Here’s some good news bucking the trend of bad news among Minnesota beer makers: Dangerous Man is making a comeback.
One of the pioneers that helped spark the Twin Cities’ craft beer scene in the early 2010s — but then got priced out of the northeast Minneapolis neighborhood it helped make trendy — Dangerous Man will restart production in Maple Lake with help from a new partner.
Jeremy Kuhns, who owns the fledgling Lakeville-based Rafters Brewing, announced Friday he has bought the Dangerous Man brand and production facility and will run it anew with its old boss, Rob Miller, still aboard as the company’s head brewer. Miller is the guy whose thick beard scared a friend’s child into giving him the “dangerous man” nickname.
“From the start, Jeremy made it clear my involvement was key if Dangerous Man was to return,” Miller said in the company’s announcement, which also names his partner Sarah Bonvallet as a part of the renewed operation.
“I’m thrilled to see where we can take it with new ownership and fresh ideas,” Miller added. “I’m humbled that Dangerous Man will live on and remain locally family-owned.”
Numerous other breweries around Minnesota have closed over the past two years amid declining alcohol consumption nationwide and rising production costs. Another Minneapolis craft beer hub, LynLake Brewing, announced earlier this week that its last day of operation will be Sunday, just one week after Wild Mind Ales in south Minneapolis shut down.
Dangerous Man made one of the first and inarguably the best peanut-butter porter in town, alongside a solid house IPA and cream ale and other dessert-style beers, such as its Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Chocolate Milk Stout.
After closing their original northeast Minneapolis taproom in 2023, Miller and his team kept on brewing an hour northwest in Maple Lake. They failed to get a taproom started there, though, and then shut down altogether in March, citing “changes and challenges” in the beer industry.
