This article was originally published on Heavy Table and and made possible by subscribers on Substack.

The beer scene is like any other industry. There has been much discussion about breweries closing – nationally and locally – and beer sales and hype aren’t what they were in the pre-COVID so-called “craft beer boom.” The simple fact is that change is inevitable. August Schell Brewing Co. and Minhas Craft Brewery are hardly the same businesses they were when they opened their doors in 1860 and 1845, respectively. Adaptation is the key to survival.

In July, Finnegans Brew Co. announced that they were closing their Irish pub-themed taproom in the Elliot Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. But the closure isn’t the end of the brewery, rather a shifting focus. On Oct. 4, Finnegans moved into the Fulton taproom in the North Loop neighborhood. Branded as a residency, it’s essentially a contract brewing scenario that adds another layer to an existing taproom in the heart of the city.

Meanwhile, across the St. Croix River and nearly 400 miles east on I-94, 3 Sheeps Brewing, Door County Brewing, and Hacienda Beer Co. have opened another shared space in Milwaukee that they call the Triple Taproom & Kitchen.

A story of creative enterprise

Finnegans has always been a brewery that does things their own way. Jacquie Berglund formed the company back in 2000, initially contract brewing at James Page and then at Summit, distributing kegs and bottles in a pre-taproom era. The brewery struck out on their own, opening the Elliot Park taproom on Saint Patrick’s Day weekend 2018, expanding their beer lineup and business model in the process. Besides making beer, Finnegans’ mission has always been to give back to the community, with a Community Fund that reinvests their profits to feed the hungry.

Pandemic lockdowns cut into business and, as Berglund puts it: “We were increasingly aware that we needed to streamline our operations and shed expensive overhead.” Taprooms require service staff, longer hours, and more licensure and liability insurance. In a nutshell, the residency system allows Finnegans beers to be brewed and sold on draft by Fulton employees. Finnegans maintains brand awareness while farming out the service-side of the business. “The residency is unequivocally not an acquisition,” Berglund stresses. Finnegans current ownership controls the company’s future, while their taproom employees have been given opportunity to apply for jobs at Fulton. After the transition is complete, Finnegans management can focus on the business end of making and selling beer (and the Community Fund).

The big question for Finnegans fans is: “How will this work?” Flagships such as Irish Amber Ale, Blood Orange Pilsner, and Dead Irish Poet Stout will be on tap at Fulton, and Fulton’s taproom has added some of the same pub-style furniture that previously decorated the Elliot Park location. You’ll see Finnegans signs, and the Finnegans “reverse food truck,” parked near the Fulton’s house food truck restaurant. It will be a multi-themed mash-up where you can imbibe in Fulton’s garage aesthetic and also the cozier confines of the Irish pub.

“You just don’t see many other Minnesota breweries taking advantage of [contract brewing] right now and we’re embracing it,” Berglund summarizes. “This concept of breweries working together – that a rising tide raises all ships – has always been critical to the growth of the craft beer industry.”

“In order to continue to see smaller breweries thrive, it takes getting creative,” she says. Finnegans is getting attention for the collaboration right now, but Fulton is also embracing the change. Fulton is nearing its fifteenth anniversary, and the two companies had a well-developed relationship that spawned the new residency.

“Finnegans will remain the same classic Irish community-minded beer brand that will continue to turn beer into food. We will just have a fun new partner to blaze a new trail with and everybody wins,” Berglund says.

A THREE-IN-ONE TAPROOM IN BEER CITY

Door County, Hacienda, and 3 Sheeps, teamed up to open a shared space taproom in East Side Milwaukee in mid-July. It features familiar taproom elements: rustic meets industrial meets modern, with a layout to highlight the different brands served. Like the Fulton/Finnegans collaboration, it is owned and operated by a single brewery, Door County. Hacienda is an offshoot of Door County, while 3 Sheeps is a separate entity with their own large facility and taproom in Sheboygan.

Just like Fulton and Finnegans, the Wisconsin breweries had a strong relationship prior to taking this step. “We’ve worked with the team from Door County and Hacienda for about four years and have become good friends. They brew much of their beer at our facility, and one day we just joked that we did so much together we may as well share a taproom,” says Grant Pauly, founder and head brewer at 3 Sheeps. “About a month later, I was meeting with them and we broached the subject, only to realize that we had both been thinking about it since we joked about it.”

In other words, Door County/Hacienda was already contract brewing in Sheboygan. Then, in a sense, roles reversed in Milwaukee. “The Triple Taproom is 100% owned and operated by Door County Brewing,” Pauly says. “Their awesome staff runs the taproom and kitchen. We get to work with them so they can tell the stories and educate [the public] about our beer.” Given the contract brewing partnership, “We really get to partner and support each on every level of the brewery experience.”

At the Triple Taproom, the Door County and Hacienda brands are already somewhat intertwined. Meanwhile, “The layout of the Triple Taproom naturally creates a two-space feel, which has worked out well. The horseshoe-shaped bar is divided by a wall, with 12 taps on each side – one side dedicated to 3 Sheeps and the other to Door County/Hacienda. As the “guest,” 3 Sheeps incorporates their brand through design and decor elements. They also carryover programs from the Sheboygan taproom, such as “Charity of the Month” and bigger brewery events such as “Weekend of The Wolf,” an annual party for the release of barrel-aged imperial stout The Wolf.

A changing beer scene

Every state has unique alcohol laws. This inevitably complicates collaboration, but as Berglund said earlier, it also inspires creativity. Breweries in Wisconsin are allowed multiple taprooms and even guest-brewed beers, unlike Minnesota, which allows one taproom and no guest beers with a standard brewery license. Even with different laws in each state, the breweries are making it work.

Removing overhead was a key inspiration at the Triple Taproom too. “We’ve all seen breweries see some success and expand too quickly, or to a point where they have trouble recovering with one or two small setbacks,” Pauly states when asked about taproom closures around the county, especially some high profile closures where breweries have expanded to new cities, such as Lagunitas in Chicago. On a smaller scale, one can point to the closure of Lupulin’s Sioux Falls taproom or Hop & Barrel in Spring Valley. “We want to be around a long time, and this was a very nice way for us to be able to get into the Milwaukee market and support a community that has supported us for 12 years, and also make sure we were doing so responsibly,” he says.

“As the industry changes and evolves, we have to evolve with it,” he adds. Innovation isn’t just a business buzzword, it has actual meaning. None of the breweries in this piece cited other taprooms that inspired their direction. For Finnegans, the concept grew from their continual networking, part of the brand since 2000. 3 Sheeps and Door County had an existing partnership already and the Wisconsin three decided it was time for another step. Rather than copying others in the beer world, Pauly specifically says that food halls and public markets were an inspiration. Ultimately, “All three brands make very different beer, so it just gave our customers a much wider range of choices and experiences.”