Mankato Brewery, known for inventive beers, to close after 12 years

One of the largest independent breweries in Minnesota, known for its inventive beer creations, is set to close soon.

Mankato Brewery, which has sold craft beers in its taproom for 12 years, will have last call in late January, owner Tim Tupy said Monday night on Facebook.

"Our journey as a brewery is coming to an end," said Tupy, who started the business out of his garage.

"This isn't just a goodbye to brewing; it's a farewell to the countless moments we've shared with all of you — our fans, our friends, our team, and our community," Tupy said. "Together, we celebrated milestones, raised glasses to life's joys, and built something truly special here in the region."

Among the brewery's fanciful concoctions over the years are Cinnamon Lemoncello Cake'd Up, a dessert beer reminiscent of a sponge cake with both cinnamon and lemon, and Green Apple Caramel Sour, with a profile of tart green apples and caramel. Both were featured at the Minnesota State Fair.

In 2016, the brewery had a hit with its Boomchickapop Popcorn Ale, a sweet Belgian farmhouse-style saison. Each pint started with about 2 cups of Angie's Boomchickapop, based in North Mankato. Liquor stores couldn't keep it in stock.

In August, Tupy announced that the brewery was for sale, saying he was nearing retirement. The asking price for the brewery was listed as $3.95 million.

In a call Tuesday, Tupy said he was not able to find a buyer. His current investors are older and not able to take over the business, and he wanted to give his staff time to find new opportunities by giving them a firm closing date.

The company has not been able to get back to the sales it reached before the pandemic, Tupy said, an issue afflicting breweries across the country. He said the brewery broke even last year, but he wanted to be able to spend more time helping his wife with her business, the LIV Aveda Salon & Spa in Mankato.

When putting the company up for sale, Tupy said Mankato Brewery sold 3,761 barrels of beer, or 116,591 gallons, in 2023. The brewery was the 20th-largest brewery in the state, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal said in a September report.

"It was a lot of fun," Tupy said. "I'm going to miss it."