Fair State Brewing Cooperative files for bankruptcy

Minneapolis-based Fair State Brewing Cooperative has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the company’s CEO announced Wednesday.

In a post on social media, Fair State CEO and co-founder Evan Sallee said the filing is a means for restructuring the brewery’s debt and “does not mean we are shutting down.”

“The simple fact is that the pandemic put Fair State in a hole that we need help to dig out of, and we have a solid plan to get through this together so we can continue making the great beer you know and love,” Sallee wrote. “We’re extremely lucky to be part of this community, and being part of a community means asking for support when you need it.”

The brewery’s Central Avenue taproom remains open for business, and Sallee asked Fair State lovers for support through bar and liquor store purchases.

Since its inception, Fair State has been a pioneer in Minnesota’s craft beer industry, becoming the first cooperatively owned microbrewery in the state; its membership has grown from 300 in 2013 to more than 2,000 today.

And in 2020, the brewery’s board of directors voluntarily recognized its employees’ labor union with Unite Here! Local 17 — another first for a Minnesota craft brewery.