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Destination: Schlafly Beer

Paige Latham Didora

Nov 5, 2019
3 min

Destination: Schlafly Beer

We’ve all heard the same road trip adage — it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. It’s typically spoken when Dad must, again, answer whether or not we are There Yet. I don’t buy it. I’m not one to take a journey without a destination, and in the case of my midsummer road trip to Schlafly in St. Louis, it was the destination that inspired the journey. As a beer writer in my 8th year at this, I occasionally find myself with samples from the odd non-local brewery. This does

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Get to Montana

Paige Latham Didora

Jun 7, 2019
1 min

Get to Montana

ABV is on the road to Great Falls, Montana! Follow along on Twitter for real-time updates from the Beer Now Conference. Westbound destinations so far have included Laughing Sun Brewery in Bismarck, ND and Dialectic Brewing in Mandan, ND. Our first night in Montana was spent in Lewistown. For a town of a few thousand, they have one very successful brewery called Big Spring, located inside Central Feed Grilling Company. We enjoyed the Honey Kolsch and the Rye Pale Ale. Now that

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Imbibe Lake Pepin: Maiden Rock and Stockholm

Paige Latham Didora

Oct 19, 2018
4 min

Imbibe Lake Pepin: Maiden Rock and Stockholm

This is part two of our Imbibe Lake Pepin Series, a journey along the Great River Road. Read part one first. Following a relaxing brunch or drinks at Chef Shack Bay City, follow the Great River Road as it winds southeast towards Maiden Rock. You’ll know you’re close when you pass over trickling Rush River and little houses start appearing on the narrow strip between the road and the river. In this installment, we have idyllic drives, world-class cider, and pie. If you need a

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Imbibe Lake Pepin: Prescott to Bay City

Paige Latham Didora

Oct 2, 2018
4 min

Imbibe Lake Pepin: Prescott to Bay City

The Great River Road begins near Itasca in Northern Minnesota. But I like to pick it up at the Minnesota-Wisconsin junction in Prescott, Wisconsin. To get there, take 61 south out of Cottage Grove — it’s an easy day trip to explore the first leg of this journey. You’ll begin in a river town no further from the Twin Cities than Hastings. If you’re adventuring with us, please note that this sequence works best on a Sunday morning, but will work in part any day of the week. Once

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Chicago Distilling Company in Pictures

Paige Latham Didora

Jul 5, 2018
3 min

Chicago Distilling Company in Pictures

Vic DiPrizio is a no-nonsense sort of guy. There are many demands put on his time and on the real estate confined inside his distillery and, essentially, he has to get things done. More and more people are counting on him as his business (along with brother Jay and sister-in-law Noelle) grows. You can sense it in everything about him, down to his body language. I don’t mean that he’s uncaring or curt, he’s merely to the point. I like that about Vic. Despite this, he gives tou

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1840 Brewing Company in Milwaukee

Paige Latham Didora

May 25, 2018
3 min

1840 Brewing Company in Milwaukee

With a name like 1840, a reference to the year when the first commercial brewery opened in Milwaukee, you’d think that owners Stephanie and Kyle Vetter have a long history in the state or with Midwestern beer tradition. Neither of those is exactly true. The husband and wife co-owners didn’t intend to move to Wisconsin either. While living in Colorado, the couple spent many months flying back and forth to their space in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, blending and expe

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Wedge & Wheel & Beer

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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the best beer you’ve never heard of

Paige Latham Didora

Jul 23, 2016
3 min

the best beer you’ve never heard of

It has been said that the best beer is made in America. Looking for German, Belgian, or British beer? No need to buy a plane ticket. Instead, seek out the best craft beer bar you can find in an American city close to home. The United States, being the melting pot that it is, once adapted classic recipes and techniques from motherlands far and wide for use in the New World. But the post-modern wave of American brewing has improved upon those recipes in ways more innovative tha

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a tour of Sierra Nevada with Ken Grossman

Paige Latham Didora

Jul 21, 2015
2 min

a tour of Sierra Nevada with Ken Grossman

The first day of the Beer Bloggers Conference brought an incredible level of excitement. I kept calling it the first day of school – I don’t want to be late! Will the other kids like me? Where will I sit at lunch? And as most first days go, it was bliss. Friends were made, beers were sipped, and many a business card was exchanged. But after departing Oskar Blues’ new production and distribution facility, the anticipation caused our motley crew to oscillate between painfully q

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let’s drink durham

Paige Latham Didora

Jul 19, 2015
2 min

let’s drink durham

It’s a tobacco town as much as Minneapolis is a milling one. Old warehouses, smokestacks, and reservoirs dot the petite skyline, any many display faded logos from cigarette companies. Durham deserves much credit not only for the preservation of this history but also for making this “Tobacco Row” area of town appealing. This isn’t gentrification – it’s a re-purposing of these areas for public use. The city, as small as it is, has it’s own distinct neighborhoods. And there cont

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beer bloggers unite! BBC in Asheville

Paige Latham Didora

Jul 9, 2015
1 min

beer bloggers unite! BBC in Asheville

Next week I will be traveling to North Carolina for the National Beer Bloggers Conference! Asheville will play host to hundreds of writers, not to mention some incredible speakers and educators. I will fly into Raleigh to hang out with these clowns yet again and then drive to Asheville with Rick. This slideshow requires JavaScript. When revisiting some of my favorite towns (especially the beer havens) it is difficult not to visit the same places over and over. I admit that I

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tessa’s office in rochester, mn

Paige Latham Didora

May 8, 2015
3 min

tessa’s office in rochester, mn

Lanesboro is a magical place. They love local, although the beer offerings are lagging slightly. For the best beer selection and excellent food, I recommend Old Village Hall. Service is very good and the historic building is a wonderful backdrop. The pie at Spud Boy’s dining car can’t be beat. They literally offer one selection, whatever the owner created that day. Take it or leave it (” take it” is the correct choice). This slideshow requires JavaScript. On the way back from

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the tiny begyle brewing, chicago

Paige Latham Didora

Mar 27, 2015
1 min

the tiny begyle brewing, chicago

So when industry insiders make suggestions, my ears perk up. And when multiple brewery professionals mention the same “you gotta try” more than once, you just go. It’s that simple. Begyle Brewing. Staff at Revolution and Half Acre claimed it as a favorite and I had never heard of the place. It is within walking distance of Half Acre and multiple forms of transportation. There is no reason not to go. Begyle is so small that they only serve 750s and growlers out of their locati

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half acre brewing, chicago

Paige Latham Didora

Mar 24, 2015
2 min

half acre brewing, chicago

I had whet my palate for Half Acre days before, at Blue Door in Armitage, and was pumped to visit the place. Half Acre is located north of downtown, east of Logan Square. It has a taproom alongside the brewery and store, and is very easily accessible from the L, Metra, and bus. Half Acre is the local favorite, it seems, although it is probably a three-way-tie. They are a full production brewery that sells growlers and cans, too. The place is steeped in local with not a single

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revolution brewing, chicago

Paige Latham Didora

Mar 16, 2015
2 min

revolution brewing, chicago

By Tuesday, the weather wasn’t getting much warmer in Chicago. We had a few breweries planned for our afternoon, plus a stroll down south Michigan Ave and a walk through Millennium Park. Monday evening was spent in the Fulton Market District, west of the river, a favorite neighborhood of the trip. I highly recommend a classy restaurant called Publican, where we were treated to an insane form of French dessert called Vacherin: a pineapple and mint ice cream pie with cinnamon m

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atlas brewpub, chicago: “it is what it is”

Paige Latham Didora

Mar 10, 2015
2 min

atlas brewpub, chicago: “it is what it is”

Further up the brown line from Armitage neighborhood is Atlas Brewpub, a brewery that was recommended to me by a few locals. In spite of the fact that they serve food in addition to house beers, they are only open in the evenings. We arrived around opening time to see several brewers packed into the small work space, which is windowed to the public. Atlas does not feel like the typical brewery or brewpub. It is fairly dark and the full bar is the focus of one room while anoth

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Chicago’s Armitage neighborhood

Paige Latham Didora

Mar 3, 2015
2 min

Chicago’s Armitage neighborhood

Last week’s adventures in Chicago were the perfect mix of culture, history, beer, food, and public transportation. The city was cold – just as cold as here in Minneapolis – but that didn’t stop the perpetual motion that is one of America’s most raw urban havens. Chicago occupies a warm space in my heart. I love the city, almost in a way you love a pet or a family home. Chicago fills me with nostalgia, exhilaration, and hope. I have been visiting regularly since middle school

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where we’re headed and where we’ve been

Paige Latham Didora

Jan 1, 2015
2 min

where we’re headed and where we’ve been

For the first time in many years, I did not ring in the new year with a firm and audible, “good riddance” to the old one. As I left a party last night filled with beer-loving crowd well before the ball dropped, I quietly listened to The Current’s top 89 songs of 2014 and thought about what beers, cities, friendships, and lessons topped my year’s list. The beer at Hopfenstark (left) and Brewpub Brouhaha, both in Canada, top the list, as do several beverages consumed in Denver.

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Anchor Brewing – San Francisco

Paige Latham Didora

Nov 5, 2014
4 min

Anchor Brewing – San Francisco

My tour of Anchor Brewing Company is proof that some of the world’s most high-quality beers are not found being coveted by neighboring states, traded illegally across federal lines, or drooled over in bars across America. They are not imperial barrel-aged this or wild lacto that. They are the beers that are proven time and time again to be relevant, consistent, and a source of immense local pride. At least one of the most notable breweries I am aware of that is constantly chu

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21st Amendment – San Francisco

Paige Latham Didora

Oct 28, 2014
2 min

21st Amendment – San Francisco

If you have ever closely examined a 21st Amendment can, you may have noticed that their beer is canned here in Cold Spring, Minnesota. But when you dig a bit deeper, you will quickly learn that the beer and the company come to the Midwest from sunny San Francisco. I recently visited the brewery to better understand the origins of one of the first craft beers I fell in love with, Back in Black, which I toted on a kayak camping trip down the Root River. That beer, along with th

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