Exploring the Jordan Caves: Minnesota’s Hidden Brewery Cellars

I just got back from a sugar-fueled run to Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store, and since we were already in Jordan, I figured it was finally time to make a quick stop at the Jordan Caves. They opened the caves to visitors just over a year ago, and even though they’re a short drive from my house, I never had a good excuse to head down there. A bag full of candy turned out to be the excuse I needed.

If you love hidden history the way I do, this is one of those places that makes you stop and think, “How did I not know this was here?”

Quick Facts for Planning Your Visit

• Where: 415 Broadway St. S, Jordan, MN 55352, inside the historic limestone Jordan Brewery building, now home to Strains of the Earth
• Cost: Free (donations welcome, and encouraged)
• Hours: You can walk in any time the building is open. Hours are Tuesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday–Monday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., but I’d check the website or call before you go as things change.
• Time needed: 5–10 minutes to see everything (a bit longer if you read the wall panels and grab the pamphlet)
• Tours: None. It’s fully self-guided, no guides and no tickets.
• Ages: All ages are welcome. My 12- and 15-year-old came with me.
• Temperature: About 56°F year-round, so bring a light layer in summer
• Pair it with: Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store (20430 Johnson Memorial Dr., just off Hwy 169, and bring cash because that’s all they take) and a stroll through downtown Jordan

Don’t Expect a Show Cave (and That’s Okay)

Let me set expectations right away: the Jordan Caves are not a show cave. If you’ve been to Niagara Cave down in southeast Minnesota, you know what a show cave looks like: stalactites, underground pools, a guide walking you through it all. This isn’t that.

These are man-made caves, hand-dug into the river bluff back in the 1800s so the brewery above could age its beer in cool, steady temperatures. What you’re walking through is a piece of industrial history, not a natural formation. That said, the owners have done a great job making it easy and safe to explore, with a boardwalk, railings, and lighting that really sets the mood.

How to Get In

This part confused me a little before I went, so here’s exactly what to do:

1. Park and head into the main entrance of the big limestone building at 415 Broadway St. S.
2. Look straight ahead, and you’ll see a sign pointing you toward the caves.
3. The entrance to the dispensary (and its security check) is off to the right. You don’t need to go that way to see the caves.

Yes, the caves are attached to Strains of the Earth, a THC dispensary. And no, you don’t need to worry about bringing kids. When the caves first opened, visitors had to be 21 or older, so you may still see older articles saying that. Since then, the owners worked with the city to create a public lobby so families can visit, and the cave entrance is completely separate from the shop.

Inside the Caves

There are no tours and no guides, and honestly, the whole experience still feels like it’s in its early stages. There’s some information posted on the walls leading into the cave, but once you’re inside, there’s no signage at all. Without a little background, you won’t really know what you’re looking at.

Thankfully, I’ve done my fair share of cave exploring, so I had fun picking things out. Here’s what to look for so you can do the same:

• The limestone itself. The stone used to build the brewery above you was quarried right out of these caves. You’re standing in the hole the building came from. We could see a bit of sedimate forming form the water coming down the cave walls.
• The ceilings. They reach about 14 feet, much taller than you’d expect. That height was for stacking and moving big barrels of beer.
• Flood lines. Look for darker staining partway up the walls. The caves survived major floods, and the 1960 flood left water marks about a third of the way up.
• The temperature. Stand still for a minute and feel it. That steady chill is exactly why brewers dug these caves. German-style lager has to age cold, and before modern refrigeration, a hillside cave was the best cooler around.

The whole loop takes about 5–10 minutes. My kids thought it was mildly interesting (high praise from a 12- and 15-year-old). But once the other family inside left, we ran through a second time and gave each other our own silly guided tour, which ended up being the best part of the stop.

Grab the Pamphlet (and Leave a Donation)

Before you head in, look for the pamphlet near the entrance. It has the only history there other than what’s on the walls, and it’s what helped me piece together the story below.

The owners are also collecting donations to help fund research into the history of the caves. I really hope people chip in. With a bit of support, they could add more interpretive signs inside, and this could become something truly special.

A Quick History of the Jordan Brewery Caves

This is the part I love most. The building and its caves have been through just about everything: Prohibition raids, floods, a fire, and a landslide.

1860s: The brewery is born. Jordan was an early industrial center in Scott County, and brewing quickly became one of its main businesses. Sources disagree on the exact year: the pamphlet says 1863, the National Register of Historic Places nomination credits Frank Nicolin and his sons with starting it in 1861, and the Scott County Historical Society lists 1866. Either way, the building was set right against the foot of the bluff, with caves dug into the hillside to keep beer cool while it aged. The limestone and brick walls are more than three feet thick.

1885–1902: Schutz & Hilgers. Peter Schutz and William Kaiser bought the brewery in 1885. Kaiser later left, and by 1902 Peter Hilgers had joined Schutz. Their names have been tied to the building ever since.

Prohibition: raids and a hatchery. According to the pamphlet, Jordan’s breweries kept going even after Prohibition started, until a 1921 raid when federal Prohibition agents seized 100 gallons of beer and whiskey. After that, the building was put to a new use as a hatchery. Here’s a fun mystery: the pamphlet says it was a fish hatchery that stored eggs in the cool caves, while the Scott County Historical Society describes it as a chicken hatchery. If anyone knows the real answer, I’d love to hear it.

1933: Beer is back. Schutz & Hilgers Jordan Brewery Inc. reopened right after Prohibition was repealed. At its height, the historical society says it brewed 40,000 barrels a year and shipped to seven states. Production slowed again in the 1940s when the government rationed grain during World War II.

1946–late 1940s: The end of brewing. Schutz & Hilgers closed in 1946, and Mankato Brewing Company bought the facilities. Financial trouble shut that operation down within a couple of years, and the brewery went quiet for good.

1954–1972: Fire and abandonment. A fire in 1954 gutted much of the building, and it sat abandoned for nearly two decades. In 1972, the ruins were bought at a tax-delinquency auction and painstakingly restored. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Jordan Brewery Ruins, one of the few surviving 19th-century industrial buildings in Scott County.

Floods through the decades. The caves made it through major floods in the 1880s and again in the 1960s.

2014: The landslide. On June 19, 2014, after an unusually wet spring, about 14 inches of rain fell in a single day. A huge section of the hillside gave way, and nearly 40 tons of trees, rocks, and mud crashed through the back wall, filling the upstairs apartments and collapsing part of the caves. Plans for a microbrewery and taproom were scrapped, and for a while no one knew whether the building could be saved.

Today: A new chapter. The building was restored once again for retail use. Owners Jim and Grace Cramond restored the caves and opened them to visitors, giving everyone a free look at a piece of Jordan’s past that was closed off for decades.

Is It Worth the Stop?

If you’re in the area, absolutely. It’s not an all-day destination, and you’ll be in and out in under 15 minutes. But it’s free, it’s quirky, and it’s exactly the kind of hidden history I love finding. Pair it with the candy store, grab lunch in downtown Jordan, and you’ve got a really fun half-day trip south of the Twin Cities.

A few tips from my visit:

• Read up before you go (this post counts!). Knowing what you’re looking at makes the experience so much better.
• Bring a light jacket in summer. The caves stay around 56°F.
• Leave a donation so they can keep improving the experience.
• Easily accessible so everyone can do this one. There were no stairs to worry about and because it was so short, its easy to do.