USA, MI: Sidhe Brewing Company closing down, owner plans to open new brewery soon

Hurry and get your last pint at Sidhe Brewing Company on Payne Avenue in Saint Paul, MI, because the East Side brewery is closing for good at the end of the week, TwinCities.com reported on March 23.

It’s not the end of the line for owner Kathleen Culhane, though — she plans to open a new brewery in the former Station 4 building on the corner of East Fourth and North Sibley streets in Lowertown.

There’s no definite timeline for the opening of the brewery, to be called Culhane Brewing Company, but Culhane said she’d love to “get open while baseball is still going on down there.” That said, she said six months was probably the earliest they could complete the infrastructure.

She’s raising funds for a new, 10-barrel brewhouse, but she will be able to start with her current 2-barrel system regardless.

A pub that will share the space will provide Culhane with food in the taproom, and there will be a stage for live performances, which have been a staple at Sidhe.

Culhane said there were several problems that led to the closing of Sidhe. First, the location of the brewery was hard to find — it was in the back of multi-tenant indoor mall Plaza del Sol. Second, the Gaelic name of the brewery (pronounced “she”) was difficult to teach people to pronounce.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” Culhane said. “Just the foot traffic alone will help so much.”

Culhane will raise funds with private investors, but will also launch an Indiegogo campaign so fans of Sidhe can help her realize her new dream.

23 March, 2017