THE SHAKOPEE BREWHALL STORY
The Brewhall Story – The First Brewery & Coffee House
Pull up a stool in our historic brewhall where craft beer meets community, good times are bound to happen. Our outstanding collection of constantly changing brews is matched only by our genuine hospitality. Our team of beertenders look forward to striking up conversation, sharing a story, building relationships and pouring a beverage at the same time! Between Trivia Tuesdays, BINGO nights, and regular live music, our goal at is to bring our community together with our Shakopee Brewhall events. Whether you’re meeting up with an old friend or going downtown for family night out, stop by the Brewhall for a favorite brew and to try a new infusion!
Supporting the Community
OUR BEER AND COFFEE SERVING TEAM
Kristi
Caitlin
Holly
Jennifer
John
Claire
Ben Salyards
Head Brewer
Ben grew up in Duluth, Minnesota. His first experience with beer was when his father, who he doesn’t remember drinking while growing up, handed him a beer while sitting on a dock at his cabin north of Duluth. Before that experience he never thought of beer as an appealing beverage, but the Lion Stout, out of Sri Lanka, completely opened his eyes and birthed a passion for brewing. Within a month he was already homebrewing and on a search to find the next greatest tasting beer. Ben has been brewing for 12 years now, 3 of which professionally. Before the Shakopee Brewhall he was the head brewer at The Herkimer Pub and Brewery in Uptown. He attributes his background quite a bit to how and why he comes up with the styles and flavors that he does. He was originally educated in Sociolinguistic Anthropology with a focus on East Asian Multilingualism Acquisition; specifically focused on language acquisition among Japanese housewife communities and how multilingualism was used to combat traditional gendered dichotomies. As a result he approaches beer from a cultural and historical angle. He loves to find old beer styles in an attempt to bring a new style to the customer base. Ben and his wife Kimleng live in Eden Prairie with their son, Ewan. The Brewhall is grateful to have Ben brewing so many good styles of beer!
Sean
Taproom Manager
Sean joined the Brewhall team as a beertender as side-hustle in 2018 not really knowing what he was getting himself into. Due to a series of unfortunate events he finds himself being the taproom manager and “doer of things”. In addition to managing the front of house, Sean has enjoyed getting to know the production side of the brewery, whether it be keg washing, hop additions, or packaging beer. Sean comes to the Brewhall from an eighteen-year teaching career in public schools as a music teacher. He still has a regular gig as a musician in a couple local churches, and like a true music nerd, loves to rock out to classical music. When he isn’t at the Brewhall (which is rare), he enjoys cooking, baking, being outdoors, and traveling the world whenever he can. Sean’s idea of beer happiness is a flavor-filled Belgian beer of just about any kind.
Lindsey Forbes
Communications Manager
Lindsey started with the Brewhall shortly before the doors opened and was very new to craft beer. You will usually find her snapping photos of customers, planning events and working closely with the management team to ensure the Shakopee BrewHall brand is seen by everyone. As a recent college graduate, she is very energetic and loves the #sharemorethanabeer premise of the local brewery. While she isn’t working, Lindsey loves to hang out with her dog, run and check out other Minnesota hotspots.
Damon Schuler
CFO
Damon grew up in Owatonna with one younger brother and two younger sisters. His first job was working on a farm picking rocks, pulling weeds and stacking hay bales in barns. The upside to working in the hot, dusty barn was the ice-cold beer waiting at the end. That love for beer started early and continues to this day. Damon spent 24 years at McNally Smith College of Music in various finance and accounting roles while earning his MBA from Carlson School of Management. While earning his MBA, Damon took several entrepreneurial courses and the dream of opening a brewery began. Damon credits his wife Jodi for allowing him the opportunity to exit a rewarding career and pursue his dreams despite the financial impact it would have on the family. Damon and Jodi have two daughters, Alexis and Avery. When he’s not at the brewery, he enjoys watching his daughters participate in dance, soccer and hockey. He also enjoys golf and taking family vacations.
Ryan Lindquist
CEO
Ryan’s primary role with the Brewhall is focused on marketing – listening to customers, building relationships and keeping a pulse on business trends. His background leans towards the marketing, business development and engineering, in previous lives, he worked both in the telecommunications (ADC Telecom) and medical devices (Data Sciences International) industry. When he is not hanging at the Brewhall, you can expect him to be running with the family, listening to some tunes and/or trying to whip up some new witty thought. Love you Kelly!
