Skip to Content
Podcast

RacketCast, Ep. 23: Wait, IS MN Beer In Trouble? Feat. David Berg of Schell’s

This bonus ep explores the dreaded 'craft beer bubble.'

1:07 PM CDT on May 6, 2025

Dave Berg of August Schell Brewing Co.

|Instagram: @schellsbeer

Last fall Racket surveyed 44 Minnesota brewing pros and found that 63.6% believe the industry is in a positive place—not bad!

Last month Racket highlighted Axios reporting that showed a 10.8% boost in Minnesota craft brewery production last year—nice!

But David Berg, the longtime brewmaster at August Schell Brewing Co., isn't convinced by those types of cheery reports, and he recently got all up in our Bluesky mentions to say as much.

"The brewing industry is pretty much in dire straits right now," Berg says. "I think it's a disservice to the industry to present it in any other fashion. It's as bleak as it's been in the 20 years I've been part of it."

Are Minnesota breweries in trouble? And, if so, how much? As the number of craft breweries throughout our state shoots past 200, is the long-murmured-about "craft beer bubble" finally ready to pop?

We got Berg on the horn to pick his considerable beer brain about the darker forces that might brewing on his industry's horizon.


Subscribe to RacketCast wherever you get your podcasts—Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc. Wanna advertise on RacketCast? Email us at advertise@racketmn.com. Special thanks to local band Van Stee for supplying our podcast music!

More Stories

Don’t Blame Me—I Voted for Your Complete Concert Calendar: Nov. 3-9

Pretty much all the music you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

November 3, 2026

This Out-of-State Tech Investor Funneled ‘Unprecedented’ Funds Into Anti-DFL Ads

Plus our changing voting habits and two sticker stories in today's Flyover news roundup.

November 3, 2026

Every Movie Review Racket Published in 2026 (So Far)

Here you go: a running compilation of Racket's capsule film reviews.

November 3, 2026

Is Minnesota in Danger of Flipping Red?

Plus ranking burgers and sandwiches, wooing developers, greenlighting data centers, and spotting so many moose in today's Flyover news roundup.

November 2, 2026

Sushi by Baaska Has a Permanent Home, Scott Ja-Mama’s Says Farewell, and More October Restaurant News

Plus the return of Mandalay Kitchen and Momo Sushi, goodbye to Xela's, and an uncertain future for Sisyphus.

November 2, 2026