Just got this email from Surly... hope they change the laws, this sounds awesome! 
Surly Nation:
As you know, it's been an exciting five years at Surly Brewing. Thanks for enjoying our beer! We've continued to expand over the last several years but now it's time to take a big step. It's time to add another brewery location to meet demand and help more people "Get Surly."
Surly Brewing produced nearly three million pints of beer in 2010. We've already expanded our Brooklyn Center brewery as much as possible but it still isn't enough - you keep asking for more Surly beer and we can't keep up. That's why we are ready to toast success and build a second brewery.
A Place To Gather: A Destination Brewery, Bar/Restaurant and Event Center
But we don't just want to build a new brewery. We want to build a "destination brewery" for Minnesota and national beer lovers alike. The new $20 million Surly Brewery we've planned will have a bar, roof deck, restaurant and even an event center. It will be a place for people to gather and socialize over a Minnesota beer, right here in Minnesota.
But to do all this, we need a few things to happen (and we might need some help from you). Currently, Minnesota liquor licensing laws only allow brewpubs, not breweries, to brew and sell their beer on the premises. Surly Brewing is classified differently than brewpubs because we brew more beer than is allowed under a brewpub license, making it impossible for us to include a bar or restaurant within any brewery we want to build.
We Need A Change In The Law
Surly Brewing isn't looking for tax breaks or government handouts, we are only asking to be able to apply for a license to have a bar and a restaurant attached to a brewery. The existing law prohibits this.
We believe this law change will not only help small breweries in Minnesota grow and produce even more great beer, but it will create jobs, stimulate the local economy and help create tax dollars that will go right back into Minnesota. This is an evolution of our small business and we are excited about the possibilities.
Surly Brewing is taking its case to legislators right now. For more details about what we are planning, check out www.surlybrewing.com and visit our Facebook page. We will have updates regularly. We are going to need your help soon, but for now, the best thing you can do is tell friends, family, and co-workers who care about Minnesota beer, Minnesota business and Minnesota jobs to follow us on Facebook (http://on.fb.me/4I71Pj)
or Twitter www.twitter.com/surlybrewing. We will let you know how to help very soon. It's looking like we are going to need EVERYONE'S help to get this done.
Thanks again.
GET SURLY
See you drinking,
Omar Ansari
