n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C2
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026
n www.thecarillon.com
Agriculture Now
GREG VANDERMEULEN THE CARILLON
Milt Olfert stands with some of the equipment used in the beer making process.
From dairy to brewery, Blumstein Brewing Co. finds niche
by GREG VANDERMEULEN R ecreate a disused milking par- lour, find a dedicated brewmas- ter who loves to come up with new recipes and add a pinch of Men- nonite satire, and you have a recipe for success. That’s what Milt Olfert and Mark Von Riesen are finding out after nearly two years of operating Blumstein Brewery Co. in the RM of Stanley between Mor- den and Winkler. Their dedication to unique flavours and penchant for making light-heart- ed fun of Mennonite stereotypes have resulted in a line of beers rapidly gain- ing traction on Manitoba’s craft beer scene. After all, according to their website, at the end of the day they’re “just a cou- ple of Menno boys making beer.” Even the name of the brewery is a homage to the history of the area. Blumstein was the name given to a rural school district established in 1887. That’s where the Olferts began their dairy farm. “It is here where a dairy farm was built the Mennonite way – up at dawn, chores to do, cows to milk and feed, followed by more chores, and final- ly at the end of a hard day’s work one would open the secret cellar and crack open a cold beer, so long as no one else was looking,” the website states. “You wouldn’t dare get caught drinking or dancing on a Mennonite farm. Today, this dairy operation is now a craft beer brewing operation, no more hiding – unless of course you want to. Your se- cret’s safe with us.” Because “blum” translates to flower and “stein” to stone, partners Olfert and Von Riesen chose a skull of a dairy cow inset with flowers as their logo. “The dairy is dead,” Olfert said. “Now we have new flowers growing in the stone of the skull, bringing to life Blumstein Brewing Company.” “The flowers on our skull and some of our cans were very common flowers that the Mennonites would often paint
GREG VANDERMEULEN THE CARILLON
The waste product generated by the process can still be used for animal feed.
ers”. Frintshauft Zitsung Session IPA translates to a social hangout or sit- down with friends, and they describe that experience “like sharing some easy-drinking IPA with the cousins be- tween harvest loads while Onkel Jakob isn’t looking.”
in Mexico,” the description reads. That beer is brewed with corn, cit- rus-forward hops and cactya, also known as soursop, a fruit native to Mexico. Beeren Pflucker is the other most popular beer, described as a saskatoon pale ale. The name translates to “berry pick-
of satire,” he said. That’s made obvious by the first beer they brewed, and one of their top sell- ers called Zumma Dach, described as a Mexican cream ale with cactya. Translating to “summer day”, Zumma Dach “evokes the feeling of a hot day in Manitoba, and even hotter in Chihua- hua, where some Mennonites settled
or stencil on their floors because they couldn’t afford flooring,” he said. While their various flavours often offer satirical references to the Men- nonite way of life, Olfert said they also wanted to educate. “Both myself and Mark, being Men- nonite boys, wanted to put our Menno- nite heritage into our brand with a lot
See ‘Slow and steady’ on 3C
GREG VANDERMEULEN THE CARILLON
GREG VANDERMEULEN THE CARILLON An homage to the school district established in 1887, Blumstein Brewery Co. honours local history.
Blumstein Brewery offers a selection of beers.
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