From the Archives: The Letter

There are few things long-time Summit Brewing Co. fans know better than the lore of “The Letter.”

For those not familiar, we’ll tell the tale here.

A long, long (well not that long), time ago, in a land called Saint Paul…

Mark Stutrud began his education in beer, years before Summit Brewing Co. would exist. He learned brewing from two master brewers, studied the current landscape of beer in the U.S. and researched the feasibility of success in the local market, all before crafting the plan that would ferment into Summit. It was these ingredients that lead him to believe a brewery could be successful in the Twin Cities.

Stutrud met trouble when he reached out to the Brewer’s Association of America informing them of his plan. Their response was less than enthusiastic. He was informed it would be, “a long, hard road.”

But, as the hero of our story, we know Stutrud decided to walk down that long, hard road. He created that brewery, which still stands in St. Paul today.

Now, nearly 35 years later, that letter hangs on the wall in our Ratskeller beer hall reminding our team to keep pushing to be the best.

To hear the letter in full, read or watch below!