A beermaker that truly took a wild approach to the brewing process, Wild Mind Ales in south Minneapolis is the latest in a growing tide of Twin Cities breweries to announce its pending closure.
The nine-year-old brewery and its daytime coffee shop counterpart, Wild Grind, will “be closing permanently in the near future, likely at the end of summer,” its operators announced via social media on Monday. Its brand and converted warehouse location at 6031 Pillsbury Av. S. in the Windom neighborhood are for sale and could carry on if new buyers are interested.
“It’s hard to put into words what this place has meant to us and, we hope, to you,” the announcement further read. “As we write the final pages, we’d love for you to stop in, share a cup, raise a glass (maybe even a porrone), and help us fill these last days with good energy and community.”
Owner Jason Sandquist did not respond to requests for further comment. Sandquist opened Wild Mind in 2016 with former brewer Mat Waddell. The brewery soon became known for making “artisan ales,” from farmhouse ales and barrel-fermented sours to heavily hopped IPAs and even beers brewed in something called a coolship (a broad, shallow, open-top vessel in which wort cools).
After a business dispute a few years later, Waddell left to work for St. Paul’s BlackStack Brewing, and Sandquist brought in Munich-trained brewer Austin Myhran. With Myhran, Wild Mind also became known for popularizing German-tradition Kölsch service in the Twin Cities.
Fans of Wild Mind responding to the news on Reddit theorized that the brewery’s rather hidden site — tucked away in an industrial block that houses construction companies and a doggy day care — was the main culprit. “Really great spot in a terrible location,” one commenter wrote.
Wild Mind’s announcement comes less than two weeks after last call at another reputable beer maker, Alloy Brewing in Coon Rapids. Alloy’s team blamed their closure on “rising costs, supply chain hurdles and an incredible decrease in sales over the last three years.” That’s a common tale among breweries of late, with alcohol sales declining all across America as younger adults turn to nonalcoholic and/or THC drink options.
Among the other Minnesota breweries to cease operations over the past year are Minneapolis-founded Dangerous Man, Chanhassen Brewing Co., Mankato Brewery, Burning Brothers in St. Paul, Loons Landing in Savage and Finnegan’s in Minneapolis (whose beers are now brewed and on tap at Fulton Brewing).
