Stacked Deck Brewing Closes After 3 Years in St. Paul

Well folks, Stacked Deck Brewing Co. has played its last hand. They'll close for good at midnight on October 30.

"The saga that landed us in this unfortunate position is long and winding and of soap opera proportions," the brewery posted Friday on Facebook. "We'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, the hardships we have endured over the past year have gone beyond the capabilities of a small brewery like ours."

Scott Wege, Andy Erickson, Ryan Keihn, and Brad Randall opened Stacked Deck back in December 2018. Located in the Treasure Island Center, their downtown brewery had the cool distinction of sharing a space with the Minnesota Wild's practice rink.

For the last three years, they've served up an array of poker-themed "high-stakes brews" in their card-themed space—Ante Up Amarillo, Pocket Aces—along with an array of fun sours and hazies and lighter, crushable brews. (Among the on-tap offerings now: an American pilsner by the name of Snake Pillsen, an Oktoberfest called Märzen Attacks, and the Airing of the Grievances festbier.)

“When you have a beer, it really should never be a gamble,” cofounder Brad Randall told The Growler when Stacked Deck opened. “We’re really stacking the deck in our customers’ favor.”

But opening a brewery is always a gamble, and no one could have seen the chaos the pandemic would bring to the restaurant industry back in the halcyon days of 2018. All you can do is know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.

"You all have truly made this place what it is, and we can't thank you enough for your support," Stacked Deck's Facebook post concludes, and indeed hundreds of people have commented with well-wishes. (The consensus seems to be: good guys, great beers, tough location.)

And like any good gambler, they've still got "a few more fun tricks up our sleeves, including a big ol' going away shindig on the 30th." Check back on Facebook for updates.