Able Seedhouse + Brewery

 Last weekend, a couple of long time buddies and I went to Able Seedhouse + Brewery.

One of my buddies had been there previously. This was a place that I had wanted to see because it used to be the maintenance building for the Minneapolis Public Schools when the district headquarters was at 807 Broadway (before they moved into 1250 Broadway North on the other side of the river). Before being the district headquarters, it was a light bulb factory. There is some really cool history on that corner.

None of us had been in the maintenance building before. The guys at Able did a great job of turning it into a taproom while keeping the industrial feel. They kept the exposed metal beams in the ceiling. They kept the concrete floor (although it looks like the poured a new floor with drainage under the fermenters). They added lots of wood and metal. The bar and bar back is a terrific mix of these two. On the bar back, there is, what I thought was lighting, a light diagonal stripe that goes up from the bar with the edges being matched in stainless behind the taps.  When I looked closer, it is actually two different stains to make the long, left had side of an uppercase "A".  

The word that comes to mind when describing the interior of Able is simple. The tables, chairs, and bar stools are basic but fit in the design perfectly.  The exposed piping in the ceiling blends new and old really well.  The tap handles appear to be simple dowels with a tiny splash of color and carving. The flight paddle is a 2x4 with a rounded edge. All the little details support the bigger picture.  

Sadly, we didn't get into the brewery part. So, let's talk beer.