Hallock Keeps Business Brewing

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Minnesota is no stranger to the craft beer scene. Breweries continue to pop up all around the state, not just in the Twin Cities metro. Brothers Ryan and Joshua Evenson, along with their spouses, Lindsey and Ashley, opened a new microbrewery business in Hallock on February 24, 2017: Revelation Aleworks.

“It was a dream of ours for a long time,” said Ryan, “Lindsey and I lived in Oregon for about eight years. Josh and Ashley lived in Oregon too. We fell in love with craft beer. It was always a ‘someday’ dream until this building became available.”

The building is located at 146 Atlantic Avenue, the former Johnson Oil service station (circa 1939). It features an industrial design with space for the seven barrel brewing system, seating for customers, and a unique curved glass block wall. The brothers worked a lot with tools and ladders during 2016, along with many hours of planning with Lindsey and Ashley, before the building was ready for customers.

The February 24, 25 2017 grand opening quickly grew to standing room only. Groovy Grub, a local food truck, provided a variety of food to compliment the brews: Pale Ale, IPA, Blonde Ale, Red Rye Ale, Brown Ale, and Chocolate Milk Ale. Since then, the business has grown by leaps and bounds, exceeding initial projections. By early April, the business had acquired 12 tap accounts from the greater Fargo/Moorhead area, east to Roseau and south to Crookston. Currently, Revelation Aleworks brews are found in 21 establishments in the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks area, Fargo/Moorhead and northwest Minnesota.

Ryan said, “People are loving the beer. The local support has been fantastic. We have lots of regulars.” 

The Evensons are Hallock natives, and now they even grow their own hops on a nearby farmstead. They considered Grand Forks as a potential site, but felt they needed a small town, and their own home town was the ideal location. Local support for new breweries is the key to their success. With Kittson County’s population on the decline, the new small business development benefits the community and local economy. Revelation Ales also donates a portion of their profits to support local nonprofits.

Interested in opening your own microbrewery? The Evenson’s advice: Take your budget and double it. That was the same wisdom that was given to them when they were starting out. It also took twice as long as they thought with a lot of nights and weekends.

Revelation Aleworks is open from 4:00 to 9:00 pm., Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit their website here.

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