Bemidji Brewing began as a shared vision between Justin “Bud” & Tina Kaney and Tom & Megan Hill. Bud and Tom met while attending Bemidji State University, and shared a few home brewed beers that Tom had made. It was clear how passionate Tom was about beer, both brewing and the culture surrounding it.

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Bud and Tom both graduated from BSU and went their separate ways, across the United States. While working in their respective industries, Bud’s entrepreneurial spirit grew while Tom’s thirst for beer knowledge continued to expand. Along the way, Bud and Tina crossed paths as did Tom and Megan.

Being two sharp guys, they both knew right away that these ladies were top notch. In the late 2000’s

Bud and Tina contacted Tom with the idea to open a brewery in Minnesota, and intense planning

began to make that dream a reality. Bemidji Brewing was formally organized in 2011. 

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In 2012, Bemidji Brewing launched a successful crowdfunded Kickstarter campaign, raising over $17,000. This allowed the Company to purchase its initial equipment- a mere .75 barrel (bbl) or 25 gallon system. In partnership with Harmony Co-op, who had recently opened a Commercial Kitchen space, Bemidji Brewing moved the brewing system in and out of the space each time they brewed-- even through snow storms and sub-zero temps! Enough beer was made to supply one account in Bemidji. This small system allowed Bemidji Brewing to prove to lenders that there was a market thirsty for locally produced beer in Bemidji. 

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The success of Bemidji Brewing’s nano brewery paved the way to secure funding to purchase a bigger system (1.5bbls) and secure a lease in downtown Bemidji. The doors of Bemidji Brewing’s first taproom opened in July 2013. The four owners were all working to get the Taproom off the ground, and as is the case with small business, wore all the hats including serving their beer directly to customers. The 401 Beltrami Taproom was a success and in 2014 the Company was able to reinvest in a full 3 bbl system. 

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In 2015 Bemidji Brewing made the first steps of its largest expansion to date. An empty building at the edge of downtown Bemidji was purchased in August 2015 and a total renovation began. The building was gutted and prepared to receive a brand new 15bbl brew house and expanded taproom. This exciting expansion was completed in 2016 and the Taproom doors opened to the public in mid-July of that year. This significant volume increase allowed Bemidji brewing to expand the distance that its beer traveled, to other accounts and communities. Until this time, Bemidji Brewing’s distribution radius was about 1 block around the Taproom! 

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In the subsequent years since its major expansion, Bemidji Brewing has added fermenters and cellar tanks to increase its capacity and began canning its products. Bemidji Brewing entered the Brainerd Lakes market during the summer of 2019, and in 2020 expanded its distribution footprint west to Grand Forks and Fargo/Moorhead. 

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In addition to the tremendous support Bemidji Brewing has received from Northern Minnesota, the Company has also been fortunate to be awarded 3 national awards for their beer. In 2015, the Double Porter won a Silver Medal at the Great American Beer Festival. 2016 brought with it two awards for our best selling German Blonde including the Bronze Medal at the World Beer Cup and the Bronze Medal at the Great American Beer Festival.