U student’s brew on tap at local bars

A meager Mr. Beer Kit has sparked a passion that has made four local brewers the toast of Twin City microbrews. The burgeoning beer company expanded their operation from closets and garages when it launched commercially in late October.

Fulton Beer’s original offering, Sweet Child of Vine, is now available in 10 bars and restaurants, including two taps on campus: Stub & Herbs and Acadia Cafe.

“Everybody loves the garage roots,” said University of Minnesota graduate student Ryan Petz, co-founder of Fulton Beer. The company’s name even pays homage to those roots, named after the Fulton neighborhood in which the entrepreneurial venture began.

After receiving the beer kit as a present from his girlfriend, Jim Diley acquired a passion for brewing beer from the comfort of home. Brian Hoffman and Petz adopted their friend’s passion and cofounded Fulton Beer.

Operations have since expanded and now include bi-monthly trips to a Wisconsin brewery, which allows Fulton Beer to produce enough brew to keep local establishments stocked.

“Fulton [Beer] sold really well,” said Josh Zavadil, owner of Stub & Herbs. “It was our beer of the month ... and we sold through it.”

The business’ current focus is generating recognition and demand, Petz said.

Plans for the future include the addition of bottles to the company’s repertoire, four new recipes in the coming year and the expansion of bars with Fulton Beer on tap from 10 to 14.

With these plans in place, the company continues to work out of a garage in the Fulton neighborhood, which functions primarily as the company’s laboratory for developing and fine-tuning new varieties of beer.

University student and Acadia Cafe employee Alleen Brown described the beer as very drinkable and really good.

“I think everybody likes something local and something new. This is both of those things, so it has had a really good reception so far,” Brown said.

It is this local affiliation and the beer’s flavor profile that have led to its warm welcome in the Twin Cities.

“The first comments on our Web site regarding Fulton garnered about 70 comments on the first posting, and for us that’s a pretty big thing. We usually garner around five,” said Ryan Anderson, founder and editor of mnbeer.com.

The hype surrounding the beer has been matched by recent success.

This success has resulted in national media attention and a stream of earnings, which allowed Fulton to become a self-sustaining operation, according to Petz.

Petz accredits a portion of Fulton’s success to lessons learned in entrepreneurial classes at the Carlson School of Management.

“I did a lot of academic work that translated directly to the business,” Petz said.

The Fulton team anticipates their work will continue to reward, with hopes that one day a Fulton brewery in Minneapolis will come to fruition.

Until then, Fulton beer will continue its effort to increase its presence on campus taps and throughout the Twin Cities.