As longtime Minneapolis residents, it’s important for us to give back to the communities that have supported us over the years. We’ll be working out of City Food Studio on the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue in the Central neighborhood of south Minneapolis. The Lost Falls shot glass!The Lost Falls shot glass! We plan to tweak traditional spirits recipes by using local ingredients that celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of our region — from the slivovitz of the Iron Range to dark cherry Rum of the Minnesota pioneers. Our 11-ounce imprinted whiskey tumbler.Our 11-ounce imprinted whiskey tumbler. We want to keep your liquor dollars in the community. We’re committed to cooperating with local artisans every step of the way. Local artists will design the labels. Regional craftspeople will help with ingredients and products. A handmade cribbage board emblazoned with our logo.A handmade cribbage board emblazoned with our logo. And we plan to work closely with your favorite bars and restaurants to create spirits that complement the highly-creative foods that Twin Cities chefs and restaurants are putting out. Locally made spirits will further enliven the already exciting food scene. Some view craft distilleries purely as a business opportunity. We believe instead that it offers the chance for us to reclaim some of our region’s heritage. We can produce our own spirits from local products and keep the money in our communities rather than sending it off to some faceless liquor conglomerate. We can distill creative, unique spirits that taste better than most you’ll find on your liquor store shelves. We would love for you to be a part of this vision with us. Please join us on our journey of making Lost Falls a reality. Brian & Nils The layout of our planned space at 3722 Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis.The layout of our planned space at 3722 Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. A Short History of Lost Falls Development 1994 Brian creates his first wine made from wild grapes. 1997 While on foreign exchange in Germany, Brian was exposed to home brewing. During this time he crafted batches of Apple and Cherry Wine. Brian was intrigued by the purity laws governing the brewing of beer in the country. 2000 Brian begins all grain home brewing. He began using time honored techniques and experience he gained in the German home brewing community. Over the following years he gained a great deal of experience and began creating his own recipes. 2011 Inspired by the traditional beverages of Midwestern pioneers, Brian harvests wild Minnesota fruits and berries to make local wine. While researching recipes Brian discovered a dark cherry rum often distilled by Midwestern pioneers using local ingredients. This informed Lost Falls dedication to local fruits, grains and berries. As well as interest in historical spirits. 2012 The “Surly law”passed in 2011, among other actions it dramatically reduced the cost of craft distillery licensing. We decided to found Lost Falls Distillery, and begin investigation into the steps we needed to take to make Lost Falls a reality. 2013 and on! We’ve been having meetings for over a year since we dedicated ourselves to the idea of Lost Falls. The going was slow initially due to the lack of experience with craft distilleries. As of now, there are only a small handful of operating distilleries in the entire state. We’ve waded through paperwork, and asked thousands of questions. And we’re well on our way! Lost Falls also is joining the Minnesota Distiller Guild. We hope to have our space built, operational and be in production by early 2014.
We’re raising pledges for the incentives available from our website, and kickstarter page. All our incentives are made by union workers, made in the USA, by ourselves or local artists.