Sometimes life offers unexpected opportunities; the trick is to have the guts to seize them. For the founders of Fulton Beer, they have and they did. From slinging homebrews in a Minneapolis garage in 2006, to pouring pints at bars around town in 2009, to unloading bottles at local liquor stores and growlers from their newly minted brewery in 2011, they’ve wholeheartedly thrown themselves into the beer business. What’s more, their work to get the Minnesota Taproom Bill passed makes way for them to unveil the Fulton Taproom next month.
“When we started, our business model was based on the premise that we’d be able to brew once every six weeks, giving us enough beer to supply seven bars,” says co-founder Jim Diley, a 2001 graduate of Edina High School.
Since Fulton’s founding foursome includes Edina native Diley and current residents Brian Hoffman and Peter Grande, it only made sense that Edina Grill was one of those first establishments to hop on board and put their brew on tap.
“Edina has really rallied behind us, from restaurants to municipal liquor stores,” says Diley. “It’s really exciting to see that happen in the community you grew up in.”
Staring on April 1, they’ll be looking to feed off that support as they open their taproom to serve beer by the pint at their brewery downtown, a stone’s throw from Target Field. Just in time for Twins season, they hope to attract Twins fans and beer buffs alike.
“We never would have expected we’d be where we are today,” says Diley. “We are both thrilled and humbled by the overwhelming response from the Twin Cities community.”
Check out the Fulton Brewery for yourself starting next month. 414 6th Ave. N., Minneapolis.
