New Ulm Journal photo The Sleepy Eye Brewing Company opened to the public Friday. The brewery is located in the same building as Sleepy Eye Coffee Company and experienced a capacity crowd on opening day.

SLEEPY EYE — The long-awaited Sleepy Eye Brewing Company opened for business Friday and experienced a packed house on its opening day.

The brewery is located at 121 Main St. W. in Sleepy Eye in the former movie theater. The Sleepy Eye Coffee Company, which opened in October, operates out of the same location.

Manager Kelly Krzmarzick said they were excited to get started, and the opening was perfect. Sleepy Eye Brewing Company was at full capacity Friday. Krzmarzick said “the patrons enjoyed the atmosphere and the beer. It was a great night.”

Krzmarzick praised the staff for making the opening weekend go smoothly; especially considering the size of the crowds attending the opening. The staff has 10 part-time employees between the ages of 21 and 50. All have another full-time job. Krzmarzick said this is their fun job.

On opening night the pub had nine different drinks on tap. A 10th drink was added Saturday night called Lubbert Lager and named after brewer Arron Lubbert.

Krzmarzick said they wanted to begin with 10 beers on tap. Others will be introduced at later dates. A hard seltzer will likely be next, but others will be kept a secret to build suspense.

The initial 10 beers on tap include Wide Awake Stout, Night Shift Porter, Cruisin Main IPA, Eye Candy Blonde, Crazy Aunt Kolsch, Farm Hand Saison, Peaches and Kareem, Seasonal Disorder Pale Ale, Sleepy Eye Cream Ale, Ripplin Rye IPA and Lubbert Lager.

Krzmarzick said the patrons will help the Sleepy Eye Brewing determine interest levels in beer. Customers can sample the beers in flights of four. The flights are served in a custom-made serving tray shaped like a film reel. The film reel is a reference to the building’s previous life as a movie theater.

Couples will buy two flights and take turns sampling the beers to find their favorite. Krzmarzick said, Crazy Aunt Kolsch seems to be the most popular. He said it is comparable to other light beers in the area. The menu describes it as a clean, crisp, easy-drinking beer.

The brewing company does have limited concessions when the coffee side is closed. They serve pretzels, garlic cheese bread, and pizza.

Sleepy Eye Brewing Company is unique compared to typical small-town bars in terms of space. Since it shares the same space with Sleepy Eye Coffee Company, one side is coffee and the other side is beer.

“The cool thing is we overlap with the coffee cafe on Saturdays,” Krzmarzick said, “Nothing goes better with sandwiches and a cold beverage.”

Another fun aspect is the openness of the building. The brewing equipment is in open view of patrons.

Krzmarzick said people walked in and are surprised to see it. Usually, the equipment is hidden or behind glass. The first thing they do is take a picture with their phones.

“It is really exciting,” he said.

Over the first weekend, visitors have stopped at the brewery from New Ulm, Redwood Falls and Mankato. Krzmarzick is confident the brewery will be great for business in the region.

Sleepy Eye Brewing is open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.