you give us a tour of your beer scene?
Our beer scene is very eclectic, ranging from classic and old school to new and experimental and even gluten free.Six more breweries have opened since we did only two years ago and more are scheduled this year. So the scene is also growing quickly.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a brewery?
My advice to others? The same we have learned, plan for things to take twice as long and cost twice as much, if not more. Also, plan for expansion. Everyone we talk to says the same. Don’t paint yourself into a corner by planning for expansion.
facebook.com/Wabasha-Brewing-Company
