#Minnesota

20 years of premeditated quality. Helles Yeah.

Paige Latham Didora

Aug 20, 2018
5 min

20 years of premeditated quality. Helles Yeah.

International Bazaar. Land of 10,000 Beers. Ballpark Cafe. West End Market. We are less than a week away from what could be considered a 12-day beer festival in its own right. While today the State Fair is a guaranteed hit for craft beer lovers, this is a very recent development. From prohibition to the year 2000, very little beer was allowed on the State Fair grounds at all, and not even during the fair. And it wasn’t until 2007 that full-strength beer could be served at The

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Paige Latham Didora

Apr 27, 2018
1 min

Lift Bridge announces major expansion

Lift Bridge Brewing Company is expanding! The 10-year-old brewery that’s known for keeping its head down and getting to work is beloved by its local community (and beyond). So the best news of all is that they’re only moving a short walk from the current facility for the benefit of a much-improved taproom. The 10-year-old craft brewery will break ground in August to build a larger production and distribution facility which will also include a new taproom with outdoor patio. F

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Must Drink: Summit Brewing High Sticke Alt

Paige Latham Didora

Jan 8, 2018
2 min

Must Drink: Summit Brewing High Sticke Alt

Altbier. Tasty, tasty, underappreciated altbier. Want to please a diverse crowd? No, it’s not Pilsner or IPA you need, it’s Altbier. Need a year-round go-to? Altbier. It’s the nectar of the gods. Although widely available and widely consumed, this hybrid amber defies the well-known dichotomy of beer categories. Arising out of Dusseldorf in the Westphalia region of Germany (an area not affected by the beer purity law of 1516), the beer is made using top-fermenting yeast – what

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Paige Latham Didora

Nov 28, 2017
3 min

Lupulin Brewing in Big Lake

With so many breweries proximal to the heart of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the amount of airtime that Lupulin Brewing gets may be surprising. The quality of their beer is no secret, though, and their lines at festivals routinely stretch a dozen or more deep. For the average beer drinker, a 45-minute trip to a taproom may not be a regular thing, but somehow, Lupulin manages to draw from a wide radius. I’d guess that their cans of legendary hazy IPA and the occasional bomber of

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Paige Latham Didora

Mar 22, 2017
3 min

Dogfish is here, and it’s a big deal

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has finally come to Minnesota and it’s a very big deal, but not for the reasons you may think. Now in it’s 21st year, Delaware’s Dogfish Head is expanding into the local market at a time when competition from local, regional, and national brands is nothing short of cutthroat. Their famous hoppy beers, many of which have numbers for names — or times, to be more accurate — are synonymous with quality, plus they carry an exotic appeal. This is no accid

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Paige Latham Didora

Mar 6, 2017
3 min

a first look at utepils

Perhaps no other brewery has had as much presence before its opening day since 612Brew opened in Northeast Minneapolis. Utepils Brewing has generated buzz for over a year (since about July, 2015, but who’s counting?) prior to opening their doors due to their capital-raising strategies, name change, location, and size. Formerly founded as Bryn Mawr Brewing, admittedly a much more attractive name, 18,000 square feet makes Utepils a very large brewery. In fact, owner Dan Justese

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Paige Latham Didora

Jan 5, 2017
3 min

Beer in 2017 – what’s to come?

There was a palpable change in the dynamic culture of craft beer in 2016. The year saw mergers and acquisitions, further growth to the point of pre-prohibition numbers, and a swing in the balance between camaraderie and competition. Though my view is unavoidably focused, I do try to keep my fingers on the national beer pulse, and these changes are not unique to the Midwest. But that’s all in the past. What is to come for 2017? 1) Beer for [insert] drinkers The assertion that

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Paige Latham Didora

Sep 27, 2016
3 min

wild mind artisan ales

Talking with Mat Waddell, brewer and owner of Wild Mind Artisan Ales, is like catching up with an old friend who happens to be a skilled brewer. His attitude is one of passion, yet he is entirely unassuming and realistic about his business, which opened its doors several weeks ago. There’s no great story about the name Wild Mind, or lightbulb moment to his becoming a brewer. Make no mistake, though, he takes his beer very seriously. Unlike most new craft breweries, there is m

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Paige Latham Didora

Aug 23, 2016
3 min

Wedge & Wheel & Beer

On a sunny afternoon in Stillwater, particularly on the weekends, a long line can be seen at the historic district’s busiest intersection. Near Chestnut & Main, families and couples slowly shuffle up to a window making the sidewalk almost unusable. East by just a block is the lift bridge to Wisconsin, so cars are always speeding by, from quaint downtown over the river to a winding county road. Well, naturally, that line is for ice cream. Just regular Kemps stuff. But just nex

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Paige Latham Didora

Jun 30, 2016
5 min

#Merica!… Back of House, Bud, and Blais

Macro brands have had their eyes on craft beer for decades. Just ask the folks at Goose Island, Pyramid, or Rolling Rock. But the first widespread evidence of their renewed effort perceptible to the general public rolled out like a tide during the 2015 Superbowl ads. The one-minute slideshow comparing the everyman’s macro beer with fussy professors pining over snifters was a clear message that Budweiser isn’t going to stand by throughout the surge of craft beer success. It wa

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Paige Latham Didora

Feb 10, 2016
2 min

2016 Winter Wine Fest this friday

This Friday marks the 40th anniversary of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, an organization that was formed to “heighten public awareness of the Minnesota grape and wine industry.” To celebrate this milestone, the organization is hosting the 2016 Winter Wine Fest this Friday at the Hyatt downtown. As a former U of M student, I’ve known for many years that Minnesota is unprecedented in their research of cold climate grapes. Visits to any Midwestern winery will reveal ho

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the biggest mistakes new breweries make, part two

Paige Latham Didora

Jan 3, 2016
3 min

the biggest mistakes new breweries make, part two

For part one, click here. First in the Biggest Mistakes series was a look at the problem of new breweries serving premature beer to paying customers. Turns out I am not the only one who has experienced this, and it’s a frustrating reality. But you, dear readers, pushed me further on the issue – “what about plain, garden-variety, BAD beer?” You asked. Fair enough. My previous series outline will be scrapped to appease the masses. The reality is that there are shortages in this

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Paige Latham Didora

Nov 11, 2015
3 min

able seedhouse + brewery now open

How should we sort through the riff raff, so to speak? I get this question a lot – from locals and travelers alike … “where should we go if Mr. BeerFriendFromDenver is in town?” or “Is it really worth driving to Duluth/Rochester/Stillwater for beer?” First, Minnesota has a lot of great beer; the number of breweries that I routinely advise against are very few. But the liver can only take so much, not to mention other limiting factors like time and money. With that in mind, I

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Paige Latham Didora

Nov 7, 2015
2 min

Schell’s Apparent Horizon

Consider the ground we’ve covered so far: a traditional Berliner Weisse, a raspberry variant, a oktoberfest-malt Berliner, a dark cherry sour, a fruity starkbier, a dry Berliner featuring the new German Cypress Blanc hop, and a peach-forward selection. Apparent Horizon differs from the traditional German Berliner Weisse in that it contains a high percentage of rye and showcases more brettanomyces than lactobacillus. It also offers more alcohol than the original, causing it t

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Paige Latham Didora

Oct 20, 2015
2 min

Olvalde Farm and Brewing Co

Of course, that isn’t exactly true – it takes cooperation by a number of people to keep the brand going. But at the heart of the operation is a farmer who loves brewing. I first met Joe at the Pride Dabbler. He was impossible to miss, dressed in traditional garb of some variety I can’t place. Meeting him, I had no idea he was the owner/brewer. But while working at The Four Firkins I finally got to know him a bit. He is an incredibly unassuming guy – clearly an expert of obscu

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Paige Latham Didora

Sep 30, 2015
2 min

Life’s Too Short Brewing – a quick peek

LTS (or Life’s Too Short) Brewing, founded in 2013 by owners Brandon Schulz and Jeff Werning, opened its taproom last month in Rochester. Located outside of the Mayo zone, LTS has a fairly large industrial building with plans to even add a restaurant. When we arrived, there were about 10 beers on tap, ranging from the predictable to the more creative. The interior is fairly stark, with several high-top tables and very little décor. The taproom is clearly a work in progress, b

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what it was like to be a part of the four firkins (a eulogy of sorts)

Paige Latham Didora

Jun 29, 2015
4 min

what it was like to be a part of the four firkins (a eulogy of sorts)

I had submitted my resume the very day the call went out, in early June of 2013. I even contacted an acquaintance who worked there, just to be sure my name wasn’t missed. But somehow it was, when threw my hat in the virtual ring, and when I followed up weeks later, I’m sure the idea of me sounded like an afterthought. Surprised I was indeed when Bryan, fearless Firkins manager, called me as I was knuckles deep into a croissant at a loud café on Grand Avenue. He was calling to

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Paige Latham Didora

Apr 16, 2015
3 min

the cocktail room at Vikre

On some small level, traveling to Vikre distillery this weekend was like finally seeing that band live. The one that’s constantly playing in the car CD player (what other CD players do we have anymore?) I was introduced to them early last summer while researching local spirits, and now their Cedar Gin occupies a permanent place on my home bar. The anticipation of knowing their spirits but not their personality caused me to drive a bit faster as we pulled into town on Friday,

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Paige Latham Didora

Mar 30, 2015
2 min

cocktail room at du nord

This winter saw the successful expansion of yet another Minnesota distillery – Du Nord, located near Hiawatha and 32nd. Du Nord (adopted from the Minnesota slogan, l’Etoile du Nord) joins the likes of Panther, J. Carver, Wander North, 11 Wells, Norseman, Vikre, Far North and more to expand the craft spirits scene in Minnesota. Though they had been bottling for about a year, their model is a bit different from others – Du Nord’s cocktail room is their focus. It is one of very

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Paige Latham Didora

Feb 13, 2015
2 min

J Carver Barrel Gin

J. Carver Distillery of Waconia has recently released their barrel gin, an incredibly unique sort of pet project that has evolved into a bottle-worthy liquor. The spirit is distilled from local grains including Minnesota wild rice and winter wheat, and is created using a melange of botanicals. One of those elements, which was actually developed near Waconia, is everlasting clover. When I visited J. Carver last month, I learned just exactly what that is. image: The Land Online

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