The ‘OG’ Of Mpls Taprooms, Fulton Celebrates 10 Years
Fulton, the brewing company that started in Jim Diley’s basement, opened Minneapolis’ first-ever taproom on March 13th, 2012 and did it in the North Loop, an area that was just starting to get noticed.
“It’s pretty wild to think of the growth,” Diley said. “When we first moved into the building, we had a dirt parking lot. It was cobblestone out front–and not the nice cobblestone. (The neighborhood) didn’t look anything like it does today.”
Diley and his partners first started renovating the building in 2011 to create a new brewery where they could also sell growlers to go. Here’s a video of the renovation.
But later that year, Minneapolis passed an ordinance allowing breweries to pour and sell their beer on-site, and the Fulton crew quickly pivoted and ordered bar equipment to create the city’s first taproom inside its North Loop brewery.
While most of Fulton’s beer production is now done at a separate brewery in Northeast Minneapolis, the taproom has been completely overhauled recently with an expanded patio and new food options.
“It’s been so much fun to meet all the great people of Minneapolis and share beer, food and conversation with people,” Diley said.
Fulton hosted a 10th anniversary party this weekend with live music and merchandise giveaways.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer
