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The Minnesota Department of Health worked with Surly Brewing Company to address a norovirus outbreak last month.

According to the MDH, an investigation was initiated on Dec. 18 when the MDH Foodborne and Waterborne Complaint Hotline received complaints of illness among patrons of Surly.

The Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture and Hennepin County Public Health worked with Surly Brewing Co. management on the investigation.

Investigators discovered that between Dec. 11 and Dec. 16, 18 patrons who ate at the restaurant fell ill.

They also identified sick employees after testing specimens. The departments believe sick employees were likely the source of the outbreak.

According to Surly Brewing, management conducted daily employee screening for illness, and "any employee with suspected or confirmed illness was excluded from work for 72 hours following the resolution of symptoms to ensure no employee was working while still shedding the virus."


Management also provided norovirus education to staff and ended practices that could encourage the virus to spread. Surly also followed "an intensive cleaning and sanitizing plan throughout the facility to kill Norovirus using a high-concentration bleach solution."

Statement from Surly Brewing Company:



Surly experienced a contained case of norovirus in December. We worked closely with both the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Department of Health to determine the cause and necessary steps to eliminate any potential sources; a process they were conducting with several local bars and restaurants during this timeframe. This was contained to a small area in hospitality. Beer production was never impacted. Since mid-December, we haven’t had any reported illnesses from employees or guests. Additional voluntary systems have been established to guarantee we’re always offering the highest quality experience, environment, and product for anyone that comes through our doors.