What Lake Monster Brewing does

Lake Monster Brewing is a craft brewery headquartered at 550 Vandalia Street #160, Vandalia Tower, Saint Paul, Minnesota, operating a single 12-tap taproom that serves year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers to local craft beer drinkers in the Twin Cities. The company brews a portfolio spanning IPAs (Depth Charge Juicy IPA, Most Most Hazy IPA, Notorious RBG IPA, Empty Rowboat IPA, Brut IPA), lagers and pilsners (Como Claw Pilsener, Last Fathom Wild Rice Lager), stouts and dark ales (Irish Dry Stout, Murmur Milk Stout, Noir Belgian Dubbel), fruited sours (Purple Rain), wheat and specialty styles (Blood Orange Citrus IPA, Apricot Wheat Ale, Apricot Gose), and a numbered Single Malt and Single Hop (SMASH) series using Rahr Pale Ale malt from Shakopee, MN. Technical execution emphasizes hop-forward juicy/hazy profiles (Cryo Citra, Bravo, Idaho 7, Strata, Citra, Vista, Galaxy) and adjunct-driven seasonal beers with locally-sourced inputs where possible.

The business operates through six revenue streams: direct taproom pint, crowler, and growler sales; statewide canned distribution to Minnesota liquor stores in 6-pack, 12-pack, and 15-pack formats; draft distribution to Twin Cities bars and restaurants; online crowler pre-orders fulfilled at the taproom (GoTab platform); private event-space rentals (three-hour blocks with a $100 deposit, accommodating ~50 seated or 80 mingling); and branded merchandise. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer-led, supplemented by regional wholesale. The on-site experience is differentiated by co-tenancy with King Coil Spirits (distillery, cocktail bar, Roman-style pizza) and OG Zaza (artisan thin-crust pizza, with delivery to taproom tables), and by community programming including the annual Monster Bash Halloween music festival, a Santa holiday event, and rotating food-truck partnerships. Marketing is concentrated in owned channels — website, email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram — plus earned media (Pioneer Press Beer of the Week, MN Brewers Cup awards) and partner cross-promotion.

Lake Monster Brewing is a privately held, founder-operated business co-founded by Matt Zanetti (Operations Manager) and Matt Lange (Head Brewer), with Jeremy Maynor on the team. The company has not raised institutional capital, has no parent or subsidiary structure, and operates entirely within Minnesota. It has been recognized with two MN Brewers Cup silvers (Como Claw Pilsener in Czech Lager, Purple Rain in Fruit Beer, both 2021) and runner-up honors in a 53-IPA Minnesota tasting. The brewery navigated COVID-19 by pivoting to pickup-only crowler sales and online pre-orders, a channel it has retained.

Name

Lake Monster Brewing

Legal name

Lake Monster Brewing

Website

https://lakemonsterbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lake Monster Brewing is a craft brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota operating a 12-tap taproom at Vandalia Tower. It sells year-round and seasonal beers through on-site sales, statewide Minnesota canned distribution, and Twin Cities draft accounts, supported by an event space and annual Monster Bash festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (312120)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD), Craft Beer Retail & Bottle Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAC), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Craft beer
• Brewery operations
• Taproom service
• Beer distribution
• Canned beer

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Taproom Beer Sales: Direct beer sales to consumers at the Lake Monster taproom, including pints, crowlers, and growlers. The taproom offers 12 taps with rotating seasonal and year-round beers.
2. Canned Beer Distribution: Sale of canned beer through statewide distribution to liquor stores, including 6-packs, 12-packs, and 15-packs. Notable releases include True Story Pale Ale in 15-packs, Notorious RBG IPA, Depth Charge Juicy IPA, and Most Most Hazy IPA.
3. Online Crowler Orders: Online pre-order system for crowlers (32oz to-go cans) with pickup at the taproom. Implemented during COVID-19 and continued as a sales channel.
4. Draft Beer Distribution: Draft beer distribution to bars and restaurants around the Twin Cities area.
5. Event Space Rental: Private event bookings for birthdays, corporate happy hours, baby showers, fundraisers, and rehearsal dinners. Available in three-hour blocks with $100 deposit.
6. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel through the online store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lake Monster Brewing is a craft brewery based in St. Paul, Minnesota that produces year-round, seasonal, and limited-release beers sold through its taproom, retail canning, and wholesale draft channels. The company also sells branded merchandise and rents its Vandalia Tower space for private events.

Product overview

Lake Monster Brewing is a craft brewery in Saint Paul, Minnesota operating a taproom and producing a portfolio of beer styles. The core product lineup consists of year-round offerings including Depth Charge Juicy IPA, Most Most Hazy IPA, True Story Pale Ale, Como Claw Pilsener, Empty Rowboat IPA, Murmur Milk Stout, Last Fathom Wild Rice Lager, and Purple Rain fruited sour. Seasonal and limited releases include Blood Orange Citrus IPA, Apricot Wheat Ale, Apricot Gose, Irish Dry Stout, Noir Belgian Dubbel, Brut IPA, Notorious RBG IPA, and the SMASH series. The company also operates an event space for private bookings and hosts the annual Monster Bash Halloween music festival. Food service is available through neighboring King Coil Spirits' Roman-style pizza. Beer is sold at the taproom, in cans (6-pack, 12-pack, 15-pack), and on draft at select locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Year-round craft beer lineup Core line of flagship craft beers produced and sold year-round through the Lake Monster Brewing taproom, its canning line, and draft wholesale channels.
• Seasonal craft beer releases Seasonally rotating craft beers released through the Lake Monster Brewing taproom, in cans, and on draft at wholesale partner locations.
• Limited-release craft beers Limited-edition small-batch beers produced for special occasions and taproom availability at Lake Monster Brewing.
• Lake Monster Brewing merchandise Branded apparel and goods sold to consumers through the brewery's retail and taproom channel.
• Event space rental Rental of the Lake Monster Brewing Vandalia Tower location for private functions and events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 2 silver awards at MN Brewers Cup 2021 (Czech Lager and Fruit Beer categories)

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• King Coil SpiritscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing Coil Spirits is a distillery, cocktail bar, and pizza restaurant located across the patio from Lake Monster taproom at Vandalia Tower. They offer Roman-style pizza that can be delivered directly to Lake Monster tables. The partnership includes cross-promotion at events like Monster Bash.
• OG ZazacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOG Zaza St. Paul is open at Vandalia Tower, right across from Lake Monster. They provide artisan thin-crust pizza that can be ordered from tables at the Lake Monster taproom, enhancing the food offerings for customers.
• Rahr Malting CominorOthersSupplier of Pale Ale malt from Shakopee, MN used in Lake Monster's SMASH beer series. The Rahr Pale Ale malt is kilned a touch darker than standard 2-row pale, providing more color and a toasted bread note.
• Sidewalk DogminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinneapolis-based dog resource website that created dog-friendly taproom guidelines adopted by Lake Monster Brewing when they began allowing dogs inside the taproom.
• St. Paul Corner DrugminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal pharmacy that partnered with Lake Monster Brewing for a COVID-19 vaccine pop-up event on May 10, 2021, offering free beer to vaccinated individuals.
• US Bartender's Guild Covid-19 Relief FundminorOthersA portion of proceeds from All Together IPA, brewed as part of a world-wide collaboration to support the hospitality industry during COVID-19, was donated to the US Bartender's Guild relief fund.
• Food Trucks (Young Man Japanese/Hawaiian Cuisine, Sweet Science Ice Cream, The Croffle Corner)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRotating food truck partners that set up at Monster Bash 2024 event. These partnerships enhance the event experience with diverse food options.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Castle Danger Brewing: Two Harbors, MN craft brewery with taproom and statewide MN distribution of IPAs, lagers, and seasonal offerings. Closely comparable regional craft peer with similar channel footprint.
• Surly Brewing Co. Minneapolis-based craft brewery with statewide distribution, large destination taproom, and similar award-focused brand identity. Direct regional competitor operating in the same Minnesota craft beer category and Twin Cities on-premise and off-premise channels.
• Bauhaus Brew Labs: Minneapolis craft brewery with taproom experience, mixed-style portfolio, and regional can distribution. Comparable in size, geography, and direct-to-consumer emphasis.
• Fulton Brewing: Minneapolis craft brewery producing a portfolio of year-round IPAs, lagers, and seasonal releases with Twin Cities taproom and broader regional distribution. Highly comparable product mix and channel structure.
• Indeed Brewing Company: Minneapolis craft brewery with taproom, statewide distribution, and focus on eclectic styles including IPAs, stouts, and seasonal sours. Competes in the same MN craft segment for shelf space and tap handles.
• Dangerous Man Brewing Co. Minneapolis neighborhood craft brewery operating a taproom and rotating draft/can lineup of IPAs, lagers, and creative small-batch releases. Comparable single-taproom, recipe-driven operating model.

Regional players

• Summit Brewing Company: St. Paul-based regional craft brewery with broader Midwest distribution and a long-running taproom/destination model. Same city as Lake Monster; competes for local craft drinkers but at meaningfully larger scale.
• Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. Iowa craft brewery with reputation for high-rated IPAs and stouts, regional distribution, and taproom operations. Comparable regional craft positioning and award-winning portfolio emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Bell's Brewery: Established Midwest craft brewer with broad national distribution across IPAs, stouts, and seasonal styles. Larger incumbent whose catalog overlaps directly with Lake Monster's categories at retail.
• New Belgium Brewing: National craft brewery with portfolio spanning IPAs, sours, lagers, and seasonal releases; taproom-plus-distribution model. Benchmarks category dynamics and competitive pressure for smaller craft players like Lake Monster.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lakemonsterbrewing
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakemonsterbrewing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-monster-brewing-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Monster Brewing