USA, MN: Flat Earth Brewing Co. to move to a new location

The East Side brewery, which in the 1950s was home to the fifth-largest beer company in America, closed its doors in 1997. Now, Flat Earth Holdings, LLC, the company better known as the Flat Earth Brewing Co., has signed a licensing agreement with St. Paul to locate in a portion of the old brewery site, twincities.com reported on June, 11.

The company will move into buildings No. 7 and No. 8 in a long-vacant section of the Hamm's Brewery. Company president John Warner said he plans to occupy about 50,000 square feet.

"We're not doubling our space," said Warner, whose brewery now occupies a modest site by Pearson's Candy on West Seventh Street. "We're 14-timesing our space."

Flat Earth Brewing started in 2007 on Benson Avenue, south of Highland Park, and quickly became known for its hand-crafted assortment, including its Angry Planet Pale Ale and the popular Cygnus X-1 Porter, which is named after a black hole. Flat Earth's seasonal specials include a Black Helicopter Coffee Stout and the Mummy Train Pumpkin Ale.

Work on the new site is in the beginning stages. In the long term, Warner hopes it will include a taproom and beer garden among the East Side brewery's brick buildings.

Flat Earth's move to the new location will not be cheap. Warner has applied for a $375,000 grant from the city's neighbourhood STAR program, which is funded by a citywide half-cent sales tax.

The grant was recommended for approval by the STAR board, but the mayor's office and St. Paul City Council will weigh in later this summer.

"I want the city to be my partner," Warner said. "It's a god-awful property that I'm going to make look like a jewel."

14 June, 2013