Visited: July 31, 2021

Opened: 2017

Annual Production: 1,500 bbl

Contributors: Jon Hughes, Ralph Wells

Wort is produced at Schell's brewery and brought here for fermentation and aging in wooden fermenters salvaged from Schell's original cellar.

Jonny Hughes provides this trip report:

The Starkeller is a wholly-owned subsidiary of August Schell Brewing Company.

It was built for the purpose of producing (aging) and showcasing the company's "Noble Star" branded Berliner Weissbiers, a series of beers which is now entering its third year.

The Starkeller is located about two miles north of the original brewery, with the property also being used to serve two agricultural functions in addition to the taproom / lagering site: Several acres will be used to grow a portion of the barley used in the brewing of the parent company's "Fort Hoad Helles", with several more dedicated to the growing of hops for use in the Starkeller's own Berliner-styled brands.

Worth noting that the parent brewery will provide the wort for Starkeller, as the latter does not have a full brewery on-site for the purpose of producing wort.

Side Note: Both 03/03/2017 and 03/04/2017 were a soft opening. My college buddies and I were down for Bockfest and attended the first night, arriving about 4 PM.

The whole Marti clan was there. along with a few VIPs, locals, and other early-arriving Bockfest revelers.

There was food available and it was of the "amuse-bouche" variety.

In the future similar options will be available to pair with Jace's Berliners and "Sours", but the food offerings will never approach the standard meat and potatoes styled offerings of brewpub fair, or even tread on the toes of other New Ulm area's German cuisine institutions (such as the German fair of Vegel's Kaiserhof.)

My understanding is that Schell is treading lighty, here. They do not want to offend the bar and restaurants who have been their customers for so long by competing directly, and so they won't do that.

Starkeller will be open to the public perhaps eighteen hours per week in-total -- it was never meant to be a "regular bar", but more as a way to showcase the Berliner traditions in a unique, rural setting.

Likewise, while in future there may be clothing and glassware available for sale, there was nothing available for the soft opening.

Also, by Minnesota state law August Schell is too large to sell either their own 750 mL "Noble Star" series Berliner Weissbiers or to fill traditional (750mL or 64oz) growlers from other breweries or brewpubs.

By law, no Minnesota brewery producing over 20,000 Bbl may sell or fill growlers, and Schell exceeded 20,000 barrels in the early 1990s.

Finally, I am guessing that an outdoor beer garden will be added in the future. For the sneak preview the barley and hop fields were still early spring mud, but there's potential! The freshly-paved parking lot is also large enough to host outdoor events should they choose to do so.

Updated: August 1, 2021

• 2017-03-03: Starkeller tap room opens for Bock Fest (New Ulm Journal)

• Beat Laboratory 2019
  Belgian-Style Fruit Beer
  6.80% abv.
  • Date: July 31, 2021 (#10670)
    Package: draught
    Place: at the brewery
    Score: 20 points
    Appearance (3)
    Red. Opaque. Dense head.
    Aroma (4)
    Cherries. Tart. Mildly malty.
    Mouthfeel (10)
    Medium body, moderate carbonation. Tart cherries, not all that sweet. Nice malt background. Oaky, mild dill character, especially in the finish.
    Overall Impression (3)
    As good as any Kriek I've tasted. Aged on Michigan cherries.