Fulton Brewery Tap Room Set To Open In Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis is about to get what other cities across the country already have: A tap room.

The Fulton Brewing Company in downtown Minneapolis is just what it sounds like: A bar that's right inside the tap room. The owners will pour the first beer for business on Saturday.

And the only thing they can serve is the beer they produce right on site. There's no mistaking every guy's dream come true: Brewing beer.

"I love beer and I love my job," said Ryan Petz, one of the owners of the Fulton Brewing Company.

Petz is living that dream and creating Minneapolis history all at the same time.

"Right now we brew two days a week," Petz said.

The Fulton Brewing Company turns out 7,000 kegs a year at a new facility in the "North Loop." It's at a dramatically different spot than the humble beginnings it started at. That vision started inside a garage in southwest Minneapolis.

"We did that for a few years but it was just a hobby at the time, but it was one we were pretty passionate about," Petz said.

They are college buddies brewed their first batches from a beer kit. How times have certainly changed. Fulton is finishing preparations for Minneapolis' first tap room in years. It comes after a new state law and change to city ordinance.

"It's just about beer brewed here, served here," Petz said.

One of the best things about a tap room is the fact that the beer you get there is as fresh as it can be. It comes directly out of the brewery, which is just a few feet away.

For the Fulton Brewing Company, a tap room is one of the best marketing tools around.

"For us to have a place for people to come in, meet us, see our space and see the feel of our company, it's a great point where we can do that," said Brian Hoffman, a co-owner of Fulton Brewing.

Hoffman and his buddies plan to expand their operation in the future. With a bar of beers and a tap room to accommodate customers, the Fulton Brewing Company has a recipe for success.

Fulton has three beers ready to serve for its grand opening on Saturday: The IPA, the Stout and the X.

There's another tap room planned in Minneapolis, and it will open soon.