Located in Minneapolis, MN
Sam and Catherine at Sisyphus Brewing
Tucked away in a back alley in downtown Minneapolis, we discover Sisyphus Brewing and say hi to Sam and Catherine, the friendly owners tending to a crowd of customers. It's a clean space with rich wooden furniture and an industrial overhang. The family pup lounges around while some play shuffleboard on the side. Much like a playground, I feel right at home. "We want to give our customers a comfort spot to hang out. The comedy show nights always bring in a crowd and we would love to expand on that idea," says Sam.
But what's truly special about his dedication is his philosophy to brewing. Sisyphus is named after the Greek legend about a man who's basically condemned to push a rock up a hill for all eternity. Sam was a philosophy major back in the day who studied Albert Camus, another philosopher and an "all around cool dude," he says. "For me, the constant struggle, like pushing the boulder up the hill, is a representation of life's and brewing's constant challenges. And after meeting Catherine, I found meaning through the creation of my beers."
Of course a man is only as good as his other half. While he took care of customers with dying beer questions, Catherine came over to offer her own insights on running the business. One might think that working with your significant other would be perilous at best, but these two pull it off perfectly. Like two hands on a clock, they each run differently but in the same direction. Sam; the beer chemistry, Catherine; the marketing logistics. It's a super dynamic duo.
Similarly, the beer scene in Minneapolis is chugging along. "A big part is the education," says Sam. "A few years ago the idea of a sour beer would be strange in Minneapolis but it's definitely on the rise as people become aware". Who knows what might happen in the next few years but it's exciting to see its development so far. As for Sisyphus, it will continue to crank out new batches and taps every week - that's their promise to the customers. I asked if Sam would ever start bottling his best ones and a smirk appeared, "Though there's little room for error, because a bad batch would set us back on our bottom line due to our size, the idea has certainly crossed my mind." Whatever happens, Sam and Catherine are a pair to reckon with and they make a really tasty brew, so check them out!
