Less than a week into 2026, there’s already a Minnesota brewery closure on the calendar — and this one is particularly a bummer for beer lovers in the suburbs and exurbs west of Minneapolis.
Waconia Brewing Co. announced this week its final day of business will be Jan. 31. However, the owners of the 11-year-old brew hub on Waconia’s Main Street are actively seeking new proprietors to take over and are not completely giving up on the business.
“We have ongoing interest and are hopeful for the future,” co-owner Dee DeLange told the Star Tribune.
DeLange founded the brewery with her husband and other family members — this one was a true mom-and-pop operation. She refrained from blaming the closure on the many challenges currently facing breweries nationwide, including rising costs and lowered rates of alcohol consumption.
Instead, she simply said: “We have been doing it for 11 years, and we are ready for a change.”
The DeLange family first announced plans to sell the brewery in August.
For its final weeks of business, the brewery is putting a flip on the Dry January concept, instead offering beer specials under the banner of “Drink Us Dry January.”
“While this was a difficult decision, we are deeply thankful for the years we’ve spent serving this community,” the brewery team posted on social media. “We are grateful to our customers and neighbors for supporting our brewery and making it a welcoming place to gather.”
![Bob DeLange, of Waconia Brewery Company, separated out bags of malt for an amber beer they were going to brew the next day ] (KYNDELL HARKNESS/STAR TRIBUNE) kyndell.harkness@startribune.com Visit to J Caver Distillery and Waconia Brewery Company in Waconia , Min., Wednesday, November 12, 2014.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/7UZSZF53G7MH34CWLYT6SLBQHQ.jpg?&w=1080)
