After signing a lease for its future brewery in downtown Minneapolis,
Fulton Beer has a plan for its next round of growth.
First, though, it needs to make sure it can pay the tab.
The company is named after the Minneapolis neighborhood where the its four founders started home brewing together. They started leasing time at at Wisconsin brewery last fall so that they could brew beer for commercial sale.
The guys--Ryan Petz, Jim Diley, Brian Hoffman and Peter Grande--have doubled production twice since then, and their hoppy Sweet Child of Vine brew is now on tap at a little over 100 bars and restaurants in the Twin Cities.
About six months ago they started searching for a spot to build their own brewery, and last month they signed a lease on an empty warehouse just northwest of Target Field at 414 N. 6th Ave.
"We couldn't be happier with what we found," says Petz.
The plan is to construct a 15- to 20-barrel brewhouse that would be open to the public for tours and growler sales. They're talking to architects, contractors, and equipment manufacturers. The time line will depend on financing.
"As you can imagine, it's a pretty expensive endeavor. We're looking at getting some traditional bank financing, but are not exactly sure how that is going to play out," says Petz. "We've been able to start saving a little bit of money from our current operations, but it may be that we have to continue to do that longer or find some other alternative means in order to get this thing together."
They're hoping to be brewing beer within about six months of securing financing.
Source: Ryan Petz, Fulton Beer
Writer:
Dan Haugen