Oswald Brewing Company

Photo: Art Sidner

Blue Earth | Oswald Brewing Company

John Oswald took quite a meandering path before ending up with his own business in Blue Earth, but he’s definitely glad to be back in the southern Minnesota area.

Oswald, a Frost native, moved out to Colorado with his wife Tammy after the two of them graduated college. There, they got into the local craft beer scene, even starting to brew their own drinks at home. While they enjoyed their lives in Colorado, though, they longed for a homier place to raise their two kids.

“It was a big, rushed lifestyle compared to raising the girls in more of a community that my wife and I were used to, something smaller and more genuine,” Oswald explained.

During a trip home to Minnesota to visit family, they happened to come through Blue Earth and notice that a building on Main Street was for sale. It was in decidedly bad shape, but the couple saw the potential there to open their own brewery. They worked with the City of Blue Earth, which revised its ordinance against breweries, and ended up buying the building in 2013. The Oswalds tried to keep as much of the historic building, which had once been a bank, original as possible, only renovating or repurposing what they had to.

They officially opened Oswald Brewing Company in October 2015. They don’t have any employees yet, though friends and family will occasionally help when needed. They offer six beers on tap (Oswald’s personal favorite is the Berserker), along with seasonal specials, and have already sold 4,700 pints across the bar.

“We’ve been getting really nice support from the local community and the extended community as well,” Oswald said. “Considering how little we’re advertising right now, I’m feeling really excited about what’s happening.”

Address: 110 South Main Street
Telephone: (507) 526-3101
Website: oswaldbrewingcompany.com