The Sociable Story

It all started when…

Owners Wade Thompson (left) and Jim Watkins (right) shortly after opening the taproom in 2013.

Comrades Wade Thompson and Jim Watkins embarked on a journey away from their careers in finance. After a cross country road trip and a few bottles of Wade’s father’s homemade cider throughout the years, the idea fell on their lap: they wanted to bring good* cider to Minnesota.

Spitting some ideas back and forth—the concept of Sociable: a two-seated bicycle AND the act of being social, rose to the top. The rest came almost too easily—and before they knew it—products that are now Sociable household names, like Freewheeler and Training Wheels, were born.

Decidedly different

Wanting to bring enjoyable cider to the market in Minnesota led to us rethinking the cider category as a whole. Most of what existed before our opening in 2013 was overly sweet, artificial, and in no way a good alternate to beer. So, we took a “decidedly different” approach to making cider and are notoriously unafraid to add unique ingredients like hops, grains, habaneros (see Burn Out), etc. to Sociable ciders.

In this same vein, we’ve grown to expand our beverage line-up and brew Squoze Hard Seltzer and Superior Craft Elixirs (non-alcoholic).

Best shared with a friend

Referring back to the premise of Sociable—a two-seated bicycle AND the act of being social, it’s no surprise that these pints are best shared with good company. Corral your crew to the taproom or pick up a pack from your local bottle shop.

Jim Watkins