Lost Saint Brewery president and brewmaster Mike Lahti stands on the new deck in front of the building which will house the brewery, above.

A question that has been asked quite often in the past many months is, when is the new brewery in Blue Earth going to open up?

The answer, according to Mike Lahti, the president and owner of the Lost Saint Brewing Company, is soon, very soon.

“We plan to be open in mid-May or early June,” Lahti said last week. “Things are really moving along now, construction-wise.”

Lost Saint Brewing Company was conceived by Lahti in April of 2021 and was first going to be established on Main Street in downtown Blue Earth, but now is located in a building behind the Blue House business, at 317 S. Grove Street (Highway 169), the former site of Don’s Fleet Farm shop.

Lahti says the major construction has been completed, including plumbing, electrical and restrooms. Now he and his crew will seal the walls and floor, construct the bar, hook up the brewing equipment and bring in tables, stools and chairs.

When it opens, it will be able to seat 72 people inside, and more outside on the deck.

Lahti is excited to get brewing and let people sample the result.

“There will be 17 taps that will feature five year round beers, seven seasonal offerings, one cider, one seltzer, one cold pressed coffee and one in house made root beer,” Lahti says. “The brewery will also carry some regionally made wines and have some non-alcohol offerings as well.”

There will also be some light food offerings to start with, and more food items added later.

Lahti is a 1989 graduate of Blue Earth Area High School, and started his career in the beer brewing industry in 2001 as a “bottle wrangler” at Lake Superior Brewing in Duluth.

He has gained a lot of knowledge of brewing by furthering his career at different breweries around the U.S.

He worked as a “cellarman” at Harpoon Brewing in Vermont/Boston and Upland Brewing in Bloomington, Indiana. He took on his first head brewing job at Figure 8 Brewing in Valparaiso, Indiana, and from there was involved with a startup brewery with a group out of Bakersfield, California.

In 2020 he returned to Minnesota and was employed by Schell’s in New Ulm until COVID hit. During that time he began formulating a plan to open his own brewery and started recruiting investors, both local ones and some from out of state.

He has been working lately as a fill-in head brewer for LTS in Rochester and Lake Time Brewing in Clear Lake, Iowa, as he was bringing the Lost Saint to life.

“I’m looking forward to having Lost Saint Brewing serving as a meeting spot for local and regional beer enthusiasts,” Lahti says. “With the close proximity of I-90 and ease of access the highway, the hope is to be a destination trip for beer drinkers and help introduce the Blue Earth community to people that aren’t familiar with it.”

Lahti adds that he has lots of plans for entertainment at Lost Saint, including live music and standup comedy monthly.

“I also want to be involved in the community,” he says. “I plan on having Lost Saint Brewing participating in various community events and fundraisers.”