Northeast breweries keep making brews, news
Although some have fallen by the wayside, craft breweries in Northeast Minneapolis still rank among the most productive in Minnesota. Numbers were compiled in 2023 by the Brewers Association, the national trade association for brewers. Indeed Brewing, 711, 15th Ave. NE, ranked number six in the state, producing 17,862 barrels. Next in line was Fair State Brewing Cooperative, 2506 Central Ave. NE, with 5,523 barrels. Bauhaus Brew Labs, 1315 Tyler St. NE, clocked in at number 17, brewing 4,544 barrels. It was closely followed by number 18, Sociable Cider Werks, 1500 Fillmore St. NE, which produced 4,351 barrels of cider. Falling Knife Brewing, 783 Harding St. NE, ranked 23rd. It brewed 3,322 barrels in 2023. Production figures for 2024 will be released later this year.
They’re winning acclaim, too. Four of Northeast’s breweries took awards recently at the 2025 Minnesota Brewers Cup, sponsored by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. Falling Knife was a first-place winner in the Double and Specialty IPAs category with “Cosmic Trailblazer.” Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative, 1712 Marshall St. NE, placed second in Dark Lagers with its “Eagle 5.” Padraigs Brewing, 945 Broadway St. NE, took third place for its “Red Chimney” Irish red ale. Headflyer Brewing, 861 E. Hennepin, took third place for its “It Was All a Dream” hazy IPA.
City applies for environmental grants
At its May 1 meeting, the Minneapolis City Council approved the Business, Housing and Zoning Committee’s recommendation to apply for environmental grants for several projects.
Northeast Green Campus Expansion (1900/1912/1922 Monroe St. NE and 661 19th Ave. NE): The city seeks $653,512 from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, $479,242 from the Metropolitan Council and $784,214 from Hennepin County for environmental investigation and/or remediation. This is the former Universal Plating site.
The Curve Nordeast (1501 Johnson St. NE): $652,849 from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, $395,476 from the Metropolitan Council and $81,606 from Hennepin County, also for environmental investigation and/or remediation.
The city will also apply for $68,120 for cleanup funds at Clare Apartments (929 Central Ave NE).
Dashfire files for bankruptcy
Micro-distillery Dashfire Bitters has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The distillery at 1620 Central Ave. NE makes bitters and ready-to-drink cocktails. The bankruptcy filing asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to allow it to reject its “too burdensome lease” and move production to Baldwin, Wis. Production and the adjoining cocktail room will remain in operation for the time being. Dashfire owes $1.4 million to the Small Business Administration for loans taken during the pandemic. Dashfire is the second distillery to leave the building; Tattersall Distilling moved to River Falls, Wis., in 2021.