After filling our stomachs at Forager Brewery and saying goodbye to my brother and his family, we braved the unseasonably cold weather and made the short trip to our second and final destination of the night. When we arrived and I climbed out of the car I took note of the vast difference between this and our last stop. While it didn’t appear as polished, LTS Brewing promised good beer and we were going to take them up on the offer.
Founded in 2013 and opening in early 2015 LTS Brewing is a salt of the earth brewery run out of an industrial space right outside of downtown Rochester. Born, like so many other breweries, out of a dream and a chance partnership, Brandon Schulz and Jeff Werning hope to build a community around their brewery and promote their idea that “life’s too short to drink bad beer.” A noble cause!
There is nothing fancy or flashy about their taproom but it’s warm and inviting. It was quiet when we entered with only a handful of people enjoying their beers in quiet conversation. We’d arrived a little later in the evening so it was easy to grab a seat and take in their tap list. I’m always surprised by the variety of beers you can find at these small microbreweries. Delighted as well, since I love trying something new. Another pleasant surprise was discovering they offered a soda flight alongside the beer. I love this option since we usually have a driver to appease. In this case our driver was pregnant, so the soda was extremely welcome.
I got a flight of five beers, and three of the five garnered a star in my notes. Those three were named Karma, Inspiration Mango, and Fun. Karma was a kolsch: light, crisp, crystal clear, and bready. Very well balanced. Inspiration Mango was labeled an American IPA. It was infused with mango and had an extremely melony aroma and flavor with a light mango flavor. The last was Fun, a Belgian style blond. I’m not a huge fan of Belgians but this one didn’t have as much sweetness as normal and was really smooth. I flagged it as one of my favorite Belgians. That’s a good sign, but could also be attributed to being the last beer of the night!
While LTS Brewing isn’t as flashy as some other breweries in the state, there is an honesty to them. They’re just trying to brew good craft beer and share their love of it with a larger audience. I hope they succeed. Visit in the warmer months and you’ll be able to enjoy their patio that adjoins the taproom, something we weren’t able to try. Be sure to include LTS Brewing in any itinerary near the Rochester area, and if you don’t drink beer you can still visit for the soda!
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