October 10, 2011
Surly Brewing Co. is inspiring smaller breweries to take a chance and help build Minnesota's burgeoning craft brewing scene.
1
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, USA — Surly Brewing Co. owner Omar Ansari serves beer to patrons before a tour at Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. Ansari started the business when he sold his first keg in 2006. Surly has grown tenfold since then, and Ansari recently helped pass the "Surly bill," which allows his business to sell glasses of beer on site and paves the way for expansion into a destination brewery and restaurant. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
2
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — A line forms outside Surly Brewing Co. before a tour in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. Surly uses social media to announce and direct their tours, which end up filling in minutes. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
3
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — Becca Ansari listens to her husband, Surly Brewing Co. owner Omar Ansari, during a tour at Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
4
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — Surly Brewing Co. owner Omar Ansari addresses a tour group at his Brooklyn Center, Minn. company Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. Ansari's brewery is based in a building his parents used for their abrasives business. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
5
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, USA — A Surly Brewing Co. employee finishes a day's work in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. The brewery has grown from the sale of 1,748 kegs in 2006 to more than 34,000 kegs this year. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
6
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — Patrons sample beer and socialize before a tour at Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
7
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — Surly Brewing Co. owner Omar Ansari enjoys a beer while chatting with Dan Smith during a tour of the Brooklyn Center, Minn. brewery Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
8
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — The hand prints of Surly Brewing Co. owner Omar Ansari and his family are left in a poured cement floor at Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
9
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — Brewing equipment sits idle at the end of a work day at Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
10
Brooklyn Center, Minn., USA — Tour coordinator Keith Doten directs patrons from the sample room back to the brewery at Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
11
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, USA — Surly Brewing Co. owner Omar Ansari said he waited a couple of years after starting his brewery to get the Surly logo tattooed on his arm because he wanted to make sure the business was going to be successful. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo
Nature Valley Grand Prix
Photos from the Uptown Minneapolis Criterium on Friday.
Former Nazi SS commander
The AP says a Minneapolis man has a secret past.
Como Zoo's Gorilla Forest
Get a look inside the largest mesh gorilla enclosure in North America.
Appetites: Summer relishes
The trick to a dish is often just the right twist of flavor.
Minnesota Scenes: May
Your photos from Run or Dye, the same sex marriage debate and more.
Scrambling for cattle feed
Visit a Minnesota dairy operation caught in a feed shortage.
Clancey's Meats and Fish
Grilling season is here, and we visit this old school Minneapolis merchant.
Heart of the Beast May Day Parade
The annual tradition in Powderhorn Park attracts thousands of people
The deadly St. Paul landslide
Two children died on a fossil hunting school field trip.
The family cabin getaway tradition
Take a look as a family opens their cabin in a remote part of the state.