fruit brandy
It all begins with the fruit. But it goes much further than that at the Dampfwerk.
Skin-on-fermentation is what we do here in our distillery, which is a fancy way of saying that we use the whole fruit in our fermentation process. It’s expensive, arduous, and messy, but it provides a full-bodied fruit brandy that we are proud to sip eau de vie style, or barrel aged.
BARRELED APPLE BRANDY
Meet a more mature Tilli.
Our whimsical muse has aged slightly from our original Apple Brandy. She still embodies The Dampfwerk Distillery’s unique blend of European-style tradition with an unexpected American twist. Our Barreled Apple Brandy, produced from Minnesota-grown apples, are naturally fermented and distilled in the highest-quality copper still and lightly aged in French oak. She is as delightful as her younger self but perhaps a bit mellower, sweeter, and more complex.
The first layer
Most of the flavor comes from right underneath the skin. Imagine smelling an unopened apple, now reimagine it being sliced and those aromas from underneath the peel being released.
PEAR BRANDY
Meet Gwen.
Our fair sister has a profile that closely resembles a breeze blowing through an orchard of Bartlett pear trees: floral, fragrant, and delicate. This Pear Brandy, produced by hand-selected Bartlett Pears, also known as Williams-Christ Birne, was distilled in our German copper stills to capture this elegant, delicate, and textured flavor. Gwen will lead you on a journey to savor.
Copper fruit brandy still
Our hand-hammered pot/column still was crafted and imported from the Black Forest in Germany.
There is a lot of science around “why copper”, “why a pot still”, and “why only four plates?”
Our pull to this type of still is simple, tradition. Dating back centuries, southern-German distillers utilized the copper fruit brandy still for their brandy making process.
Wisdom. Heritage. Experience
BARRELED GRAPE IMMATURE BRANDY
Meet Ivey.
Our seriously immature and sprightly muse, depicted on the front label, embodies The Dampfwerk Distillery’s unique blend of European-style tradition with an unexpected American twist. Like Ivey, the grapes used in our contemporary Grape Brandy are complex, yet lively and refreshing. Our hardy Minnesota-bred Frontenac Gris & Blanc grapes along with Sabervois are fermented and distilled to showcase their enticing peach and citrus aroma, then aged in oak for less than two years.
Why Fruit Brandy?
Growing up, Ralf saw how fruit brandy played an integral part of German cuisine and customs. When our owner and head distiller came over to the United States 30 years ago (and counting), he saw that all of the sausages, beer, and Oktoberfest celebrations made its presence, but not fruit brandies.
It’s about sharing something from our family to yours. It’s about honing in on the science and art that Brandy distillers in Germany have perfected over hundreds of years. It’s about bringing something new to the table, here in the Twin Cities.
APPLE BRANDY
Meet Tilli.
Our whimsical muse, depicted on the front label, embodies The Dampfwerk Distillery’s unique blend of European-style tradition with an unexpected American twist. Like Tilli, our contemporary Apple Brandy is a delightful surprise, similar to that first bite of a crisp apple. Our Minnesota-grown apples are naturally fermented and distilled in the highest-quality copper stills to showcase the apple’s natural essence and aroma.