Bob CollinsAre we reaching peak beer in the Twin Cities?
Rare is the day when some entrepreneur doesn’t reveal some plan to open up a tap room and rare is the day when some city doesn’t see it as a path to revitalize a city block. There have been amazing success stories and the beer drinkers of the Twin Cities have never had it better.
Still, one does have to wonder how many different beers the Cities can support.
It’ll have one less brand. NorthGate Brewing announced it’s done today, closing without notice.
Due to unforeseen circumstances NorthGate Brewing is closed, effective immediately.
We want to thank all of our supporters, customers, partners, family and friends for the last five years.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
— NorthGate Brewing (@NorthGateBrew) March 1, 2018
There’s no indication what the unforeseen circumstances are, although the owners had announced in December they were ready to sell.
Overall, things seemed to be going well for Adam Sjogren, Todd Slininger, and Tuck Carruthers, who made the leap from homebrewing to commercial brewing in 2012, moving to a larger brewery location just four years ago.
Ready for you #WinterDabbler pic.twitter.com/b3i1jljpXM
— NorthGate Brewing (@NorthGateBrew) February 24, 2018
By all accounts, it was great beer and a credit to the NE Minneapolis brewing scene.
In its story on the brewery’s pending sale in December, however, Growler Magazine noted the pace of closings seemed significant, but not catastrophic for beer fans.
This year also saw several breweries close their doors for good, including South Fork Brewing in Delano, Wenonah Brewing in Goodview, and Sídhe Brewing in St. Paul. A fourth brewery, Harriet Brewing, closed in late November 2016, and it looks like a fifth brewery, F-Town in Faribault, is in for a massive facelift in the near future (though F-Town co-founder Travis Temke is currently working on opening a new brewery and restaurant in St. Paul using F-Town’s equipment).
These sales and closures may fuel speculation that Minnesota, a state which has been relatively insulated from brewery contraction up to this point, has reached some sort of saturation point. But Minnesota’s rate of brewery openings and closures over the past five years is in right in line with national trends.
(h/t: Paul Tosto)
