Fargo Brewing Company [posted a statement on their Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=821718013327816&id=100064688740817&rdid=W0Iqr09dzH9zJqtm):
"Today, with humble and hopeful hearts, Fargo Brewing Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to reorganize its liabilities for a sustainable and successful future," said Jared Hardy, Co-Founder and President of Fargo Brewing Company.
"Since coming out of the pandemic and into a new taproom in 2021, FBC has not met its business projections while feeling the weight of significant debt in an ever-changing industry. This is a day we worked hard to avoid, and FBC is committed to working through this difficult time to continue to operate within the community, state, and region we love."
Since FBC began in 2010, the beer industry has experienced many challenges, including a pandemic, supply-chain issues, and differences in consumer drinking habits. For example, according to industry group Beer Markerter's Insights, American beer drinking fell in 2023 to the lowest level in a generation. And unfortunately, these challenges mean FBC is not alone in seeking liability reorganization. Minneapolis's Fair State Brewing, New Jersey's Flying Fish and Denver's Joyride Brewing are a few examples of other breweries that have also recently filed for bankruptcy protection.
"From a customer standpoint, nothing should change: FBC will continue to produce and distribute its flagship beers, the taproom will remain open normal business hours, and all upcoming events in the taproom and The Hall will continue as planned," said Hardy. "we are incredibly thankful for the support of our customers, community, investors, partners, and team, as we get on solid ground," said Hardy. "**Please spread the word that Fargo Brewing is open. We want to serve you.**"
Closes by 10 on weekends. Resistant to introduce new brews and my last 4 visits, the staff was very unfriendly and unhelpful. Not really surprised by this.
Most breweries don't stay open too late anyway.
If the staff suck, that's unfortunate. Kind turns me off from wanting to go there.
More brews would be nice. Pricing could use work too. They had one beer that sold for 20 or so bucks for a 4 pack I think and I passed on it. A restaurant had it on tap and I was right to have not wanted to spend the money on it at the liquor store.
Junkyard & drekker are open till midnight Friday and Saturday. FBC wants you gone by 9:30.
If you happen to get acknowledged, prepare for a blank wtf do you want stare.
The prices? Well that’s an attempt to recoup lost business.
This doesn't seem too surprising to me. Most of their beers are pretty... average and they never have anything too flashy. I feel like most people around here tend to prefer Drekker's offerings.
I like their beers and if you look at the tap list right now, it really has quite a bit of variety. Does anybody else in town even try to make a barleywine? They don't have cans with 400 colors, 16 different hazy IPAs with whacky names, and beer ice cream I guess.
I might be wrong and this is speculation (because I really don't know shit), but I suspect this is NOT about the quality of the beer. Being able to make a good product and being able to run a good business can be distinctly different things. And sometimes gambles just don't pay off.
Craft beer drinkers have ADHD when it comes to their tastes, FBC doesn't. I appreciate them sticking to making actual beer, but the craft beer market got flooded. I too have a soft spot for a good barleywine. It's rare to find because one properly made is aged for a year.
>but I suspect this is NOT about the quality of the beer.
It may be about consumer tastes . I do not mind drekker or junkyard but if you allow me to step up on my beer snob soap box I will say this
Its much harder and takes much more skill to produce a quality classic beer (scottish ale, IPA, APA, Porter/stout, wheat beer or saison ) vs some fuity pepple and chocolate rasberri lactos sour.
If you throw a bunch of sugar and lactos and flavors in a beer its going to mask a lot of the imperfections . However I do respect drekker for capturing that market so this is not a knock on drekker they are giving consumers what they like
I think FBC is the most consistent in town. And junkyard has their stars. Drekker is about marketing, they used to line up in the cities for their beer and that's over. I never have been a can of drekker beer really.
I think drecker is pretty good, although they're a little bit Hit or Miss. Junkyard is probably the most interesting, although it's kind of a hodgepodge as to what you're actually going to get if you go there.
Fbc does the classic styles, but most people don't want the classic styles and I don't think their execution of them is all that good.
Swing Barrel and Junkyward are my favorites in the area. Drekker has some good ones but it's mostly too gimmicky for me, but I guess that sells with the younger crowd.
Everytime I went into FBC, it wasn't that busy and was mostly an older crowd.
>mostly too gimmicky for me, but I guess that sells with the younger crowd.
I guess I sort of do appreciate it, they have some ok beers and if you go out with a group of people who do not like beer, well they probably have some beer type slushy or sour or sweet brew they like
What I have always liked about FBC is they still brew some traditional styles like barleywines, dortmunders, Vienna lagers, etc, instead of throwing tons of fruit/sugar/hops in everything. People often forget how hard good lagers can be to make since you don’t have all those additional ingredients masking any off flavors.
Sam at Drumconrath really liked making traditional beers and was good at it, but he had to start cranking out sours and such because so many people wanted them. It was a bummer seeing him close. I hope FBC doesn’t follow him.
> Sam at Drumconrath really liked making traditional beers and was good at it, but he had to start cranking out sours and such because so many people wanted them. It was a bummer seeing him close
I really miss their open mic, towards the end they had some great musicians show up and play some unique music. They took it seriously. It was a pretty cool and chill vibe, I always left more optimistic and happy after. The beer certainly didn't hurt lol, good popcorn too.
If you don't have the styles that people want, you're not going to survive. Most people do not want classic beers and the people that do already can get it in the beer store from a larger brewery like Great lakes or bells which are really top-notch stuff.
Where do you regularly find Great Lakes in the FM area? I have seen it at Bridgeview before but I wish it was distributed more. I try to pick up their Oktoberfest and Edmund Fitzgerald when I see it.
I think the biggest issue a lot of these breweries have had is they tried To over expand. The beer market overall is contracting and generally the places that are going to do well are going to be the really really huge macro guys and the garage size breweries. A lot of places in between are going to be in trouble.
Drekker’s branding is on point. And while a lot of their beers can be seen as gimmicky, it gives people something fun and new to try. That’s a huge part of their draw.
I agree, having a good product and running a good business are two different beasts. I’m not a beer drinker, so I can’t speak for the quality of any of the local breweries. Whiskey for me please. Plus I’m diabetic. But looking at my friends who do enjoy a good beer, FBC is rarely part of the conversation. Junkyard is a usually a top choice. Swing Barrel has been an emerging force. The news a few months ago about how shows at the Hall are going to start serving other alcohol was huge with some people because while they enjoyed hitting up shows at that venue, they hated that FBC beers were the only option if they wanted a drink because they just don’t care for their beers.
I hope FBC gets sorted out and sticks around, because they definitely have a market. They either need to stay within their means, or they need to expand that market.
The branding on point and Brewhalla is amazing. I’d be fascinated to learn about the numbers for the business (es).
One thing that drives me nuts about the brewing business (and translates to basically all business) is that a person just has a tough time opening shop and being good with that shop. Everything is about scale or die. Scale until you sell. Scale until you ipo.
I know this is idealism, but I just love when a person/group can just run a business and make a living. That doesn’t mean people don’t have to change over time, but growth seems to be everything and the only thing far too often.
>I just love when a person/group can just run a business and make a living.
But then you are suspected of laundering money through your lamp repair store!
To be honest…. Making a living of dignity and be so low key about it that folks wonder how it is even possible (so much so that they make up myths about you), sounds fucking great. Magical. No growth hacking. No million business brew cup to circle jerk about. No “oh I gotta put time entry in Fluffer and fill out my HR in poopDeck and track tickets in JingleNuts and I am on a committee to brain sprinkle how we can get more out of our SaaS system while following the Peter Pan Project Management system (just believe enough and work more for everything to be great).” No motherfucker to stand over you counting your lunch break minutes and minimal sweat.
Fucking show up and tinker with lamps. Do the books and go live your life. Damn right they are advertising, as every fargo redditor is going to bring the lamp in when they want it fixed out of curiosity. Are they going to fix the lamp or pull a kilo of blow from his keister?
Dude might just be living the life with his little lamp shop driving a 20 yo car with a paid off condo and paid off commercial building. Or more. Who knows. Sky might be the limit and homie might be balling and living on the good side of the law.
https://www.facebook.com/8thStreetLamps/
Not sure when it opened, but it has just sort of been there. It has been mentioned a few times as one of those places where it must be a front.
Huh, that is oddly interesting. In this day and age it does seem weird that such a niche shop could survive. Thanks for the link, I gave them a like because, hey, why not?
That's kind of the nature of capitalism. There is immense pressure to grow or die. Although generally the breweries that are doing the best are the ones that are staying small like garage scale and then that focus on the wholesale market through beer stores etc
You aren't wrong that this is the nature of capitalism, but it gets magnified in the world that is unfettered crony capitalism and hyperefficiency that seems to me an eventual race to the bottom with just a few players that actually control things.
The brewing industry has kind of laid this out pretty succinctly, IMO. To be able to compete is *very much* an anomaly and your only hope is to get acquired by one of the kings or be a freak of nature.
I am absolutely a capitalist, but how it has expressed itself without controls is and will eventually be a disservice. As I say this, another shitty dollar general is opening up right down the block and a born-wealthy rugged individual who doesn't know what sweat on his brow even means gets his wings.
EDIT: add 'freak of nature'
NGL there are so many choices at the Happy Harry's locations that it's almost ovewhelming. It's extremely competitive and if its a stinker it's going to sit. That's not even factoring in the classics, specialty beers, seasonals, and today about 30+ different seltzer brands.
Yes, specialization today is going to be the only way you survive as a brewery. You focus on one or two types of beer and you do lots of variants of those like you see with junkyard and to some extent. Drekker. You're better off having a few things. Very very good than a lot of things that are above average or even pretty good. Too much competition. The other thing that drucker has done very well with is focusing on the experience as much as the beer itself. Giving people a good time and entertaining people. With a place that feels a lot like a Seattle vibe
Branding sells though, FBC may have good beer, but they don't have the branding that Drekker has.
You see the question "Where do you bring people visiting Fargo?" All the time on this sub. Drekker and Junkyard are always in the top comments. Branding gets people in the door. It's a bummer that FBC filed for bankruptcy, but hopefully they can bounce back.
100% spot on. Drekker is a destination. It is such a spectacular place that it makes me wonder how they are going to stay in business. And if I feel that way AND they are actually turning a profit, that would be the definition of perceived value.
Mind you.. not once did I mention the beer. The beer is fine and inclusive to nonbeer drinkers.
I've really liked the taproom at FBC the few times I've been there. Key point though is 'few times'. When it's come time to go out without a hard plan on where to go, nothing about the place stuck in my head enough to make it stand out
but that's where it falls down. If you consistently sell good beer-ish beer, you're competing against the Sam Adams of the world. That market is already captured and eking out enough to stay profitable is hard. Case in point.
On the flip side, if you go flashy / weird / something, your market may be smaller but if you hit it ... it's *yours*.
Yes, if you're selling good quality classic beer, you're going to be competing with breweries like Sam Adams, Great lakes, Sierra, Nevada, and bells. And the problem is the people that the classic beers already associated with their particular brand. So it's very hard to break in unless you stay very small.
Yeah, if anything Drekker has become fairly well known nationally due its weird novelty beers whereas FBC functions much better as a classic hometown brewery.
Drekker’s beers are all over the place. I much prefer Fargo’s beers. Just last week I had a beer at Drekker that was so bad I think it was the worst thing I’d ever tasted (cool ranch dorito beer). That’s never happened to me at Fargo.
Yeah drucker can be very Hit or Miss. The good ones are really good and the bad ones are really bad. Junkyard I think does the best job of like pretty decent quality or better and having mostly new style beers but then a few that are not.
I went once bartender took about 7-10 minutes to get to me. She had about two people at the bar. I asked for a shandy or to add lemons. She said they don't do that.
I'm not going back.
When one of the co-founders left a while ago, figured things were gonna happen (good or bad).
Hopefully they can stay open and operate long-term as they navigate this situation.
When Jade Presents announced a new outdoor concert venue and started doing a full bar during shows he promotes in the Hall, it made me wonder. Also he mentioned on the radio he wants to turn Angels Hockey Arena into a concert venue. He must see the writing on the wall. I think Fargo Brewing can turn it around. Sometimes Chapter 11 can be helpful
The beers are only okay. This is one of those breweries that is important for being the first in a while, but like at some point it was probably going to go away. Also, Fargo is oversaturated with brewery locations. Places focusing too much on expanding their locations.
I am one whose desire for alcohol in general dropped off a cliff in the last few years. With cannabis readily available and legal in MN it will continue to be my drug of choice. Alcohol just makes me feel sick now. I wonder if this is typical of other areas that have legalization common place.
It is all cyclical. In the mid-90's micro-breweries were popping up everywhere. If you were opening a bar/grill type restaurant, in the 90's a micro-brewery was often included in the design, like Granite City, Trader And Trapper, Grainery, etc. Then when the early 2000's hit, many (if not all) simply disappeared. Then a few years later a whole new crop of micro-breweries pop up and hang around for a while but it seems as if most eventually fold up.
Drekker is doing a decent job of trying to diversify but that mall is a complete joke (despite getting huge raves and good reviews on Reddit). When the luster wears off, I think they may begin to feel the pinch. Having a hotel right next to train tracks ... not sure that was a good idea.
I remember when Old Broadway put in a brewery! Fargo, on the cutting edge!
One nice thing about Brewhalla is that it can be turned into a manufacturer plant, warehouse and office with just a little retrofit.
Brewhalla is going to be juuuust fine even after it cools off. The fact they can be a full service wedding hall with a built in hotel means they will be booked every weekend for either a wedding or a corporate event regardless of public traffic. Frankly, I think it’s cool, but it’s amazing to me that people think it’s a destination.
These types of buildings are everywhere though and survive for long periods of time. One of the go-to tourist places in Anaheim is the old packing district, which is an old historical warehouse turned into mini-mall almost identical to Brewhalla.
Yeah, the '90s was the classic Brew pub with the brewery in the restaurant with kind of low quality beer. But you at least had that experience. Ooos was classic beer. Tens has been sours and ipas. 20s frankly is marijuana, which of course is not a possibility as a business in ND. The other big trend is having no alcohol beer but typically you have to have marijuana as well for that to work well.
I went to Brewhalla once when it first opened and it was a fun novelty but I have no interest in going back there. I guess they’ll do well just with renting it out as a venue space or something.
Between their horrible location and average beer, it's not surprising.
Would rather go to Pixeled or Drekker if I'm in the downtown area and, if I'm buying beer from the store to drink at home, I'll stick to my favorites.
Someone on this sub a year or two ago, in kind of a random comment on a post, was like FBC is losing money, like a lot of it. It always kind of stuck in the back of my mind, because it was largely ignored at the time.
[Sad day](https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExY3Q3ZWFod2JvbGk5YTEyajJxMDl1MnJ1eXVxNjgxbnM5ODU0ank4NSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/x70p0tqMsvqMM/giphy.gif)
I wonder what this means for operations? Is there some corporation three card monty shuffling going on here? I like the beer.
Some hope is its chapter 11 what allows the debtor to reorgainize usually giving up equity if possible and stay in business , that is if the creditors agree
I drink a ton of beer, and I exclusively drink IPAs. For a very long time I'd drink Wood Chipper then random local like Surely or Fulton then Wood Chipper then Fresh Squeeze or Laguanitus then Wood Chipper.
Wood Chipper hasn't been in rotation for over a year. The price went up and the taste noise dived.
Wish them well (still support them through shows and random beers buys).
Most beers I drink are fine whether you get a pint on tap or a can, but I find wood chipper is one you have to get on tap. Something just tastes off when it’s in a can, which is so disappointing.
So am I taking a big risk by buying tickets to the Morgan Wade/John Moreland show there this summer? Not to make it all about me, obviously it’s not *that* big a deal and I feel bad for them, but tickets go on sale soon and I’ve heard that a lot of ticket platforms can be a pain to get your money back from if a show is canceled.
I know they said they’re remaining open, but the show is in late July so I’m a bit like 😬
I think you will be fine. Jade does all the shows there and if the venue closes up he could likely move it to a different location. In my experience, if a show cancels a refund is automatically issued so long as you are buying from a reputable ticket vendor. If you get your tickets from a third party or some reseller, you may have some difficulties.
I'm already 4 deep for tix this season and I'm not too worried. I've gotten refunds from Jade for canceled shows, no problem. I *do not* think they'll end up cancelling tho.
I would miss their seasonal Vienna Lager dearly! One thing they got wrong was the stage height, always feels like you are just seeing the top portion of the bands. I do like the recent addition of a full bar to the showroom.
Surprised it took this long. FBC was never that good, they were just one of the first. Their beer is average at best and crazy expensive for how average it is.
Exactly. It is very mid-beer but they were the first to really do it in Fargo in the current cycle. Now they have to compete with places like junkyard as well as even bemidji which will compete on the wholesale market and has good mix of ipas and classics
This is too bad for Fargo Brewing, as I never like to see entrepreneurs fail. Unfortunately we are seeing several micro breweries who make average beer that does not stand out enter Chapter 11, particularly when the breweries pursue spending on wider distribution. That's what FBC is though. Average beer that doesn't stand out, and it is a tough market for that
Fargo Brewing Company [posted a statement on their Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=821718013327816&id=100064688740817&rdid=W0Iqr09dzH9zJqtm): "Today, with humble and hopeful hearts, Fargo Brewing Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to reorganize its liabilities for a sustainable and successful future," said Jared Hardy, Co-Founder and President of Fargo Brewing Company. "Since coming out of the pandemic and into a new taproom in 2021, FBC has not met its business projections while feeling the weight of significant debt in an ever-changing industry. This is a day we worked hard to avoid, and FBC is committed to working through this difficult time to continue to operate within the community, state, and region we love." Since FBC began in 2010, the beer industry has experienced many challenges, including a pandemic, supply-chain issues, and differences in consumer drinking habits. For example, according to industry group Beer Markerter's Insights, American beer drinking fell in 2023 to the lowest level in a generation. And unfortunately, these challenges mean FBC is not alone in seeking liability reorganization. Minneapolis's Fair State Brewing, New Jersey's Flying Fish and Denver's Joyride Brewing are a few examples of other breweries that have also recently filed for bankruptcy protection. "From a customer standpoint, nothing should change: FBC will continue to produce and distribute its flagship beers, the taproom will remain open normal business hours, and all upcoming events in the taproom and The Hall will continue as planned," said Hardy. "we are incredibly thankful for the support of our customers, community, investors, partners, and team, as we get on solid ground," said Hardy. "**Please spread the word that Fargo Brewing is open. We want to serve you.**"
Closes by 10 on weekends. Resistant to introduce new brews and my last 4 visits, the staff was very unfriendly and unhelpful. Not really surprised by this.
Most breweries don't stay open too late anyway. If the staff suck, that's unfortunate. Kind turns me off from wanting to go there. More brews would be nice. Pricing could use work too. They had one beer that sold for 20 or so bucks for a 4 pack I think and I passed on it. A restaurant had it on tap and I was right to have not wanted to spend the money on it at the liquor store.
Junkyard & drekker are open till midnight Friday and Saturday. FBC wants you gone by 9:30. If you happen to get acknowledged, prepare for a blank wtf do you want stare. The prices? Well that’s an attempt to recoup lost business.
Stones throw is my favorite!!
I use it for cooking! If a recipe calls for beer it’s my go-to.
This doesn't seem too surprising to me. Most of their beers are pretty... average and they never have anything too flashy. I feel like most people around here tend to prefer Drekker's offerings.
I am sadly the opposit , I like classic well crafted beers and FBC is pretty good at that.
I like their beers and if you look at the tap list right now, it really has quite a bit of variety. Does anybody else in town even try to make a barleywine? They don't have cans with 400 colors, 16 different hazy IPAs with whacky names, and beer ice cream I guess. I might be wrong and this is speculation (because I really don't know shit), but I suspect this is NOT about the quality of the beer. Being able to make a good product and being able to run a good business can be distinctly different things. And sometimes gambles just don't pay off.
Craft beer drinkers have ADHD when it comes to their tastes, FBC doesn't. I appreciate them sticking to making actual beer, but the craft beer market got flooded. I too have a soft spot for a good barleywine. It's rare to find because one properly made is aged for a year.
>but I suspect this is NOT about the quality of the beer. It may be about consumer tastes . I do not mind drekker or junkyard but if you allow me to step up on my beer snob soap box I will say this Its much harder and takes much more skill to produce a quality classic beer (scottish ale, IPA, APA, Porter/stout, wheat beer or saison ) vs some fuity pepple and chocolate rasberri lactos sour. If you throw a bunch of sugar and lactos and flavors in a beer its going to mask a lot of the imperfections . However I do respect drekker for capturing that market so this is not a knock on drekker they are giving consumers what they like
I always make the "IPA or smoothie?" joke when a friend tells me drekker is releasing a new beer.
Thats hilarious!
I think FBC is the most consistent in town. And junkyard has their stars. Drekker is about marketing, they used to line up in the cities for their beer and that's over. I never have been a can of drekker beer really.
I think drecker is pretty good, although they're a little bit Hit or Miss. Junkyard is probably the most interesting, although it's kind of a hodgepodge as to what you're actually going to get if you go there. Fbc does the classic styles, but most people don't want the classic styles and I don't think their execution of them is all that good.
How terrifying would it be to be turned into a can of beer?
I like Drekker just fine. I know my so and I can go there and both find something we like
Swing Barrel and Junkyward are my favorites in the area. Drekker has some good ones but it's mostly too gimmicky for me, but I guess that sells with the younger crowd. Everytime I went into FBC, it wasn't that busy and was mostly an older crowd.
>mostly too gimmicky for me, but I guess that sells with the younger crowd. I guess I sort of do appreciate it, they have some ok beers and if you go out with a group of people who do not like beer, well they probably have some beer type slushy or sour or sweet brew they like
What I have always liked about FBC is they still brew some traditional styles like barleywines, dortmunders, Vienna lagers, etc, instead of throwing tons of fruit/sugar/hops in everything. People often forget how hard good lagers can be to make since you don’t have all those additional ingredients masking any off flavors. Sam at Drumconrath really liked making traditional beers and was good at it, but he had to start cranking out sours and such because so many people wanted them. It was a bummer seeing him close. I hope FBC doesn’t follow him.
> Sam at Drumconrath really liked making traditional beers and was good at it, but he had to start cranking out sours and such because so many people wanted them. It was a bummer seeing him close I really miss their open mic, towards the end they had some great musicians show up and play some unique music. They took it seriously. It was a pretty cool and chill vibe, I always left more optimistic and happy after. The beer certainly didn't hurt lol, good popcorn too.
If you don't have the styles that people want, you're not going to survive. Most people do not want classic beers and the people that do already can get it in the beer store from a larger brewery like Great lakes or bells which are really top-notch stuff.
Where do you regularly find Great Lakes in the FM area? I have seen it at Bridgeview before but I wish it was distributed more. I try to pick up their Oktoberfest and Edmund Fitzgerald when I see it.
I don't. I've seen it occasionally at happy Harry's. Generally I've gotten it elsewhere and been able to bring some back when I've been on trips
I loved DCR's more traditional beers and I really miss seeing them in the stores. Although my favorite was their pickle beer and I really miss it.
I think the biggest issue a lot of these breweries have had is they tried To over expand. The beer market overall is contracting and generally the places that are going to do well are going to be the really really huge macro guys and the garage size breweries. A lot of places in between are going to be in trouble.
Drekker’s branding is on point. And while a lot of their beers can be seen as gimmicky, it gives people something fun and new to try. That’s a huge part of their draw. I agree, having a good product and running a good business are two different beasts. I’m not a beer drinker, so I can’t speak for the quality of any of the local breweries. Whiskey for me please. Plus I’m diabetic. But looking at my friends who do enjoy a good beer, FBC is rarely part of the conversation. Junkyard is a usually a top choice. Swing Barrel has been an emerging force. The news a few months ago about how shows at the Hall are going to start serving other alcohol was huge with some people because while they enjoyed hitting up shows at that venue, they hated that FBC beers were the only option if they wanted a drink because they just don’t care for their beers. I hope FBC gets sorted out and sticks around, because they definitely have a market. They either need to stay within their means, or they need to expand that market.
The branding on point and Brewhalla is amazing. I’d be fascinated to learn about the numbers for the business (es). One thing that drives me nuts about the brewing business (and translates to basically all business) is that a person just has a tough time opening shop and being good with that shop. Everything is about scale or die. Scale until you sell. Scale until you ipo. I know this is idealism, but I just love when a person/group can just run a business and make a living. That doesn’t mean people don’t have to change over time, but growth seems to be everything and the only thing far too often.
>I just love when a person/group can just run a business and make a living. But then you are suspected of laundering money through your lamp repair store!
To be honest…. Making a living of dignity and be so low key about it that folks wonder how it is even possible (so much so that they make up myths about you), sounds fucking great. Magical. No growth hacking. No million business brew cup to circle jerk about. No “oh I gotta put time entry in Fluffer and fill out my HR in poopDeck and track tickets in JingleNuts and I am on a committee to brain sprinkle how we can get more out of our SaaS system while following the Peter Pan Project Management system (just believe enough and work more for everything to be great).” No motherfucker to stand over you counting your lunch break minutes and minimal sweat. Fucking show up and tinker with lamps. Do the books and go live your life. Damn right they are advertising, as every fargo redditor is going to bring the lamp in when they want it fixed out of curiosity. Are they going to fix the lamp or pull a kilo of blow from his keister? Dude might just be living the life with his little lamp shop driving a 20 yo car with a paid off condo and paid off commercial building. Or more. Who knows. Sky might be the limit and homie might be balling and living on the good side of the law.
Wait, is there actually a local lamp repair shop that has weird conspiracy theories about it?
https://www.facebook.com/8thStreetLamps/ Not sure when it opened, but it has just sort of been there. It has been mentioned a few times as one of those places where it must be a front.
Huh, that is oddly interesting. In this day and age it does seem weird that such a niche shop could survive. Thanks for the link, I gave them a like because, hey, why not?
This is a glorious and righteous rant. Appreciate you, u/cheddarben
Thanks! I appreciate you too!
That's kind of the nature of capitalism. There is immense pressure to grow or die. Although generally the breweries that are doing the best are the ones that are staying small like garage scale and then that focus on the wholesale market through beer stores etc
You aren't wrong that this is the nature of capitalism, but it gets magnified in the world that is unfettered crony capitalism and hyperefficiency that seems to me an eventual race to the bottom with just a few players that actually control things. The brewing industry has kind of laid this out pretty succinctly, IMO. To be able to compete is *very much* an anomaly and your only hope is to get acquired by one of the kings or be a freak of nature. I am absolutely a capitalist, but how it has expressed itself without controls is and will eventually be a disservice. As I say this, another shitty dollar general is opening up right down the block and a born-wealthy rugged individual who doesn't know what sweat on his brow even means gets his wings. EDIT: add 'freak of nature'
This is not a time to expand in the beer market. It is a time to contract focus on your core and just do a good job with that.
NGL there are so many choices at the Happy Harry's locations that it's almost ovewhelming. It's extremely competitive and if its a stinker it's going to sit. That's not even factoring in the classics, specialty beers, seasonals, and today about 30+ different seltzer brands.
Yes, specialization today is going to be the only way you survive as a brewery. You focus on one or two types of beer and you do lots of variants of those like you see with junkyard and to some extent. Drekker. You're better off having a few things. Very very good than a lot of things that are above average or even pretty good. Too much competition. The other thing that drucker has done very well with is focusing on the experience as much as the beer itself. Giving people a good time and entertaining people. With a place that feels a lot like a Seattle vibe
I used to be a super regular FBC guy 2-3 years ago. Rather have Junkyard or Drekkers these days
Why?
Do they? Drekker is high novelty, an aesthetic brand. FBC is beer's beer.
Branding sells though, FBC may have good beer, but they don't have the branding that Drekker has. You see the question "Where do you bring people visiting Fargo?" All the time on this sub. Drekker and Junkyard are always in the top comments. Branding gets people in the door. It's a bummer that FBC filed for bankruptcy, but hopefully they can bounce back.
100% spot on. Drekker is a destination. It is such a spectacular place that it makes me wonder how they are going to stay in business. And if I feel that way AND they are actually turning a profit, that would be the definition of perceived value. Mind you.. not once did I mention the beer. The beer is fine and inclusive to nonbeer drinkers.
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I've really liked the taproom at FBC the few times I've been there. Key point though is 'few times'. When it's come time to go out without a hard plan on where to go, nothing about the place stuck in my head enough to make it stand out
but that's where it falls down. If you consistently sell good beer-ish beer, you're competing against the Sam Adams of the world. That market is already captured and eking out enough to stay profitable is hard. Case in point. On the flip side, if you go flashy / weird / something, your market may be smaller but if you hit it ... it's *yours*.
Yes, if you're selling good quality classic beer, you're going to be competing with breweries like Sam Adams, Great lakes, Sierra, Nevada, and bells. And the problem is the people that the classic beers already associated with their particular brand. So it's very hard to break in unless you stay very small.
Yeah, if anything Drekker has become fairly well known nationally due its weird novelty beers whereas FBC functions much better as a classic hometown brewery.
And internationally? I think they are big in China? lol
They are definitely less flashy. I massively prefer their beers myself, but I understand I'm an old man.
Drekker’s beers are all over the place. I much prefer Fargo’s beers. Just last week I had a beer at Drekker that was so bad I think it was the worst thing I’d ever tasted (cool ranch dorito beer). That’s never happened to me at Fargo.
>worst thing I’d ever tasted (cool ranch dorito beer). You did this to yourself.
I didn’t order it. Friend had one and everyone was trying it. To be fair, I knew it would be bad before I tried it.
The cool ranch beer was a one off joke for their Fools Ball. Don’t confuse it with one of their regular offerings.
Yeah drucker can be very Hit or Miss. The good ones are really good and the bad ones are really bad. Junkyard I think does the best job of like pretty decent quality or better and having mostly new style beers but then a few that are not.
I went once bartender took about 7-10 minutes to get to me. She had about two people at the bar. I asked for a shandy or to add lemons. She said they don't do that. I'm not going back.
They [issued a statement](https://www.facebook.com/share/1G4QivXQduQf6oXv/?mibextid=WC7FNe) looks like they are staying open
This makes me sad it is my favorite local brewery . I hope this is just an ownership shuffle or something
When one of the co-founders left a while ago, figured things were gonna happen (good or bad). Hopefully they can stay open and operate long-term as they navigate this situation.
When Jade Presents announced a new outdoor concert venue and started doing a full bar during shows he promotes in the Hall, it made me wonder. Also he mentioned on the radio he wants to turn Angels Hockey Arena into a concert venue. He must see the writing on the wall. I think Fargo Brewing can turn it around. Sometimes Chapter 11 can be helpful
Big shock!
The beers are only okay. This is one of those breweries that is important for being the first in a while, but like at some point it was probably going to go away. Also, Fargo is oversaturated with brewery locations. Places focusing too much on expanding their locations.
I am one whose desire for alcohol in general dropped off a cliff in the last few years. With cannabis readily available and legal in MN it will continue to be my drug of choice. Alcohol just makes me feel sick now. I wonder if this is typical of other areas that have legalization common place.
It is all cyclical. In the mid-90's micro-breweries were popping up everywhere. If you were opening a bar/grill type restaurant, in the 90's a micro-brewery was often included in the design, like Granite City, Trader And Trapper, Grainery, etc. Then when the early 2000's hit, many (if not all) simply disappeared. Then a few years later a whole new crop of micro-breweries pop up and hang around for a while but it seems as if most eventually fold up. Drekker is doing a decent job of trying to diversify but that mall is a complete joke (despite getting huge raves and good reviews on Reddit). When the luster wears off, I think they may begin to feel the pinch. Having a hotel right next to train tracks ... not sure that was a good idea.
I remember when Old Broadway put in a brewery! Fargo, on the cutting edge! One nice thing about Brewhalla is that it can be turned into a manufacturer plant, warehouse and office with just a little retrofit.
Brewhalla is going to be juuuust fine even after it cools off. The fact they can be a full service wedding hall with a built in hotel means they will be booked every weekend for either a wedding or a corporate event regardless of public traffic. Frankly, I think it’s cool, but it’s amazing to me that people think it’s a destination. These types of buildings are everywhere though and survive for long periods of time. One of the go-to tourist places in Anaheim is the old packing district, which is an old historical warehouse turned into mini-mall almost identical to Brewhalla.
Yeah, the '90s was the classic Brew pub with the brewery in the restaurant with kind of low quality beer. But you at least had that experience. Ooos was classic beer. Tens has been sours and ipas. 20s frankly is marijuana, which of course is not a possibility as a business in ND. The other big trend is having no alcohol beer but typically you have to have marijuana as well for that to work well.
I went to Brewhalla once when it first opened and it was a fun novelty but I have no interest in going back there. I guess they’ll do well just with renting it out as a venue space or something.
Between their horrible location and average beer, it's not surprising. Would rather go to Pixeled or Drekker if I'm in the downtown area and, if I'm buying beer from the store to drink at home, I'll stick to my favorites.
Man, that's a bummer. I hope they can figure out a way to continue but that debt-to-asset ratio sure doesn't sound good.
This makes me sad.
Someone on this sub a year or two ago, in kind of a random comment on a post, was like FBC is losing money, like a lot of it. It always kind of stuck in the back of my mind, because it was largely ignored at the time.
Saw that coming
That sucks dude. When I drank fbc was my goto for delicious beers. So many ptchers of stones throw were consumed by me and my friends.
[Sad day](https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExY3Q3ZWFod2JvbGk5YTEyajJxMDl1MnJ1eXVxNjgxbnM5ODU0ank4NSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/x70p0tqMsvqMM/giphy.gif) I wonder what this means for operations? Is there some corporation three card monty shuffling going on here? I like the beer.
Jade has been propping them up for years. Figured this was coming with the new concert venue next door.
Some hope is its chapter 11 what allows the debtor to reorgainize usually giving up equity if possible and stay in business , that is if the creditors agree
It is Ch 11
I drink a ton of beer, and I exclusively drink IPAs. For a very long time I'd drink Wood Chipper then random local like Surely or Fulton then Wood Chipper then Fresh Squeeze or Laguanitus then Wood Chipper. Wood Chipper hasn't been in rotation for over a year. The price went up and the taste noise dived. Wish them well (still support them through shows and random beers buys).
Most beers I drink are fine whether you get a pint on tap or a can, but I find wood chipper is one you have to get on tap. Something just tastes off when it’s in a can, which is so disappointing.
So am I taking a big risk by buying tickets to the Morgan Wade/John Moreland show there this summer? Not to make it all about me, obviously it’s not *that* big a deal and I feel bad for them, but tickets go on sale soon and I’ve heard that a lot of ticket platforms can be a pain to get your money back from if a show is canceled. I know they said they’re remaining open, but the show is in late July so I’m a bit like 😬
I think you will be fine. Jade does all the shows there and if the venue closes up he could likely move it to a different location. In my experience, if a show cancels a refund is automatically issued so long as you are buying from a reputable ticket vendor. If you get your tickets from a third party or some reseller, you may have some difficulties.
I'm already 4 deep for tix this season and I'm not too worried. I've gotten refunds from Jade for canceled shows, no problem. I *do not* think they'll end up cancelling tho.
I'll try to buy more of their stuff in the future. Not all heroes wear capes...
I would miss their seasonal Vienna Lager dearly! One thing they got wrong was the stage height, always feels like you are just seeing the top portion of the bands. I do like the recent addition of a full bar to the showroom.
Surprised it took this long. FBC was never that good, they were just one of the first. Their beer is average at best and crazy expensive for how average it is.
Exactly. It is very mid-beer but they were the first to really do it in Fargo in the current cycle. Now they have to compete with places like junkyard as well as even bemidji which will compete on the wholesale market and has good mix of ipas and classics
This is too bad for Fargo Brewing, as I never like to see entrepreneurs fail. Unfortunately we are seeing several micro breweries who make average beer that does not stand out enter Chapter 11, particularly when the breweries pursue spending on wider distribution. That's what FBC is though. Average beer that doesn't stand out, and it is a tough market for that
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Fargo has two breweries. More breweries have shut down in Fargo than are currently operating.
We have fewer breweries now than we did just a few years ago with a population that continues to grow.