Star Tribune
Twin Cities area sees wave of brewery, distillery closures
The explosion of breweries and distilleries in the Twin Cites area has leveled off since the pandemic, and sometimes it seems like there’s more high-profile closings than openings.
On Wednesday, representatives of the trendy Tattersall Brewing appeared in court Wednesday, facing eviction from its northeast Minneapolis cocktail room for allegedly owing more than $100,000 in unpaid rent. In 2023, the Minnesota Brewers Guild, which represents most breweries in the state, lost six members. The state’s first women-owned distillery closed its doors in December.
“I definitely don’t think necessarily the bubble is bursting or I don’t think the industry is falling apart by any means,” said Bob Galligan, the guild’s director of government and industry relations. “We are losing more breweries than we’re accustomed to, that’s for sure. But we also are still opening breweries.”
Eight new breweries opened in the state in 2023 and seven more are in the planning stage, he said.
Here’s a list of recent Twin Cities brewery and distillery closures:
2023
Twin Spirits Distillery (Minneapolis)
Lawless Distilling (Minneapolis)
Dangerous Man Brewing Co. (Minneapolis)
Stilheart Distillery & Cocktail Lounge (Minneapolis)
Lakes & Legends Brewing Co (Minneapolis)
Royal Foundry Craft Spirits (Minneapolis)
Clutch Brewing Co.
Eastlake Street Craft Brewery (Minneapolis)
612 Brew (sold and rebranded) (Minneapolis)
2022
Able Seedhouse + Brewery (Minneapolis)
Rock Bottom Brewery (Minneapolis)
Tin Whiskers (St. Paul)
Transforming the heart of both downtowns, which have much larger buildings than old warehouses, is going to take a lot more money, creativity and time. Josh Talberg, managing director at downtown Minneapolis brokerage JLL, said with no major apartment buildings on the drawing board in either downtown, the fleet of empty office buildings present a golden opportunity to create more housing and lead both cities in a new direction.
“You can can certainly see the fundamentals improving, and you can feel that vibrancy, and that’s ultimately the foundation that’s needed to get investors to reinvest in the city,” he said. “But it’s not as if these 18-wheelers can turn on a dime.”
The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed part of a state highway Wednesday evening near Austin because of a “major hazardous materials release” in the area.
Hwy. 56 from Hayfield to Waltham, a stretch covering about five miles, was closed in both directions and drivers were directed to follow a detour to Blooming Prairie on U.S. Hwy. 218.
No information on the hazardous materials released was immediately available.
A federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II during a 2023 traffic stop.
The decision is the latest development in a case that has drawn heated debate over excessive use of force by law enforcement. Criminal charges against Londregan were dismissed by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in June, saying the prosecution didn’t have the evidence to proceed with a case.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel granted Londregan’s motion to dismiss the civil suit, arguing he acted reasonably when he opened fire as Cobb’s vehicle lurched forward with another state trooper partly inside.
Londregan’s attorney Chris Madelsaid Wednesday that it’s been a “long, grueling journey to justice. Ryan Londregan has finally arrived.”
On July 31, 2023, the two troopers pulled over Cobb, 33, on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis for driving without taillights and later learned he was wanted for violating a felony domestic no-contact order. Cobb refused commands to exit the car.
With Seide partly inside the car while trying to unbuckle Cobb’s seatbelt, the car moved forward. Londregan then opened fire, hitting Cobb twice.
In her decision, Brasel said the troopers were mandated by state law to make an arrest given Cobb’s domestic no-contact order violation. She said it was objectively reasonable for Londregan to believe Seide was in immediate danger as the car moved forward on a busy highway, which would make his use of force reasonable.
