Burning Brothers, the state’s first and only gluten-free brewery, is shutting down after 11 years in St. Paul.

Their last day will be May 10.

“The factors affecting this decision are numerous, complex, and varied, and we have fought hard to avoid reaching this point, but alas, the day we had hoped to avoid has arrived,” co-owners Dane Breimhorst and Thom Foss wrote in a social media announcement.

The pair have been friends since they were teenagers and had long planned to open a brewery together, but in the middle of planning it in the early 2010s, Breimhorst was diagnosed with Celiac disease, a strong autoimmune reaction to gluten. So they tweaked their plans, learned how to brew beer without gluten and set up shop in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood in 2014.

In their 20s, both Breimhorst and Foss performed as Renaissance Festival fire-breathers — hence the name of the brewery — and revived the trick to celebrate the brewery’s fifth and tenth anniversaries.

Out of some 9,900 breweries across the country, only around a dozen are currently dedicated to producing exclusively gluten-free beer. With the closures of Burning Brothers and another brewery in Michigan last year, the only gluten-free brewery remaining in the Midwest is ALT Brew in Madison.

Burning Brothers’s taproom will be open regular hours (4 to 10 p.m. Tues/Wed/Thurs, 4 to 11 p.m. Fri, 1 to 11 p.m. Sat, 1 to 7 p.m. Sun, closed Mon) through Saturday, May 10.

Burning Brothers Brewery >> 1750 W. Thomas Ave; 651-444-8882; burnbrosbrew.com

-- Jared Kaufman

Chip’s Clubhouse abruptly shutters

Chip’s Clubhouse on Snelling Avenue has quietly closed.

Former co-owner Tara Coleman, who still owns Hot Hands Pie and Biscuit next door, said there was a sign on the door Thursday morning announcing the closure.

Coleman and former co-owner Gina Mangiameli, who is now the head of Surdyk’s prep kitchen, quietly sold the business in February of 2024 to chef Nik Donaker.

Attempts to reach Donaker have been unsuccessful, but the decision must have been sudden, as the business website is still up and appears to be taking orders, and there’s no sign of the closure on the restaurant’s social media pages.

Chip’s was known for its excellent double-smash burger; creative cocktails, originally crafted by barman Tim O’Leary; and a frequently changing menu of comfort foods.

-- Jess Fleming